The first congressional hearing on redress, July 1983

Vol. 97, No. 6, August 5, 1983. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress filled the front page of this eight-page issue. Sen. Charles Grassley chaired the first congressional public hearing on the report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, held July 27, with testimony from Sen. Alan Cranston, Rep. Daniel Lungren, Lillian Baker and John Tateishi. Other stories covered Rep. Mike Lowry’s bill, which had 41 co-sponsors, San Francisco’s first reparations payment to a former city employee, and statements of support from the Presbyterian and Lutheran churches. Mike Masaoka’s exchange of letters with VFW Commander-in-Chief James Currieo continued on page 5, and fourteen California Nisei VFW posts protested Currieo’s remarks.

Columns on page 4 included B.J. Watanabe on National JACL’s first Washington Leadership Program and Jane B. Kaihatsu on support for the Korematsu, Hirabayashi and Yasui coram nobis cases. Bill Marutani wrote about Bill Hosokawa’s retirement from the Denver Post. Elsewhere are the 43rd Nisei Week festival, scholarship news from Chicago and West Valley, and a documentary about American POWs in Hiroshima.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• 1st Legislative Hearing on Redress Held in Senate, page 1. Sen. Charles Grassley chaired the first congressional public hearing on the CWRIC report and recommendations on July 27, with witnesses including Sen. Alan Cranston, Rep. Daniel Lungren, Lillian Baker, and John Tateishi. The hearing’s questioning focused heavily on the historical accuracy of the Commission’s findings rather than remedies, with Cranston presenting his rationale for S. 1520 redress legislation.
• San Francisco Pays First Reparations Pay to Evacuee, page 1. The City and County of San Francisco made its first reparations payment on July 9 to E. Tanaka, former head gardener at S.F. General Hospital, for salary losses due to wartime internment. The $4,062.50 payment, made under an ordinance signed by Mayor Dianne Feinstein, came as an 82nd birthday gift.
• Presbyterian General Assembly Backs Redress, page 1. The Presbyterian Church (USA) reaffirmed its support of Japanese American redress at its 195th General Assembly, commending the CWRIC report and urging Congress to study ways to guarantee against future injustices. The action followed earlier advocacy by Rev. Kiyoji Buma and the Council on Church and Race going back to 1980.
• Lutheran Church Council Supports Reparation Pay, page 1. The Executive Council of the Lutheran Church in America endorsed reparations payments to Japanese American wartime internees at its June meeting, calling the internment a monumental act of injustice. The council recommended a public apology, an educational foundation, and reparations payments, with support from Bishop Stanley Olson and others in the Pacific Southwest Synod.

National

• Currieo Irks Cal. Nisei VFW Posts, page 1. Fourteen California Nisei VFW Posts met in Gardena and unanimously protested statements made by VFW Commander-in-Chief James R. Currieo opposing apology and reparations for wartime internment. The group, representing over 3,000 Nisei veterans, drafted an eight-point resolution demanding retraction and a face-to-face meeting with Currieo.
• Lowry Bill Co-Sponsors Now 41, page 1. The number of co-sponsors for Rep. Mike Lowry’s redress bill (HR 3387) has grown to 41 as of this week, including seven new additions. The bill seeks compensation as recommended by the CWRIC, including $20,000 payments to survivors of internment.
• Reagan Due in Japan Nov. 9, page 1. President Ronald Reagan will arrive in Japan on Nov. 9 during his Asian tour, according to diplomatic sources. Michael K. Deaver, deputy assistant to the President, was sent ahead to Japan to arrange the visit due to his prior experience accompanying Reagan there in 1972.
• Sen. Matsunaga Co-Sponsors $15 Million Bill for Child Care Service in Public Schools, page 2. Legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Spark Matsunaga would provide $15 million for child care services for children ages 5 to 12 whose parents work. The bill addresses the needs of so-called ‘latchkey children’ who lack adequate supervision during school vacations and before/after school hours.
• Crime Rate Highest in 32 Years: Japan, page 3. Criminal offenses in Japan rose 7.8% last year to reach the highest level in 32 years, driven by a surge in robberies and burglaries according to a Justice Ministry white paper. Bank robberies rose sharply compared to five years earlier, and overall criminal offenses totaled 1.46 million.

