Redress hearings, the 100th Battalion and a new year’s work for JACL

Vol. 94, No. 1, January 1, 1982. 16 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen opened 1982 with a New Year double issue led by redress and the work ahead. The front page reported on the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians’ final hearing in Cambridge, Mass., where legal scholars debated monetary redress for Japanese Americans. John Tateishi described the shift to drafting legislation, and Paul Bannai, who resigned from the Commission, was appointed a Veterans Administration official and criticized the Commission’s chairperson. Ron Wakabayashi looked ahead to the National Convention in the Gardena Valley.

Inside are excerpts from Chester Tanaka’s Go For Broke, tracing the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team from their origins through first combat in Italy. Readers also wrote in about Frank Chin’s testimony before the Commission. Editor Harry Honda announced a larger typeface, and the paper carried a run of chapter installation notices, including Seattle’s 60th year and the Pan American Nikkei Association.

What’s in this issue

National

• Nikkei Appointed to High Ranking Government Positions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Frank S. Sato was named VA inspector general and Paul Bannai was appointed chief memorial affairs director at the Veterans Administration under Robert P. Nimmo. Both men bring extensive government and legislative experience to their new management roles.
• Burglary Victim ‘Wanted’ in Taiwan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Wellington P. Cheng, victim of a $4.5 million art and jewel burglary in Bel-Air, is wanted in Taiwan on fraud allegations but cannot be extradited due to lack of a treaty. The burglary was the largest heist in Los Angeles history.
• Coroner Noguchi’s Office Under Probe, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors launched an investigation into Dr. Thomas Noguchi’s coroner’s office following reports of bungled drug tests and lost evidence. Noguchi, previously fired and reinstated in 1969, welcomed the probe while supervisors offered mixed views on his management.
• Cal. Farmers Threaten Boycott of Japan Goods on Medfly Flap, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California farmers threatened to boycott Japanese products unless Japan lifts its quarantine on produce related to Mediterranean fruit fly concerns. Growers claim the restrictions have cost tens of millions of dollars since being imposed in August.
• Scientists Warn of Raw Fish Worm Hazard, by P.C. Staff, page 13. The National Center for Disease Control issued a warning about parasites in raw fish after an outbreak of tapeworm disease linked to sushi in Los Angeles. Experts recommend proper freezing or cooking methods to kill parasites like Diphyllobothrium tapeworms and Anisakis simplex roundworms before consuming raw fish.
• Fuji Film Wins ’84 Olympics Bid, by P.C. Staff, page 13. Fuji Photo Film Co. was named the official film sponsor of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, outbidding Eastman Kodak with a commitment valued at about $9 million. Fuji will process photographers’ film for free at the Olympic press center in exchange for advertising rights using the Olympic logo.
• Toronto Nikkei Backs New Human Rights Bill, by Mark Suzuki, page 14. The Toronto Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association supported a revised Bill 7 that would strengthen Ontario’s Human Rights Code with contract compliance standards and affirmative action provisions. The bill faces opposition from conservative groups while civil rights advocates cite rising incidents of racism and discrimination in Toronto, including racist graffiti and attacks on children.
• Matsunaga Introduces Bill for U.S. Peace Academy, by P.C. Staff, page 14. Senator Spark Matsunaga introduced legislation to establish a United States Academy of Peace, following recommendations from a national commission he chaired. The proposed academy would focus on conflict resolution research and education, with an estimated cost of $31 million for its first two years.
• Asian Attorney Sworn in by Justice Sandra O’Connor, by P.C. Staff, page 14. Coralie Chun Matayoshi became the first person sworn into law practice by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Matayoshi specializes in anti-trust law at the U.S. Department of Justice and was the 1976 Narcissus Queen in Honolulu.
• High Court OKs Worship on Campus, by P.C. Staff, page 14. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that student religious groups have the right to use state college and university facilities like other student organizations. The decision found that the University of Missouri at Kansas City had violated constitutional rights by forbidding religious worship on campus.
• U.S. Auto Firms Lack Productivity, Expert Says, by P.C. Staff, page 16. Auto manufacturing expert James Harbour reported that U.S. car makers’ lack of quality and productivity adds nearly $2,000 to factory costs compared to Japanese manufacturers. He attributed the gap largely to poor management and recommended cooperative approaches between labor, suppliers, and management to improve output.

