Vol. 99, No. 6, August 10, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue
The Hiroshima Peace Flame led the front page. A-bomb survivor Kenichi Yasui brought the flame to Los Angeles during the Olympics for a press conference and a Survival Day rally, as J.K. Yamamoto reported. The issue also looked ahead to JACL’s national convention in Honolulu, Aug. 12-17: Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga as banquet speakers, convention chairman Edgar Hamasu, and the host chapter’s planned events. Floyd Shimomura explained the move of redress lobbying to the Legislative Education Committee.
Elsewhere, Ron Wakabayashi compared Hawaii’s road to statehood with the redress movement, and Minoru Yasui recalled a 1951 trip through the South for Issei naturalization. Bill Hosokawa reviewed Karl Yoneda’s autobiography, and Harry Honda told the story of a 1932 Olympic equestrian honored on Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside. Other pages covered the Vincent Chin case, four Sansei athletes on Brazil’s Olympic team, and educators’ support for redress.
What’s in this issue
National
- Hiroshima Peace Flame Travels to Los Angeles, by By J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. A-bomb survivor Kenichi Yasui brought the Hiroshima Peace Flame to Los Angeles for a press conference and a Survival Day rally, recounting his experience of the 1945 bombing and calling for nuclear disarmament. The event, organized by the ’84 Mobilization for Peace and Justice, coincided with the Olympics and featured other hibakusha and activists speaking against nuclear arms.
- Chin Case Still Surrounded by Controversy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Detroit reporters who covered the federal civil rights trial of Vincent Chin’s killer Ronald Ebens argued the prosecution was unjust, while American Citizens for Justice president Helen Zia defended the trial as necessary given racial animus in the killing. The case remains divisive, with some community groups upset that stepson Michael Nitz was acquitted and Ebens found innocent on one count.
JACL
- Senators to Address Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga will keynote the two main banquets of JACL’s national convention in Honolulu, Aug. 12-17. Matsunaga speaks at the Aloha Banquet and Inouye at the Sayonara Banquet.
- Embassy Officials to Speak at JACL Workshop, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Deputy chief of mission William Clark Jr. and Minister Michihiko Kunihiro will speak at a U.S.-Japan relations workshop during the JACL national convention in Honolulu. They will join a panel including JACL president Floyd Shimomura to discuss JACL’s potential role in U.S.-Japan relations.
- Edgar Hamasu Giving His All for Convention, by By Karleen Chinen, page 3. Edgar Hamasu, chairman of the ‘Aloha ’84’ JACL convention, has spent over two years organizing the event while holding a full-time job as deputy director of Hawaii’s land and natural resources department. His experiences with Nisei friends after WWII internment shaped his views on racial harmony, which he hopes convention delegates will experience in Hawaii.
- Screenings for Nisei Retirement Video Set, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL will debut the video ‘A Tale of Nisei Retirement’ at its national convention with two showings scheduled for Aug. 15. The screenings will take place during Business Session II and an aging and retirement workshop.
- Activating the L.E.C., by Floyd Shimomura, page 7. National JACL President Floyd Shimomura explains the transfer of redress lobbying responsibilities to the JACL Legislative Education Committee (L.E.C.), a separate 501(c)(4) entity, to protect JACL’s tax-exempt status. He details the L.E.C.’s structure, board membership, and the proposed $5 member check-off to fund redress lobbying.
- Meet Your Convention Hosts, by By Christine Froechtenigt, page 8. The Honolulu host chapter has organized a series of convention events including a 1000 Club reception, golf tournament, Aloha Banquet, tennis round robin, Sunset Luau, and a treeplanting ceremony at the University of Hawaii. The article profiles various committee chairs including Les Ihara, Heine Peters, Ed Hasegawa, Fuku Tsukiyama, Raymond Inafuku, Tom Okamura, and Alvin Onaka.
Community
- Bradley Appoints, Drops JAs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley reorganized city boards and commissions, appointing several Japanese Americans including Mike Murase and Don Nakanishi while dropping others such as Sue Embrey and Toshiko Yoshida. Bradley said the changes reflected a desire for balance in age, sex, ethnicity and geography.
- Prewar Vacaville JAs Plan Reunion Sept. 2, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 200 people are expected at a reunion of prewar Vacaville-area Nikkei residents on Sept. 2, organized by general chair Tosh Komura. The event includes memorial services at Vacaville Memorial Cemetery and an evening honoring surviving Issei.
Incarceration & Redress
- Educators Support Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Salinas JACL redress chair Violet deChristoforo received confirmation of pro-redress resolutions from the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association. Both organizations urged Congress to pass redress bills HR 4110 and S 2116.
- Travels with Zensuke Kanegaye, by Minoru Yasui, page 9. Minoru Yasui recounts a grueling 1951 six-week, 10,000-mile trip through the South with Issei supporter Zensuke Kanegaye to build support for Issei naturalization. He reflects on the Issei’s financial sacrifice for naturalization and draws a parallel to the Nisei’s duty to fund the current redress movement.
Commentary
- Peter ‘n Paul, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani criticizes the JACL national treasury’s practice of withholding subscription funds owed to the Pacific Citizen, arguing it undermines the paper’s financial planning and health. He warns that such fiscal manipulation masks the true health of the national organization and threatens freedom of the press.
- 25th Anniversary for 50th State, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. Wakabayashi traces the long history of Hawaii’s path to statehood, from the 1898 annexation through decades of congressional delays to statehood in 1959. He draws parallels between the obstacles faced in the statehood campaign and those confronting the current redress movement, including racism and misinformation.
- Sato Endorsement, page 7. A JACL member explains their endorsement of Frank Sato for national president, citing his management experience as Inspector General of the Veterans Administration and his understanding of finances as JACL’s national treasurer. The writer argues Min Yasui should remain focused on redress as LEC chairman rather than take on the presidency.
- Nikkei Beauty Contests, by Raymond Okamura, page 9. Raymond Okamura criticizes JACL chapter involvement in Nikkei beauty contests such as Cherry Blossom queen and Nisei Week queen, arguing they demean women and reinforce stereotypes. He contends that such contests conflict with JACL’s stated purposes and should be discontinued by the organization.
Arts & Entertainment
- An Unconventional Nisei, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reviews Karl Yoneda’s autobiography ‘Ganbatte: Sixty-Year Struggle of a Kibei Worker,’ detailing Yoneda’s life as a lifelong Communist labor activist who later joined JACL. The column recounts Yoneda’s radical youth, labor organizing, WWII service with Military Intelligence, and his later convergence with JACL’s causes like redress despite differing politics.
Military & Veterans
- 4 Sansei Olympians on Brazil Team, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Onetime Nisei Relays official George Fujita, now a security patrolman at UCLA Olympic Village, met with four Sansei athletes on the Brazilian Olympic team. They include judoists Junichi Shinohara, Sergio Sano, and Yoshio Onmura, and sprinter Katsuhiko Nakaya.
Obituaries
- Ike Masaoka, 442nd Veteran, Dies at 66, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Ike Masaoka, a Utah-born veteran of the 442nd RCT’s F Company, died Aug. 1 at the VA Hospital in Los Angeles after a lengthy illness. He is survived by three sons, two brothers, and two sisters.
In-Depth
- An Olympic Original, by Harry Honda, page 12. Harry Honda recounts the story behind a plaque at Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside honoring Lt. Col. Shunzo Kido, a Japanese equestrian at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics who sacrificed victory to protect his horse Kyugun. The column, based on a 1969 Riverside Press article, details Kido’s return visit and the saddle he gave to horsewoman Lois Castle, later donated to a Tokyo museum.
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