Road to the 27th Biennial Convention: Okawara, Redress and the Noguchi hearing

Vol. 95, No. 5, July 30, 1982. 12 pages. View this issue

The 27th Biennial JACL National Convention, set for Aug. 9-13 at the Airport Hyatt in Los Angeles, shaped this issue. Harry Honda’s front-page story told how Japan’s Ambassador Yoshio Okawara would address the Sayonara banquet. Lou Tomita and Chester Sugimoto described the schedule and planning, and Y. George Kodama and Henry Tanaka made their cases as candidates for national office. Commentary from Karl Nobuyuki, Gerald H. Yamada and Ron Ikejiri weighed U.S.-Japan relations, the Washington representation question and the Redress campaign.

Also inside: the Mitsui steel-dumping case, the Noguchi appeals hearing, and a Los Angeles exhibit on the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The paper also covered the Nisei Week queen contenders, a Heart Mountain short story that won a literary award, and Eitaro Moriya’s memoir of listening to banned U.S. radio in wartime Japan.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Japan Ambassador Okawara Keynote to Climax JACL Week at Airport Hyatt, by Harry Honda, page 1. The 27th Biennial JACL National Convention, hosted by Gardena Valley JACL, will run Aug. 9-13 at the Airport Hyatt with over 350 pre-registered delegates. Japan’s Ambassador Yoshio Okawara will address the Sayonara banquet on U.S.-Japan relations and Japanese Americans, following a similar address by former Ambassador James Hodgson at the Masaoka award banquet.
• JACL Support Fund Awards to Be Made, page 1. Awards from the National JACL Support Fund will be presented during the Sayonara Ball of the 27th Biennial Convention on Aug. 13 at the Hyatt Airport Hotel. Treasurer Hank Sakai noted the $50 contributions must be submitted by Aug. 12 or at the convention registration desk.
• Japan Foreign Ministry Study Mission Confers with JACL, page 1. A three-man Japanese Foreign Ministry study mission led by Norishige Hasegawa met with National JACL officials for three hours in San Francisco to discuss U.S.-Japan relations and anti-Japanese sentiment. JACL presented a packet on the Japanese American perspective on U.S.-Japan relations during the meeting.
• Team Players, by David Nakayama, page 6. JACL’s Youth Director reflects on his first six months at National Headquarters, describing his initial anxiety and gradual integration into the staff as a close-knit ‘team.’ He praises colleagues like Masi Nihei, Emily Ishida, and National Director Ron Wakabayashi for their dedication, including working after hours on JACL business.
• NBC Donates $1,000 to PSW-JACL, page 6. NBC television network and its local station KNBC donated $1,000 to the JACL Pacific Southwest District Council as part of ongoing community support in California. NBC vice president Jay Rodriguez sent the donation to PSW Regional Director John Saito, who acknowledged the gift.
• Henry T. Tanaka for Vice President for Public Affairs, page 6. Henry Tanaka, a 35-year JACL veteran who chairs the Midwest District Redress Program and serves on the National Redress Committee, is running for VP for Public Affairs. He advocates enhancing JACL’s public profile, diversifying its financial base, and prioritizing organizational goals.
• Issues and Answers: George Kodama for JACL National President, by Y. George Kodama, page 7. Candidate George Kodama outlines his platform for JACL National President, emphasizing fiscal transparency, continued full funding for the Redress program, and addressing the U.S.-Japan trade imbalance’s impact on Japanese Americans. He also discusses membership development, opposes moving headquarters to Washington D.C., and critiques a proposed anniversary membership/uniform dues amendment.
• 27th Biennial Convention: Just 10 Days Away, by Lou Tomita, page 8. Convention organizer Lou Tomita reports over 300 pre-registrations for the Biennial, with committees finalizing the convention booklet, fashion show featuring Sansei designers, and sales for a Subaru raffle. He highlights planned entertainment including Butch Kasahara at the Thursday luau and urges attendees to secure hotel reservations promptly.
• A Crunched Schedule, by Chester Sugimoto, page 8. Convention Board Co-Chair Chester Sugimoto explains that the 27th Biennial will be shortened to four days with business sessions under 24 hours, including seven issue-oriented workshops to streamline floor debates. He notes the condensed schedule may boost participation from rural chapters and Nisei businessmen due to overlap with Nisei Week activities.
• PANA Constitution Drafted: Two Versions Prepared, page 8. Part V of a series describes discussions at a PanAmerican Nikkei Association meeting in Lima, Peru, over fundamental human rights language and organizational structure differences between Latin American and North American delegates. The piece also recounts visits to Nikkei museums and a massive bingo fundraiser for a Japanese language school in Lima.
• Convention Kaleidoscope, page 9. A detailed day-by-day rundown of the 27th Biennial Convention schedule covers pre-convention board meetings, mixers, business sessions, the Chiz & Mas Satow Tribute, Wakamatsu Tribute, Masaoka Distinguished Public Service Award banquet, and the closing Kokoro Fashions show and Sayonara Banquet featuring Ambassador Okawara. It also notes panelist Ambassador Richard Petree’s role in the International Relations Committee workshop.
• PANA Board to Meet in L.A., page 12. PanAmerican Nikkei Association officers will meet in Los Angeles Aug. 6-8 to review 1981 activities and decide on the date of the 1983 conference. PANA president Carlos Kasuga of Mexico City will preside, with delegates expected from Brazil and Peru.