Community

• Yamato Colony to Mark 75th Year, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Yamato Colony in Livingston, California will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a gala dinner honoring Issei pioneers and their descendants. The event will be held at the Merced Golf & Country Club.
• Waterfall Gardens Wins National Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Designer Masao Kinoshita and contractor William S. Yorozu won the 1981 Environmental Award from the American Nurserymen’s Association for Waterfall Gardens in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Nancy Reagan presented the award at the White House for the park, a gift of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
• Japanese Tourist Finds Double Jeopardy in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Osaka city councilman Sanji Onaka traveled to Los Angeles to testify against burglars who robbed his hotel room, only to be victimized again by pickpockets during the same visit. Despite the embarrassing incident, the city council honored him for his dedication in returning to testify.
• CRA Plan to Redevelop Area East of Little Tokyo Rejected, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Property owners rejected a $75,000 preliminary redevelopment plan for an area east of Little Tokyo at a meeting where they complained about being excluded from the planning process. Officials could not explain who initiated the study, though it was later traced to Councilman Gilbert Lindsay’s request.
• Non-Nikkei Groups Donate $1-Million, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese American Cultural and Community Center board chair George Doizaki announced that non-Japanese groups have contributed over $1 million to the center. Recent contributors include Chevron U.S.A. and Fluor Foundation.
• ‘Bamboo People’ Now in Paperback, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Frank Chuman’s book ‘The Bamboo People’ has been reissued in softcover by the JACL-Japanese American Research Project after the hardcover edition went out of print. Copies are available through JACL Headquarters or the Midwest office.
• Pasadena JACL Names President, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Fred A. Hiraoka, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer, was elected 1982 president of the Pasadena JACL. Hiraoka has been a 1000 Club member since 1958.
• Tritia Toyota to Speak at Orange County Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 6. KNBC newscaster Tritia Toyota will be the guest speaker at the Orange County JACL installation dinner. Warren Y. Nagano will be installed as 1982 chapter chairman, succeeding two-term chairman Dr. Luis Kobashi.
• Tsujimura to Address Gardena Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dr. James K. Tsujimura, National JACL President, will be guest speaker at the Gardena Valley JACL installation dinner. The event will be held at Mishima’s Restaurant.
• San Fernando Valley Installation Set, by P.C. Staff, page 6. San Fernando Valley JACL will hold its annual installation dinner at the Castaway Restaurant with Dr. Michael Ego as guest speaker. Tak Yamamoto was re-elected board chairman for 1982.
• West Valley Installation Set Jan. 30, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Benjamin Hazard, a San Jose State history professor who served with U.S. occupation forces in Japan, will speak at the West Valley JACL installation dinner. Reservations are being coordinated by Tom Miyamoto.
• East L.A. Elects Masuda to 4th Term, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Doug K. Masuda will serve his fourth term as president of East Los Angeles JACL, with installation at Steven’s Steak House. Regional director John Saito will serve as installing officer.
• San Mateo History Project Completed, by P.C. Staff, page 7. San Mateo JACL completed its History Project with the publication of ‘1882-1942: A Community Story’ and an educational filmstrip. Copies are being donated to schools, libraries, and museums throughout San Mateo County.
• Chinese in Seattle to Start Newspaper, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Seattle Chinese Post will begin weekly publication starting January 20, focusing on community news, consumer information and events. The paper will be based in Seattle.
• Project ASIA Aids So. Cal. Libraries, by P.C. Staff, page 14. Project ASIA purchased and distributed over 500 Japanese language books to Southern California libraries through funding from the Library Services and Construction Act. The project also circulates traveling packets of Asian-language titles among member libraries.
• High School Drug Raid Drags in Sansei, by P.C. Staff, page 14. Arcadia police arrested five adults and 23 high school students, including Sansei student Steve Fujikawa, in a drug investigation at Arcadia High School. Fujikawa was charged with selling marijuana to an undercover officer.
• San Jose Buddhist Pastor Retires, by P.C. Staff, page 14. Rev. Kyoshiro Tokunaga retired after 22 years as pastor of the San Jose Buddhist Church following a career that included confinement in WWII internment camps. A community banquet was held in his honor at the San Jose Hyatt House.
• Robbery Victim Flies Home; Wife in Critical Condition, by P.C. Staff, page 16. Kazuyoshi Miura returned to Japan after his wife Kazuni remained hospitalized in critical condition following a robbery and shooting in downtown Los Angeles. The couple faces significant uncertainty about her recovery and over $62,000 in medical expenses with no financial aid available.