Community

• Family ‘Roots’ Inspire Maryknoll Sister to Peru, page 2. Sister Joanne Doi, the first graduate of the Maryknoll School at St. Francis Xavier parish to become a Maryknoll Sister, is departing for her first mission assignment in Peru. The daughter of Vincent and Agnes Doi found her calling to cross-cultural ministry after an intercultural dialogue experience in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
• ISU ROTC Clerk Wins Employee Award, page 2. Sumi Kanomata, a 17-year employee in the Idaho State University Military Science ROTC program, received an employee award including a $1,000 cash prize. The award was accompanied by a certificate signed by Brig. Gen. Robert Wagner, commanding general of the Fourth ROTC.
• ‘Mariko’ Expresses Plea for Peace, page 2. Mariko Terasaki Miller, subject of Kunio Yanagida’s book chronicling her life and that of her diplomat father who tried to prevent WWII, visited Japan calling for peace efforts, especially among women. Her mother Gwen Terasaki authored the best-seller ‘Bridge to the Sun’; Mariko brought paper cranes to be displayed at Hiroshima Memorial Hall.
• California Young Democrats Endorse Payments for Internees, page 3. The California Young Democrats passed a resolution at their state convention supporting redress and reparations for Japanese Americans and Aleuts for wartime treatment. The resolution, brought forward by Joyce Jinde, was endorsed by the roughly 3,000-member California chapter.
• Central Cal APW Scholarships Open, page 3. The Central California Asian Pacific Women organization is offering scholarships for the fourth consecutive year to Asian women pursuing 1983-84 academic or vocational training. Applicants must reside in several specified counties, with an application deadline of Aug. 19, 1983.
• Tacoma-Pierce Nikkei Reunion, Aug. 12-14, page 3. A reunion of present and former Tacoma and Pierce County Japanese Americans will be held Aug. 12-14, featuring outdoor events, memorial services, social hours, and tours of Mount Rainier. Dr. Ryo Munekata and Fusaye Fujii-Yoshida are serving as coordinators.
• Slight Changes in Locale Mark Nisei Week’s 43rd Festival, by Jon Takasugi, page 3. The 43rd Annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival will run Aug. 13-21 in Los Angeles with over 40 community and cultural exhibits. Major events include the Prince and Princess Pageant, Fashion Show Luncheon, Opening Ceremony, Grand Parade featuring Grand Marshals Kay Sugahara and Toshiro Mifune, Awards Dinner, Pioneer Luncheon, Carnival, Street Arts Festival, and Ondo Street Dance.
• West Valley JACL Honors June Grads, page 6. West Valley JACL held a picnic at Vasona Park honoring Japanese American high school graduates, including a National JACL $1,000 scholarship recipient who will attend medical school in the fall. The event recognized local students for their academic achievements.
• East Bay JACL Pre-Retirement Meeting Draws Interested Members, page 6. Berkeley JACL held its first pre-retirement/retirement organizing meeting at the North Berkeley Senior Center, drawing eighteen Nikkei leaders. Attendees discussed hobby-sharing activities and health practices like Tai Chi and Yoga, with George Yoshida leading workshops on retirement wellness.
• Berkeley JACL Golf Tourney Set Aug. 28, page 6. A friendly Berkeley JACL golf tournament for members and guests will be held Saturday, Aug. 28 at Lake Chabot Golf Course in Oakland. Joe Niki is chairing the event, with contact information provided for sign-up.
• Chicago JACL, JASC Cites Sansei Scholars, page 6. The Chicago JACL Scholarship Luncheon, held at Heiwa Terrace, honored 28 Chicago-area high school seniors with 12 receiving scholarship checks for their first year of college. The Japanese American Service Committee participated for the first time, co-sponsoring awards alongside various named scholarships from community organizations.

