Vol. 99, No. 23, December 7, 1984. 16 pages. View this issue
Redress led the front page. The National League of Cities, whose members include 15,000 municipalities, passed a resolution calling for monetary compensation for former internees of World War II, submitted by Seattle Mayor Charles Royer. Minoru Yasui reported that JACL redress lobbying was intensifying before the 99th Congress convened in January 1985. A 1942 Pacific Citizen editorial was reprinted on pages 1 and 4, debunking the rumor of sabotage by Japanese Americans in Hawaii. Columns from Bill Hosokawa, Ron Wakabayashi and Kiyo Morimoto looked at December 7 and its meaning for Japanese Americans.
Other front-page news covered the Henry Liu murder case in Taiwan and assaults on refugees in Sacramento. Inside are chapter notices from Berkeley, Carson, Puyallup Valley and San Diego, where the film Unfinished Business, about the Hirabayashi, Korematsu and Yasui cases, was set to screen. Harry Honda wrote about Spanish-speaking Nikkei in Little Tokyo, and Philip Kan Gotanda won a playwriting award for The Wash.
What’s in this issue
National
- U.S. Cities Endorse Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National League of Cities, representing 15,000 municipalities, passed a resolution calling for monetary compensation to former WW2 internees at its annual conference. Seattle Mayor Charles Royer submitted the resolution, which mirrors recommendations from the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians.
- Taiwan Holds Liu Suspects, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A man arrested in the slaying of journalist Henry Liu was released for lack of evidence, and extradition of two suspects held in Taipei will be delayed until a stronger case can be built. Liu, author of a critical biography of Taiwan’s president, was shot in his garage in October; the suspects are linked to a Taiwanese street gang operating in the U.S.
- Funds Sought for State Agency, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington State’s Commission on Asian American Affairs may lose its Seattle office at year’s end without interim funding, according to the International Examiner. The commission currently operates with minimal staff despite serving a large Asian American population in the Seattle-Everett area.
- Hollywood Honors Asian Actor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Philip Ahn, a pioneering Asian actor believed to be the first Korean American born in Los Angeles, was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. About 400 entertainers and Korean Americans attended the ceremony honoring Ahn, who died in 1977 after appearing in 57 films.
- Deportee Can Return, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Immigration officials reversed course and allowed a pregnant Filipina, Eleanor Parnes, to return to her American husband two weeks after deporting her. Public sympathy and her pregnancy were credited as key factors in the INS allowing her to reapply for a green card despite normally requiring a five-year wait.
- Refugees Assaulted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Indochinese immigrants in Sacramento are increasingly targets of racist assaults, according to human rights commissioners who testified before the city council. Commissioners recommended police monitoring of race-based crimes, bilingual officers, and educational programs to combat the prejudice.
Incarceration & Redress
- Libelous Folklore of Pearl Harbor Lives On, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A reprint of a July 23, 1942 Pacific Citizen editorial debunks the persistent myth that Japanese Americans in Hawaii committed sabotage during the Pearl Harbor attack, citing statements from Secretary of War Stimson, Secretary of the Navy Knox, and FBI Director Hoover confirming no sabotage occurred. The piece warns that such libelous rumors, though thoroughly disproven, continued to circulate and fueled the case for mass evacuation of Japanese Americans from the West Coast.
- Dec. 7 (Continued): Libel Against Hawaiian Japanese Persists, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The continuation of the 1942 editorial details ongoing false claims about Japanese American sabotage in Hawaii, including a Portland businessman’s unsubstantiated claims made at a Walla Walla Rotary Club meeting. The piece cites investigative journalist Robert J. Casey’s research debunking these myths and notes that Japanese Americans in Hawaii’s Territorial Guard helped maintain order after the attack.
- San Diego to Screen ‘Unfinished Business’, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Steven Okazaki’s documentary about the Supreme Court cases of Gordon Hirabayashi, Fred Korematsu, and Minoru Yasui will screen in San Diego on January 19-20. Dr. Peter Irons, author of Justice at War, will speak about current efforts to vindicate the Nisei coram nobis cases.
JACL
- JACL Redress Lobbying Kicks into High Gear, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Minoru Yasui, chair of the JACL Legislative Education Committee (JACL/LEC), announced intensified lobbying efforts for redress ahead of the 99th Congress convening in January 1985. The committee hopes to raise at least $300,000 annually and potentially create a Political Action Committee to support redress legislation.
- Carleton Nominations Open for JACLers, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL chapters are encouraged to nominate minority high school seniors for the JACL scholarship program at Carleton College before the January 15 deadline. Three current Carleton JACL Scholars are highlighted, including one who interned with Rep. Robert Matsui.