Incarceration & Redress

• Legal Experts Discuss Redress for Japanese American Internees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians held its final hearing in Cambridge, Mass., with legal scholars debating the legal ramifications of redress for 120,000 Japanese Americans and 1,000 Aleuts. Panelists including Alan Dershowitz argued for substantial monetary reparations and formal acknowledgment of wrongdoing by the government.
• Redress Highlight for Chicago JACL—1981, by Ron Yoshino, page 2. Chicago JACL’s Redress Committee identified over 50 CWRIC witnesses and raised more than $30,000 for the national redress program in 1981. The chapter also held scholarship luncheons, membership meetings, and maintained an active credit union with assets exceeding $700,000.
• CWRIC Public Meeting: Panel Discussion on Redress and Reparations, page 2. Legal scholars at a Harvard-hosted CWRIC hearing debated the legal basis and necessity for monetary redress to Japanese Americans interned during WWII. Panelists discussed tort theories, sovereign immunity, and parallels to other compensation cases like the Buffalo Creek disaster.
• Hiroshima Citizens Raise Funds for JACL-Backed Hibakusha Film, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A group of Hiroshima citizens raised $10,000 to help fund ‘Survivors,’ a JACL-sponsored documentary about Japanese American atomic bomb victims directed by Steven Okazaki. The film features interviews with 20 California survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• Bannai Criticizes CWRIC Chairperson, by P.C. Staff, page 13. Former CWRIC executive staff director Paul Bannai criticized Commission chairperson Joan Z. Bernstein following his resignation, citing disagreements over hearing policy and insufficient representation of opposing viewpoints. Bannai also discussed his views on monetary reparations and stated he would not run for political office in the near future.

JACL

• IDC Elects Hid Hasegawa, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hid Hasegawa of Idaho Falls JACL was elected Intermountain District governor at the district convention in Salt Lake City. Other officers were also elected, and delegates heard from national JACL leaders including President Jim Tsujimura and Director Ron Wakabayashi.
• Pan American Nikkei Assn. Formalized with 8 Nations Represented, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A charter for the Pan American Nikkei Association was drafted in Lima, Peru, with representatives from eight Western Hemisphere nations participating. JACL’s Chuck Kubokawa helped prepare the constitution, which aims to promote international understanding among Nikkei throughout the Americas.
• Pan-American Nikkei: PANA Objectives in Brief, page 5. The Pan American Nikkei Association aims to promote international understanding among Nikkei throughout the Americas via conferences, student exchange, and historical projects. The group emerged from a 1980 JACL convention workshop and represents the first unified Nikkei effort across the Americas.
• Activities Each Month Keeps Washington, D.C. Humming, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Washington D.C. JACL chapter reports on a year full of activities including an installation dinner with ABC newscaster Steve Bell, a benefit screening of ‘Hito Hata,’ the annual Keiro Kai honoring elders, and participation in CWRIC hearings. The chapter also runs a young adult group, Seishun, and a Japanese language school.
• Seattle to Observe 60th Year, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Seattle JACL traces its origins back to 1921 when Nisei formed the Seattle Progressive Citizens League, later hosting the founding JACL convention in 1930. The chapter will commemorate its 60th anniversary with an installation banquet featuring Senator Slade Gorton as keynote speaker.

