Redress hearings on HR 4110 and a principal praised by President Reagan

Vol. 99, No. 12, September 21, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue

A Sansei principal and the redress debate shared the front page. Jon Takasugi reported on Francis Nakano, whose work at Thomas Jefferson High School in South-Central Los Angeles drew praise from President Reagan in his Sept. 8 radio address. The issue also covered the House subcommittee hearings on HR 4110, the redress bill for Japanese Americans incarcerated in World War II (often called internment). Testimony from Karl Bendetsen and Frederick Wiener questioned the commission’s findings, while Edward Ennis, Ben Ohama, Kiku Funabiki and John Herzig spoke in support. Page 3 followed up on Herzig’s challenge to the ‘Magic’ cables.

On the opinion pages, Henry S. Sakai and Kay Uno Kaneko wrote about redress, and Bill Hosokawa described the paper’s typesetter fund. G. Tim Gojio began a Washington column for JACL. Also inside: a Fresno Japantown reunion, Lynn I. Barbaree’s visits to the former Jerome and Rohwer camps, and Jin Konomi on capsule hotels in Japan.

What’s in this issue

National

• Sansei Principal Turns L.A.’s Jefferson High Around, by Jon Takasugi, page 1. Sansei principal Francis Nakano was praised by President Reagan for turning around Thomas Jefferson High School in South-Central L.A., which had been plagued by gang violence, graffiti, and drug problems. Through strict discipline, community engagement, and innovative teaching methods, Nakano transformed the school into a model of quality public education within two years.
• Japan Fingerprinting Constitutional for Alien Registration, Tokyo Court Rules, page 1. The Tokyo District Court found a South Korean resident guilty of violating Japan’s Alien Registration Law by refusing to be fingerprinted, ruling the system does not violate the Constitution. The case was the first involving a Korean resident, who make up 80% of Japan’s foreign residents, with prosecutors demanding a 20,000 yen fine.
• Matsui Questions New Proposals for Minority Businesses, page 2. Rep. Robert T. Matsui warned that proposed Small Business Administration rule changes could undermine the minority business set-aside program by requiring firms to already be successful to qualify for help. He also criticized a provision allowing SBA to suspend contract support without a hearing.
• Serapine Corp. Scientist Devises Instrument to Detect Heart Attack Victims, page 8. Dr. John Y. Kiyasu of Garden City, N.Y., developed a method called the Shot Gun for rapidly detecting blood enzymes indicating heart attacks, addressing the challenge that electrocardiograms don’t always immediately reveal cardiac damage. Kiyasu, an active New York JACLer, formed Serapine Corporation in 1979 to market the diagnostic method.

Incarceration & Redress

• House Subcommittee Hears HR 4110 Redress Testimony, page 1. The House Subcommittee on Administrative Law held contentious hearings on HR 4110, the redress bill for interned Japanese Americans, featuring testimony from Karl Bendetsen and Frederick Wiener questioning the CWRIC’s findings and credibility. Other witnesses, including Edward Ennis, Ben Ohama, Kiku Funabiki, and John Herzig, provided testimony supporting the bill and challenging the use of ‘Magic’ cables to justify internment.
• ‘Magic’ Cables Challenged in HR 4110 Testimony, page 3. Retired Army lieutenant colonel John Herzig challenged the significance of ‘Magic’ intercepted cables used to justify Japanese American internment, disputing testimony given earlier by David Lowman. Herzig argued Lowman misused sources and misinterpreted the cables’ content.
• Signal Hill Prewar Nikkei Remembered, page 3. Signal Hill, California honored Japanese American farmers who settled there in the early 1900s before being displaced when oil was discovered on their land, during the city’s 60th anniversary celebration. Survivors Kimi Sugiyama and Haruo Higashi, who were interned during WW2, reunited for the first time in 40 years at the ceremony.

