The 40th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and a Day of Remembrance

Vol. 94, No. 7, February 19, 1982. 8 pages. View this issue

Executive Order 9066 was signed on Feb. 19, 1942, and the Pacific Citizen marked the 40th anniversary on that date in 1982. Peter Imamura’s front-page installment reviewed the order’s text and how officials narrowed it to target people of Japanese ancestry. John Tateishi wrote about the date in his Redress column. A bill from Assemblyman Patrick Johnston would pay $1,000 a year for five years to Nisei state workers forced out of their jobs in 1941-42, and National JACL planned to back it and to proclaim Feb. 19 a Day of Remembrance.

Also on the front page were INS raids in Little Tokyo, where ten of 11 Japanese nationals with hearings agreed to return home voluntarily, and the reinstatement of Richard M. Ikeda, M.D., at UC-Davis. Inside are columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani, Sachi Seko and Ron Ikejiri, a proposal from Henry T. Tanaka to move JACL’s national offices to Washington, D.C., and chapter and community news.

What’s in this issue

National

• Nikkei Med School Prof Fired in 1978 Wins Reinstatement, page 1. Richard M. Ikeda, M.D., was dismissed from UC-Davis/Sacramento Medical Center in 1978 on charges including unprofessional conduct and insubordination. After five days of hearings before a university committee, Ikeda was reinstated with back pay in February 1982, with most charges withdrawn except a one-week suspension for verbal assault.
• Immigration Raids to Continue; Ten Aliens Voluntarily Go Home, page 1. Hearings were held for 11 of 27 Japanese nationals apprehended in INS raids in Little Tokyo, with ten agreeing to voluntarily return home to avoid deportation. The INS plans to more than double its investigative staff in Los Angeles and expand raids to Chinese and Japanese neighborhoods, prompting concern among Nikkei attorneys and community leaders about the impact on the Issei community.
• Hayakawa Wants Bilingualism Dropped From Voting Rights Act, page 2. Senator S.I. Hayakawa urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to eliminate bilingual election material requirements from the Voting Rights Act, citing costs and the need for citizens to learn English. He submitted bill S 53 for consideration, arguing that bilingual ballots cannot compensate for past denial of educational opportunities.
• Independent Schools Recruit Minorities, page 8. The National Assn. of Independent Schools announced a special recruitment program to attract Japanese American and other minority students, teachers, and administrators to independent schools. The program, now in its second year, is funded jointly with Independent Educational Services and A Better Chance, Inc.

Incarceration & Redress

• EO 9066 Proclaimed 40 Years Ago, by Peter Imamura, page 1. This fifth installment in a series reviews the text and history of Executive Order 9066, signed by President Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1942, which granted military commanders discretionary power to exclude persons from designated areas. The article details how officials like Secretary of War Stimson and John J. McCloy narrowed the order’s application to specifically target Japanese aliens and American citizens of Japanese ancestry while largely sparing Italians.
• Compensation Bill for JA State Workers Dismissed in WW2 Due, page 1. Assemblyman Patrick Johnston introduced legislation to provide $1,000 a year for five years to Nisei state employees forced to resign from California state jobs in 1941-42 due to disloyalty charges. National JACL will endorse the bill and lobby for its passage, with a press conference held to proclaim Feb. 19 as a Day of Remembrance.
• 35 Years Ago, page 4. A historical roundup of events from February 1947, including news of a Hawaii election, naturalization proceedings, the first Nisei LA county sheriff deputy, and various legislative and civil rights developments affecting Japanese Americans in the postwar period.

Community

• 3rd Fire Hits Gardena Bukkyokai, page 1. A third fire, likely arson, struck the Gardena Buddhist Temple on Feb. 12 while it was still under construction following a 1980 fire, causing $3,000 to $5,000 in damage. No suspects have been apprehended in any of the three fires, raising security concerns for the congregation.
• JCPA to Fete 9th Yr., page 2. The Japanese Community Progressive Alliance will celebrate its ninth anniversary on Feb. 27 at the San Francisco Buddhist Church. The event will be held at 6 p.m.
• UCLA Law School Special Asian Admissions Stays Alive for Now, page 3. Marina JACL announced that UCLA Law School’s special admissions program for Asian American students will remain intact for another year after Dean William D. Warren declined to propose changes. A scheduled debate between the Asian Pacific Law Students Assn. and the administration never took place since Warren declined to participate, though an informative discussion was held with APLSA members.
• Hawaii Judge Fined for Drunken Driving, page 3. Circuit Court Judge Harold Shintaku, who suffered mysterious head injuries in October, pleaded guilty to drunken driving charges and was fined $150. The sentence was imposed as he prepared to leave for mainland treatment of his head injuries.
• SFCJAS to Hear Akemi Kikumura, page 3. Dr. Akemi Kikumura, USC anthropology professor and author of ‘Through Harsh Winters,’ will speak at an event sponsored by the San Francisco Center for Japanese American Studies. The talk is scheduled for Feb. 19 at the Japanese American Assn. Building.
• Nikkei Republicans Go Statewide, page 3. California Japanese American Republicans (CalJAR), organized in Fresno to engage with the Republican party statewide, will meet in Sacramento to review its by-laws. The organization lists George Oki as charter president along with several other officers from across the state.
• ‘Beginning Century II’ JACCC Theme, page 3. The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center will hold its second anniversary dinner at the Biltmore Hotel, themed around the first 100 years of Japanese American immigration history. The dinner will honor key figures including board chairman Katsuma Mukaeda and president George Doizaki for their fundraising efforts that raised $7 million for the Center.
• JA Bar Assn. Installs 1982 Officers, page 3. The Japanese American Bar Association installed its 1982 officers at a brunch at the California Yacht Club, with Michael Yamaki taking over as president from outgoing President Louis K. Ito. Among the 130 guests were U.S. District Court Judges Robert M. Takasugi and Wallace Tashima.
• Kunitsugu Heads Contractors Group, page 5. Kango Kunitsugu was installed as president of the Japanese American Contractors, Inc. (formerly Oriental Builders Assn.), succeeding Roy Takei. Kunitsugu emphasized fighting discrimination in the building industry and raising awareness of Asian contractors’ capabilities among Nikkei clients.
• Salinas Valley to Celebrate 50th, page 6. Salinas Valley JACL will honor ten Issei pioneers and 20 past chapter presidents at its 50th anniversary banquet on Feb. 20, featuring a slide show of historic Japanese American scenes in Salinas. Civic dignitaries including Rep. Leon Panetta and Mayor Jim Barnes are expected to attend.
• Sacramento ‘Roast’ for Masakis Set, page 6. Longtime JACLers Percy and Gladys Masaki will be honored at a Sacramento JACL dinner roast on March 27 at the Red Lion Motor Inn, as Percy plans to retire from his realty business after decades of chapter service. Frank Iwama will emcee with his wife Mimi serving as dinner chair.
• PC People, page 7. This roundup of community news includes Martha Kawada being honored as Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the El Camino Lions Club in Gardena, and Ruth Oshiro being named Citizen of the Week by KNX Newsradio for saving a life using first aid training. Also noted are sculptor Ruth Asawa’s 10th anniversary fountain celebration and various career and government appointments among Japanese Americans.