Commentary

• Redress Phase 3: Next Step, by John Tateishi, page 2. JACL Redress chairman John Tateishi outlines the organization’s shift from CWRIC hearings to the harder work of drafting redress legislation and building congressional support. He warns of a long legislative battle given the defeat of even minor Commission-related bills in the Senate.
• Ye Editor’s Desk: Vol. 94, #1, by Harry Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda announces a new larger typeface for the Pacific Citizen in response to reader requests, detailing the production changes involved. He also recaps the record-breaking 128-page 1981 Holiday Issue and thanks staff and community contributors for their support.
• Aircraft Compared, by Vaughn M. Greene, page 4. A reader writes in to dispute claims about the superiority of the Japanese Zero fighter plane, arguing that American and Japanese aircraft were built to different philosophies. He details historical combat tactics and engineering influences, including the role of the Hughes H-1 aircraft design on both Japanese and German fighters.
• Intermountain Nikkei, by Tom Nakayama, page 4. A reader from Georgia expresses gratitude toward Nikkei who lived in the interior states during WWII and were not evacuated, noting they generously helped less fortunate Japanese Americans. He emphasizes that this kindness is remembered and appreciated despite the passage of time.
• Word from Canada, by George Yamada, page 4. A reader from Toronto commends playwright Frank Chin for his CWRIC testimony despite not being of Japanese ancestry, criticizing Mike Masaoka’s dismissal of Chin’s views. He argues that justice and truth should not be limited to ethnic spokespersons.
• The Big Aiiieeeee!, by Dorothy R. Yoshimori, page 4. A Michigan State University professor defends Frank Chin’s integrity as a writer and scholar in response to Minoru Yasui’s harsh criticism in a previous PC column. She argues that outsiders can sometimes better grapple with painful historical issues like the WWII camps than those who experienced them directly.
• Musubi: A Brand New Year, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. National JACL Director Ron Wakabayashi reflects on his first full year leading the organization, outlining plans to fill vacant staff positions, host the National Convention in Gardena Valley, and develop an operations manual and Program for Action document. He emphasizes the need to develop new revenue sources and membership growth strategies.
• Living East of the Rockies, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani describes the Japanese American cultural resources available to Nisei living outside the West Coast, including restaurants, bookstores, and Buddhist churches in cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Seattle. He notes the relative scarcity of Japanese films and institutions compared to West Coast communities but emphasizes making the most of what is available.
• ‘Loyalty Oath’, by Merry Omori, page 7. A reader strongly criticizes Minoru Yasui and the JACL for attempting to silence critics like Frank Chin through name-calling and attacks on his credentials. She points out the irony of Yasui dismissing Chin’s testimony while writing a lengthy 1,500-word rebuttal to it.
• From Happy Valley: ‘Love’ of Humanity, by Sachi Seko, page 14. Sachi Seko reflects on finding deeper meaning beyond typical New Year wishes for health and wealth, inspired by a letter from a former camp student planning missionary work in Bangladesh. She concludes that true fulfillment comes from giving a portion of one’s life in service to others without seeking reward.

Arts & Entertainment

• East West Players Offer Varied Jan. Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. East West Players will present a shakuhachi concert, readings of one-act plays including Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s ‘Voices,’ and Frank Chin’s work-in-progress ‘Oofty Goofty’ throughout January. The programs showcase a range of Japanese American theatrical and musical talent.
• Performing Arts Show Wins Media Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 13. ‘Japanese Performing Arts in America,’ co-produced by KCET-TV and UCLA, won the Bronze Award at the 24th annual International Film and Television Festival. The two-hour special showcased dance, theatre and music by American and Japanese artists.

Military & Veterans

• Go For Broke: Pictorial History of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, by Chester Tanaka, page 8. This excerpt from the book ‘Go For Broke’ details the formation and combat history of the Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII, describing their decorations, casualties, and fighting spirit. The units became the most decorated in U.S. military history, earning accolades from General George C. Marshall and others.
• Who Were They? The Soldiers of the 100/442, by Chester Tanaka, page 8. This section describes the Japanese American soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, noting their small stature, dietary preferences for rice, and typical American GI habits. Despite being smaller than standard GI uniform sizes, they fought with distinction across multiple campaigns in Italy and France.
• Where They Came From: The Birth of the 100th Infantry Battalion, by Chester Tanaka, page 9. The article traces the origins of the 100th Infantry Battalion from the Hawaiian Provisional Battalion, detailing the mass incarceration of mainland Japanese Americans contrasted with the retention of Hawaiian Nisei in military service. It describes the pivotal role of community leaders and military officials in reversing the decision to discharge Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii’s National Guard.
• The 100th Joins the 34th Red Bull Division, by Chester Tanaka, page 11. The 100th Infantry Battalion was attached to the 34th Red Bull Division under General Charles W. Ryder, who insisted on committing them to combat rather than relegating them to guard duty. The battalion trained extensively and was later deployed to Italy, where they would see their first combat action near Chiusano and Montemilleto.
• The 100th in Italy: Salerno to Foggio, by Chester Tanaka, page 11. The 100th Infantry Battalion landed at Salerno and advanced through Italian towns, suffering their first casualties including Sgt. Shigeo ‘Joe’ Takata who was killed while heroically exposing enemy machine gun positions. General Mark Clark praised the unit’s performance after their first engagements in combat.

In-Depth

• Comparative Survey Shows Aged Japanese Worry Less, Prefer Work Until Age 70 to Leisure, by P.C. Staff, page 12. An international survey by Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office found that elderly Japanese have fewer worries and stronger desires to continue working compared to counterparts in Western countries. The report highlights Japan’s rapidly aging population and the social and economic implications for retirement policy and family support structures.
• The First Black American in Japan in 1845, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Historical research reveals that Pyrrus Concer, a black helmsman on the whaling ship Manhattan, was likely the first African American to set foot in Japan in 1845. He helped rescue shipwrecked Japanese fishermen and was met with curiosity by Japanese officials who had never seen a black person before.

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