National

• INS Halts Raids After Court Ruling; Mitsui Becomes 3rd Company Indicted by U.S. Federal Jury, page 1. Mitsui & Co. pleaded guilty to 21 counts of evading U.S. anti-dumping laws on imported steel, agreeing to pay $11.2 million in fines, the largest such settlement in U.S. Customs history. Separately, the INS suspended factory raids for illegal aliens after a federal appeals court ruled similar 1977 raids unconstitutional.
• Study Predicts Major Shift in American Racial Population, page 1. A California research organization’s analysis predicts the proportion of white, non-Hispanic Americans will decline to 75% by 2000 from about 80% in 1980, with Asian population rising at least 90.7% to 10.6 million. The study’s co-author Stephen Levy said more than half of U.S. population growth in the next two decades will come from minority groups.
• L.A. Herald Examiner Backs Johnston Bill, page 1. The Los Angeles Herald Examiner editorialized in support of California legislation (AB 2710) by Assemblyman Patrick Johnston to compensate Japanese American state employees fired during WWII due to their ancestry. The bill passed the Assembly 49-12 and calls for $5,000 payments to each former employee over four years.
• Japan ‘Revises’ WW2 History, page 2. New Japanese Education Ministry guidelines direct textbook publishers to avoid words like ‘invasion’ and ‘aggression’ regarding Japan’s WWII actions in Asia, substituting terms like ‘advance’ instead. The revisionism has provoked protests from teachers, publishers, and China, which accuses Japan of trying to ‘prettify’ atrocities such as the Nanjing massacre.
• Naturalized Chinese American Seeks Ariz. New Seat in House, page 2. Soleng Tom, a 69-year-old Chinese immigrant who became a successful Tucson businessman, declared his candidacy for Congress in Arizona’s 5th District. Tom, who describes himself as a ‘conservative liberal,’ hopes to set an example for Asian Americans to run for office.
• Japan Workers Excel in Auto, Steel, page 2. A Japan Productivity Center survey found Japan’s overall labor productivity lags behind the U.S., Belgium, West Germany and France, though Japanese workers hold an edge in the auto and steel industries. The group said U.S. total productivity remains 1.57 times that of Japan despite Japan’s rapid productivity growth in the 1970s.
• CBS Drops Controversial Race Formula, page 6. CBS television network dropped its TAPE formula used to evaluate television film ideas after it was discovered the formula used race and ethnic origin as criteria for judging characters, with ‘Oriental’ rated as bad. CBS executive David Fuchs said the formula was too subject to misinterpretation, though a TAPE representative called the concern a misunderstanding.
• Mitsui Case Details: Indictment and Trade Fallout, page 10. Continuing coverage details the Mitsui steel-dumping indictment against three employees facing up to 21 charges each, while American steel companies operate at less than half capacity with over 100,000 workers laid off. Separately, Mitsubishi Electric and Hitachi both denied charges of conspiring to steal IBM computer secrets, with 18 people now charged in the ongoing investigation.
• Japan ‘Revises’ WW2 History (continued), page 10. The continuation details how Japanese war films focus only on Japanese suffering like the Tokyo firebombing and Hiroshima, ignoring Allied suffering, with 60% of Japan’s population born after the war lacking full historical context. A British film critic and Japanese letter writers debate whether Japan adequately reflects on its wartime aggression versus simply mourning its own losses.
• Matsunaga to Seek Re-election, page 10. U.S. Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga of Hawaii announced he will seek re-election in November after serving in the House from 1963-77. The Democrat had hinted at this decision during a fundraiser in May.