Military & Veterans

• Testimonial Set for Tad Hirota, page 3. The MIS and VFW Golden Gate Nisei Memorial Post 9879 will hold a testimonial dinner for Tad Hirota on Aug. 20 at the Treasure Island Navy Officers’ Club. Hirota is a past MIS president who has made major contributions to the local Japanese American community.
• Masaoka-Currieo Round 2: VFW Head Raises New Point, by Mike Masaoka, page 5. This exchange of letters continues the dispute between Mike Masaoka and VFW Commander-in-Chief James Currieo over redress, with Currieo raising concerns about setting precedent for other aggrieved groups. Masaoka rebuts by arguing that justice and equity are matters of principle regardless of time elapsed, and that the wartime treatment of Japanese Americans was unique and deserving of redress.

Commentary

• Keeping Track, page 3. A compilation of reader letters and opinions on redress published in various newspapers, including comments questioning the need for reparations and others criticizing opponents like John McCloy for conflating Japanese Americans with wartime Japan. Various writers, including Yoshikazu Yamada, argue over the merits and fairness of monetary redress for internment.
• On Recruiting New Leaders, by B.J. Watanabe, page 4. The author reflects on National JACL’s first Washington Leadership Program, describing it as physically draining but inspiring, particularly through interactions with accomplished Nikkei leaders. Key lessons included the importance of getting involved politically, networking, building teams, and enjoying one’s work, with a call to recruit and nurture new JACL leadership.
• Retiring to Retirement, by Bill Marutani, page 4. In his ‘East Wind’ column, Bill Marutani reflects on fellow columnist Bill Hosokawa’s upcoming retirement from the Denver Post after a long distinguished journalism career. Marutani muses on his own unfulfilled dreams and speculates that Hosokawa will likely channel his energy into new projects, perhaps a novel with Nikkei characters.
• Are Women’s Concerns Real or Perceived?, by Yosh Nakashima, page 4. Dr. Nakashima argues there is no significant problem for women within JACL leadership, attributing perceived imbalances to availability rather than intentional discrimination. He suggests the main need is increased awareness among men regarding their attitudes toward women in the organization.
• Coram Nobis Needs Support, by Jane B. Kaihatsu, page 4. The Chicago JACL donated $400 to the Committee to Reverse the Japanese American Wartime Cases, which supports legal efforts to overturn the Korematsu, Hirabayashi, and Yasui convictions through coram nobis petitions. The author describes her conversation with attorney Lorrie Bannai and urges other chapters to contribute to the committee’s work in Oakland.
• One Reason the Japanese Language Is So Difficult to Master, page 5. This column explores a Mitsubishi Corp.-published glossary of Japanese business expressions that don’t translate directly into English, such as ‘abura wo uru’ (to loaf on the job) and ‘chotto ippai’ (quick drink to lubricate relations). It also explains ‘hara’ (stomach) idioms used to describe sincerity, intention, and treachery in Japanese communication.
• Mile-Hi Maguro, by Ron Shibata, page 6. The Mountain Plains District Council JACL met in Denver, hosted by the Mile-Hi Chapter, featuring an abundant sashimi feast of Hawaiian maguro flown in specially for the event. Judge Bill Marutani delivered a thought-provoking speech at the Saturday banquet about CWRIC testimony, and the author thanks various hosts and organizers for the successful weekend.

JACL

• Mike Masaoka Fellow: New JACL Fund Established, by Frank Sakamoto, page 6. National 1000 Club Chair Frank Sakamoto reports on the establishment of the Mike Masaoka Fellow fund, with National President Floyd Shimomura among the first to contribute as a sustaining fellow. Numerous JACL leaders from across districts, including attorneys and governors, pledged support, with 26 fellows secured to date in honor of Masaoka’s legislative achievements for Japanese Americans.

Arts & Entertainment

• U.S. Filmmaker to Tell Story of GI POWs Caught in Atomic Bomb, by Takeshi Hikino, page 8. A U.S. film crew led by DeWalt is producing a documentary about American POWs killed by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, visiting families of victims and interviewing Japanese ex-MPs and witnesses in Hiroshima, Osaka, and Yamaguchi. The film aims to set the historical record straight for victims’ families and will be released early next year for U.S., European, and Japanese audiences.

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