Commentary

• Remembering 9066, by John Tateishi, page 2. This Redress Phase 3 column reflects on the 40th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, contrasting the national celebration of FDR’s 100th birthday with the significance of the date for Japanese Americans. The author recalls Attorney General Francis Biddle’s memo revealing the order was intended to target Japanese Americans specifically, not Italians or Germans.
• Priorities: Relocate HQ, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 4. The Cleveland JACL board proposes relocating the National JACL Director’s office and Redress coordinator office from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. to address budget cuts while maintaining continuity with Redress activities and the CWRIC commission.
• Disadvantages of Being a Dog, by Sachi Seko, page 4. In this personal column, the author humorously describes her dog Nicholas’s self-satisfaction after learning 1982 is the Year of the Dog, detailing his pampered life. She connects this reflection to a poignant wartime memory of an Issei woman whose daughter mutilated her own face rather than continue being seen as Japanese during the 1942 evacuation.
• Washington Wrap-Up: A Look Ahead, by Ron Ikejiri, page 4. As the 97th Congress’s second session begins, the CWRIC is completing its fact-finding mandate and will soon formulate recommendations on remedies for Japanese American internment. JACL redress leaders are seeking member input on appropriate remedies through chapter-sponsored workshops.
• School Discipline in Tokyo Falling, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. This column from the Frying Pan reflects on prewar Japanese language schools in America and the resentment they caused among Nisei children, then pivots to discuss rising school violence in contemporary Japan. The author cites a report by journalist Eiko Fukuda attributing the violence to breakdown in family cohesion and intense academic competitive pressure.
• The Complexities of Communicating, by Bill Marutani, page 5. This East Wind column humorously explores inconsistencies and complexities in English pronunciation, grammar, and spelling, comparing irregular plural forms and homonyms. The author concludes by noting that Japanese (Nihongo) presents its own complex challenges with different speech forms depending on gender and social status of the listener.
• Musubi: Photo Please, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. In this letter to the editor, the author praises Pacific Citizen assistant editor Peter Imamura for his outstanding work covering the Commission on Wartime Relocation hearings, describing anecdotes from Imamura’s visits to San Francisco. The author humorously counters a rumor that ‘Peter Imamura’ is a pen name, confirming he is a real, hardworking person.
• From Pacific Southwest: Scenario, by John Saito, page 6. This column presents a dialogue scenario contrasting a fictional 1942 conversation between a Nisei couple before the evacuation with a present-day 1982 conversation addressing INS raids in Little Tokyo. The piece draws a parallel between historical anti-Japanese sentiment and contemporary immigration enforcement concerns in the same neighborhood.

JACL

• Membership Response Still Strong, page 2. Tom Shimasaki, chairman of the JACL national ways & means committee, thanked JACL members for their strong response to fundraising appeals for several projects. He noted that continued support from the membership is crucial since outside funding sources are limited.

Obituaries

• Mrs. Yuka Abe, page 6. Mrs. Yuka Abe, 89, of San Francisco, widow of Toyoji Abe, publisher of the prewar Japanese newspaper Shin Sekai, died Jan. 27. She is survived by her son Roy Victor and daughters Sophy Ozaki, Alice Matsumoto, Martha Abe and Hana Kawakami.
• Dr. Howard S. Henjyoji, page 6. Dr. Howard S. Henjyoji, 36, of Portland died Jan. 19. A JACL-Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka scholarship recipient and Harvard graduate, he was also an ordained priest at Henjyoji Temple and is survived by his wife, two daughters, parents and siblings.
• Mary Yoshiye Kurata, page 6. Mary Yoshiye Kurata, 62, a Sacramento-born Nisei, died Feb. 6 at Riverside Hospital after a long illness. She is survived by three sons, three daughters, grandchildren and a sister.

Military & Veterans

• JACLer Muts Furuya Succumbs in 2nd Worst Hotel Fire in Tokyo, page 8. Mutsuyo ‘Muts’ Furuya, 56, a member of Sequoia JACL and former Postal Service superintendent, died in the Feb. 8 fire at Tokyo’s New Japan Hotel that killed 32 people, the second-worst hotel fire in Japan since WWII. Furuya had been active with the Committee for Internment Credit, JACL, and Asian Americans for Community Involvement, and was reportedly helping other fire victims before succumbing to flames.

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