Community

• Columbia Basin Plans Senior Housing, page 1. The Columbia Basin JACL Chapter has applied for a HUD loan to build up to 30 units of housing for the elderly and physically handicapped at the Larson Housing area in Moses Lake, Washington. The chapter hired an architect and consultant on speculation and has received support from various city and county organizations.
• Long Beach’s Mayor Sato Unseated, page 2. Nisei Councilwoman Eunice Sato was unseated as mayor of Long Beach by Councilman Thomas Clark in a 6-3 council vote after serving one two-year term. Sato had herself ousted Clark from the mayor’s chair in a surprise 1980 victory, and won a new four-year council term earlier this year.
• Nine to Vie for Title of Miss Nisei Week Queen, page 3. Nine young women representing various community organizations, including five JACL chapters, will compete for the title of Nisei Week queen on Aug. 7 at the Century Plaza Hotel. The pageant will be emceed by actor James Shigeta and Helen Funai, succeeding 1981 titleholder Frances Shima.
• Julie Saito Named Miss Sansei California, page 3. Julie Kim Saito, representing the Commodore Perry Post 525 of the American Legion, was crowned Miss Sansei California before an audience of 1,100 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, besting 14 other contestants. Other finalists included Sydney April Lim, Patti Jane Sayuri Yamane, Trudy Taeko Nodohara, and Janet Kaoru Tagawa, who was named Miss Friendship.
• Anti-Nuclear Program Planned for Aug. 7, page 3. A committee for Nuclear Disarmament will commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings on Aug. 7 in front of the old Nishi Hongwanji. The program will feature speakers from the Committee of Atomic Bomb Survivors and community and church groups.
• New Mexico JACL Slates ‘Omatsuri’, page 6. The New Mexico JACL will celebrate over 92 years of Japanese culture in the state during ‘Omatsuri: A Japanese Festival’ on Aug. 1 at Taro’s Garden in Albuquerque. The festival will feature arts and crafts, music, food, historical exhibits and entertainment.
• Sonomans Form ‘Kagoshima’ Group, page 12. A newly formed Friends of Kagoshima group in Santa Rosa aims to promote relations between Kagoshima, birthplace of Kanaye Nagasawa, and Santa Rosa, where he lived from 1875 to 1934. Seed money came from Japanese biography author Akira Kadota through local resident Fern Blackburn.

Incarceration & Redress

• Noguchi Hearing Begins; County Witnesses Attack Coroner’s Dept., page 1. The Civil Service Commission appeals hearing for former L.A. County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi began with a dispute over charges involving a $2,000 donation tied to access of coroner’s public files. County attorney Masterson and Noguchi’s attorney Isaac clashed over whether the charges should be included, with the hearing expected to last months.
• Lagging CWRIC Recommendation May Come in Spring ’83, EDC Hears, page 9. The Eastern District Council Workshop on Appropriate Remedial Action at Haverford College learned that the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians report may not be issued until spring 1983 rather than the original Dec. 31, 1982 deadline. Redress director John Tateishi and legislative aide Ron Ikejiri discussed forming a Legislative Education Committee to fund lobbying efforts not covered by the national budget’s 20% limitation.
• Noguchi Hearing: County Witnesses Detail Mismanagement Claims, page 10. Continued testimony in the Noguchi appeals hearing included accounts from county officials Charles Norris, Richard Midgley, and Lynn Bayer describing deficient management, unsanitary body storage conditions, and conflicting reports from a forensic panel member. Noguchi’s attorney Godfrey Isaac aggressively cross-examined witnesses, suggesting the county’s audit was designed to oust Noguchi.