Community

• 1st All-Fresno J-Town Reunion Attracting Over 350 Sept. 29-30, by Mike Iwatsubo, page 1. More than 350 people are expected at the first Fresno Japantown reunion, which once encompassed four square blocks and was one of the most active prewar Japanese communities in California. The event includes a picnic, banquet, sightseeing tours, and a commemorative booklet.
• Florists Elect Ito of Hollywood VP, page 2. Arthur T. Ito of Flower View Gardens in Los Angeles was elected vice-president of Florists Transworld Delivery Association, becoming the second Nisei on its executive board. He will become FTD president next year and is active in several community organizations.
• South Africa Deports Nihonjin-White Couple, page 2. Toshio Wakabayashi, married to a white South African woman, was ordered to leave South Africa under its segregation laws banning interracial marriages. Denied work and residency permits, he relocated with his family to Namibia.
• JCI Endowment Fete Honoring Pioneers, page 2. Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute will honor six pioneers who helped establish the JCI at a testimonial dinner November 8. Proceeds will go toward an endowment fund to maintain JCI activities and facilities.
• Asian Papers Donated to UCB, page 2. Important Asian American papers, including the private collection of journalist Charles Leong and the Dr. Ng Poon Chew papers, were acquired by the Asian American Studies Library at UC Berkeley. The donations include materials on Chinese American history and the Jerome WRA Center newspapers.
• Asian Pacific Small Business to Meet, page 2. The first Asian Pacific small business conference, sponsored by Rep. Mervyn Dymally, will be held October 9-10 in Carson, California, to match Asian Pacific businesses with federal procurement opportunities. Speakers will include Northrop president Thomas Jones and American Samoa delegate Fofo Sunia.
• Secretary in Business Growing Orchids, page 3. Legal secretary Carrie Doi and her husband Paul, along with her boss Ronald Cooper, run a weekend orchid-growing business called Buena Ventura Orchids. The venture reflects a growing trend of hobbyists turning professional in the commercial orchid industry.
• Community Center Groundbreaking Set, page 3. The groundbreaking for the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California was set for October 5 in San Francisco. The center will house social services and cultural and recreational programs for the community.
• Fred Wada Testimonial Planned, page 5. A community-wide committee is planning a testimonial dinner honoring Fred Wada for November 14 at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The event will spotlight his leadership and association with the Japanese Retirement Home.
• Ministerial Scholarships Awarded, page 9. The Justin Haruyama Ministerial Scholarship Fund awarded scholarships to four students pursuing ministry studies, including Yuri Ando of New York and three Californians. The fund, commemorating Rev. Justin Haruyama, supports students planning to serve Japanese American congregations.
• Little Tokyo Life: Welly Shibata’s Wanderlust, page 10. A historical column traces writer Welly Shibata’s 1932 newspaper series documenting the locations of prewar Japantowns in 14 West Coast and Rocky Mountain cities, including San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The piece also recalls fellow writer Masao Dodo’s earlier ‘Li’l Tokyo Rhapsody’ column and its depictions of 1930s Little Tokyo life.
• Awards, Elections, Education, Military, Music, Religion, Politics People Briefs, page 11. A roundup of community news includes Bob Yamashita receiving an honorary doctorate, Tom Kitayama winning a Bay Area mayoral award, and various Japanese Americans achieving recognition in military, music, religion, and politics. Highlights include Ann Akichika attending Harvard, Andrew Carrick becoming a Hollywood pastor, and Masami Sasaki’s obituary notice.

Sports

• Softball Pitcher From Stockton Named 1984 Big-10 Female Athlete of the Year, by Smoky Sakurada, page 2. Northwestern University freshman Lisa Ishikawa of Stockton was named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year after breaking NCAA season records with 469 strikeouts and a 0.48 ERA. She led her team to the NCAA college world series finals, pitching every game of the tournament before losing in 13 innings.

In-Depth

• Calif. Proposition 39: Reapportionment Battle of 1980 May Be Settled, page 3. California Proposition 39, opposed by a JACL Convention resolution, seeks to strip the legislature’s reapportionment authority and create a commission of retired judges to redraw district lines. Critics argue it could reduce Democratic congressional seats and affect minority representation.
• Japan Pushing Into Biotech Field With ‘Soy Sauce Factor’, page 3. Japan is leveraging centuries of fermentation expertise from making shoyu, tofu, and sake to advance in biotechnology and genetic engineering. Companies like Kyowa Hakko Kogyo and Suntory are pioneering interferon production and other biotech applications, with research expanding into agriculture and chemistry.
• Japanese-Brazilians Have Deep Roots in São Paulo’s Agriculture, page 8. Brazil’s Japanese community, the largest expatriate Japanese population in the world, plays a vital role in São Paulo’s agriculture, supplying 70% of the city’s fruits and vegetables. Descendants of early 1900s immigrant farm laborers have also achieved prominence in banking, government, and the arts, though younger generations are increasingly assimilated and losing traditional language and customs.
• A Stranger in a Strange Land, by Lynn I. Barbaree, page 9. Lynn Ishida Barbaree reflects on living in Arkansas for five years as one of the only Japanese Americans in her community, describing experiences of invisibility and renewed ethnic identity. She recounts visiting the former Jerome and Rohwer internment camps, finding deep emotional connection to her people’s history and the sacrifices of Japanese American soldiers.