Arts & Entertainment

• American Japanese Literary Award Given for Heart Mountain Story, page 3. Mrs. Yachiyo Okubo Uehara received the 1982 American Japanese Literary Award established by author James Clavell for her short story ‘A Piece of Cake,’ describing her experiences at Heart Mountain relocation camp during WWII. Uehara, 66, was born in Tokyo, arrived in San Francisco at age eight, and currently resides there.

Military & Veterans

• ‘Go For Broke’ Exhibit Opens in L.A. Aug. 6, by Chester Tanaka, page 3. A year-long exhibit on the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service opens Aug. 6 at the County Museum of Natural History, coinciding with the National Nisei Veterans Reunion and Nisei Week Festival. The exhibit, curated by Eric Saul of the Army Museum at the Presidio, features artifacts, dioramas and memorabilia.
• Hero Miyamura to Head NW Parade, page 3. Medal of Honor recipient Hershey Miyamura will lead the Nisei Week Grand Parade Aug. 8 through the streets of Little Tokyo. Miyamura, 56, was awarded the medal for heroism in Korea in 1951 and currently operates a service station in Gallup, N.M.

Commentary

• JACL and U.S.-Japan Relations, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 4. The chair of Gardena Valley’s convention host committee describes the 27th Biennial as unique for its public focus on improving U.S.-Japan relations, highlighted by addresses from Japanese Ambassador Yoshio Okawara and former U.S. Ambassador James Hodgson. He notes growing trade tensions threaten different treatment of Japanese Americans and urges JACL members to attend.
• What Price Justice?, by John Saito, page 4. The columnist criticizes Los Angeles County for dragging out and spending lavishly on the Noguchi hearings while laying off county employees, contrasting the county’s near-unlimited resources with the Noguchi support group’s reliance on donations. He notes Supervisor Kenny Hahn is the lone board member publicly questioning the county’s actions against Noguchi.
• Shig Wakamatsu’s Role, by Bill Yoshino, page 4. The writer pays tribute to Shig Wakamatsu’s decades of dedication to JACL and the Japanese American Research Project (JARP), recalling his tireless volunteer work including handling abusive phone calls about redress. He credits Wakamatsu and JARP volunteers with preserving Japanese American history for future generations.
• Washington Representative vs. Independent Contractor, by Gerald H. Yamada, page 4. The author examines two convention budget options for JACL’s Washington D.C. representation: a full-time Washington Representative versus an independent contractor, raising questions about costs, accountability, and impact on other JACL programs. He concludes with five key questions delegates must consider before voting on the issue.
• Fourth of July U.S. Statement to People of Japan, by Mike Mansfield, page 5. U.S. Ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield’s Independence Day message emphasizes the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship and shared commitment to freedom and democracy. He highlights cooperation on arms reduction talks and Japan’s support for protesting suppression of freedom in Afghanistan and Poland.
• Spokane Sansei Show How to Entertain Issei, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. The columnist describes a Spokane JACL appreciation dinner honoring pioneer Issei and Nisei community members, featuring over 200 attendees and a comedic Japanese-language production of the Momotaro story by Sansei youth. He also notes the Highland Park Methodist Church garden built by Issei landscape gardener Ryotaro Nishikawa as a lasting community memorial.
• Light at the End of the Tunnel, by Ron Ikejiri, page 5. In part 5 of a 6-part series, the columnist reflects on JACL’s 35 years of legislative campaigns and the Redress campaign launched in 1978, calling for finding common ground among optimists, pessimists, and pragmatists. He stresses that JACL leadership and resources must be prepared to meet the challenge of achieving Redress.

In-Depth

• Tokyo Radio Fan Remembers WW2 Propaganda from KGEI, page 12. Retired businessman Eitaro Moriya, 76, wrote a memoir describing how he illegally monitored banned U.S. shortwave broadcasts during WWII, including KGEI California station reports contradicting Japanese Imperial headquarters’ claims about Midway. He recalls propaganda broadcasts aimed at separating Japanese civilians from the military before stopping his monitoring as the war ended.
• ‘Greenery & Civilization’ Symposium Airs Japanese Sense of Nature, page 12. Columbia University’s Prof. Donald Keene lectured at a Tokyo symposium on the traditional Japanese reverence for nature and greenery as reflected in classical literature, noting this attitude shifted during Japan’s Meiji-era industrialization. Prof. Akira Miyawaki also spoke on restoring traditional shrine groves (Chinju no mori) of native trees.

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