Commentary

• East Wind: Games-of-Chance, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani follows up on reader responses about the Issei gambling game ‘bakappei,’ tracing its Chinese origins and connection to modern Keno games in Las Vegas. Readers Richard Komura and Bob Okazaki provided historical details about the game’s mechanics and printing in prewar Seattle.
• Celebration of a Generation, by David Nakayama, page 4. The JACL Youth Director previews ‘Sansei Live!,’ a San Francisco event celebrating the Sansei generation while raising funds for Kimochi Home, which serves elderly Nikkei. The event features entertainment from Deems Tsutakawa, Nobuko Miyamoto, and others, with proceeds benefiting services for Issei and Nisei seniors.
• Redress Issue, by Henry S. Sakai, page 4. A letter writer criticizes Harry Kubo and S.I. Hayakawa for claiming most Nisei oppose individual redress, citing polls showing roughly 80% support redress. The writer argues that anti-redress testimony resembles racist statements from 1942 and actually helps the redress cause.
• Justice, Not Honor, by Kay Uno Kaneko, page 4. A letter writer criticizes John Tateishi’s framing of redress as a matter of ‘honor’ rather than justice and constitutional rights, arguing that compensation symbolically addresses the civil rights violations of internment. The writer suggests renaming JACL to reflect identity as Americans of Japanese ancestry rather than using the term Nikkei.
• Food for Thought, page 4. A letter praises an August 24 PC article on ‘The Concept of Blood’ and requests more such articles to combat misconceptions. The writer also comments on testimony from Rachel Kawasaki regarding denial of past discrimination.
• Response to Dr. Tomita, by Joe Oyama, page 4. Joe Oyama defends his earlier article about macrobiotic diet advocate Aihara against criticism that it was advertising, explaining that macrobiotics reflects a traditional Japanese approach to eating. He cites testimonials from macrobiotic experts and medical professionals supporting the diet’s benefits when balanced with conventional medicine.
• A Promise for the Future, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa discusses the Pacific Citizen’s fundraising campaign for new typesetting equipment, noting that subscribers have donated generously beyond the suggested $2 contribution. He reflects on PC’s historical role as both a JACL organ and vital community newspaper, hoping new equipment will enable expanded coverage and features.
• Letters to the Editor: PC Coverage and Typesetter Fund, by Various, page 5. Multiple readers sent contributions and thank-you notes to the PC typesetter fund, praising the newspaper’s coverage of Japanese American issues. Ken Masugi criticized the PC for failing to cover controversial remarks by Jesse Jackson about Asian Americans at the Democratic convention.
• Arkansas Gazette Editorial Debates Redress, by Robert McCord, page 6. An Arkansas Gazette editorial argues against Japanese American redress payments, claiming the camps were not as harsh as portrayed and that internment decisions, while unjust, were made during wartime hysteria comparable to other historical civil liberties suspensions. The editorial suggests redress would create more division and that America should move past ethnic politics.
• ‘U.S. Technology Can Learn From Japan’: Letter Protests Racist Cartoon, by Joe Oyama, page 7. Joe Oyama of Berkeley JACL wrote to the Oakland Tribune protesting a racist cartoon depicting Japanese people with exaggerated stereotypical features alongside an otherwise balanced article on Japanese technology research. He connects such imagery to historical racism that contributed to WWII internment of Japanese Americans.
• Moshi-Moshi: The Capsel Hotel, by Jin Konomi, page 12. Columnist Jin Konomi describes Japan’s capsule hotels, a minimalist lodging concept born from an Osaka sauna operator’s observation that patrons were using his lobby to sleep. The hotels, now numbering 90 nationwide with 10,000 beds, offer cheap, no-frills accommodations popular with late-night commuters and budget travelers.

JACL

• From Washington: A New Column, by G. Tim Gojio, page 7. G. Tim Gojio introduces his new role as JACL’s Washington representative, sharing that his parents and relatives were interned during WWII at Puyallup and Minidoka. He frames his work on redress as both addressing personal frustration and repaying a debt owed to the Nisei and Issei generations.

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