Commentary
- The Better Mousetrap, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa reflects on the ethical values passed down from Issei parents to Nisei, including strong work ethic and organizational skills, contrasting Nisei organizational habits with other ethnic groups. He laments that despite this talent pool, Nisei have rarely entered political organizing and wonders why this potential remains untapped.
- Pearl Harbor and ‘Shikata Ga Nai’, by Kiyo Morimoto, page 5. In a chapel talk reflection, the director of Harvard’s Bureau of Study Counsel examines the Japanese phrase ‘shikata ga nai’ and its true meaning as an absence of forms or patterns to act, rather than passive surrender. He argues that the Issei’s acceptance of their helplessness in internment camps allowed them to create beauty and meaning within their limits, maintaining dignity.
- Giri, by Frank Fukazawa, page 7. A letter writer explains the Japanese concept of giri, a moral obligation to reciprocate favors, arguing it cannot be directly translated into English or other Western languages due to fundamental cultural differences. He notes the concept persists more strongly in Japanese communities in Brazil and Mexico than in modern Japan.
- JACL’s ‘Anti-Christian’ Resolution, by William Yoshimoto, page 7. A former Tulare County JACL chapter president explains his decision not to renew JACL membership, citing his objection to a 1983 convention resolution critical of Congress’s designation of the Year of the Bible. He argues the resolution unfairly targeted those who embrace the Bible and that JACL’s own convention practices showed religious exclusivity.
- Musubi, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 7. Wakabayashi reflects on the psychological weight of December 7th for Japanese Americans, describing the anxiety brought by annual media remembrances of Pearl Harbor and associated anti-Japanese sentiment. He questions why America maintains such a fixation on this date and worries about potential jokes targeting astronaut Ellison Onizuka’s space mission scheduled near the anniversary.
- Vietnam, Hollywood Style, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 9. Yamamoto examines how Hollywood films and TV shows about the Vietnam War, like ‘Missing in Action’ and ‘The Deer Hunter,’ perpetuate racist stereotypes of Vietnamese people as villainous or faceless victims. He connects this media portrayal to real-world anti-Asian violence and hostility toward Southeast Asian refugees, including incidents involving Vietnam veterans attacking Asian Americans.
- Are We Ready to Play with the Big Boys?, by Kris Ikejiri, page 11. Washington D.C. JACL president Kris Ikejiri compares JACL to the National Italian American Foundation after attending NIAF’s lavish awards dinner featuring President Reagan, Vice President Bush, and other dignitaries. He argues JACL has much to learn about networking and self-promotion despite being a much older and larger organization.
Community
- Berkeley Chapter Hosts Issei Appreciation Luncheon, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Berkeley JACL is hosting an appreciation luncheon and Christmas party for local Issei and senior Nisei aged 75 and older on December 8. The event at North Berkeley Senior Center includes lunch for $4 and an optional gift exchange.
- Carson Chapter to Install Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Carson (San Pedro) chapter will hold its annual installation banquet January 19 at Ports o’ Call Restaurant, featuring U.S. District Court Judge Robert Takasugi as keynote speaker. The Hawaiian group Kalani Islanders will provide entertainment.
- Puyallup Valley Chapter Plans Annual Mochitsuki, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Puyallup Valley chapter’s annual Mochitsuki (mochi-pounding event) will be held at Tacoma Buddhist Temple on December 16. Orders can be placed through several named chapter coordinators.
- Tulare Kings Chapter Plans Japanese Cultural Awareness Program, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A one-day Japanese Cultural Awareness Program for children aged 3-4 through sixth grade will be held January 26 in Visalia. Activities include learning Japanese words, a New Year’s art project, cooking, and origami.
In-Depth
- Nikkei Retirement Home, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa profiles Fred Wada, an influential community leader who helped build the Japanese Community Health Enterprises system, including a retirement home for over 100 Issei in Los Angeles. A testimonial banquet raised funds toward a new $6.5 million building to replace the aging retirement home facility.
- Our Hispanic Nikkei, by Harry Honda, page 10. Honda’s Little Tokyo Life column explores the history of Spanish-speaking Nikkei, descendants of Japanese Latin Americans who were seized from Peru and other countries during WW2 and detained in the U.S. The piece discusses the growing presence of this community in Little Tokyo, including the Latin American JACL chapter and cultural organizations like the Pan American Nikkei Association.
Military & Veterans
- Veterans Group Elects Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Go For Broke, Inc. elected Col. Harold F. Riebesell as president, along with other officers including Shig Kihara, Dr. Clifford Uyeda, and Shig Miyamoto. The organization honors 100/442 Regimental Combat Team and MIS veterans and manages traveling photo exhibits.
- Dachau Liberators Sought, by Rabbi Abraham Cooper, page 7. The Simon Wiesenthal Center is seeking to contact Japanese American veterans of the 100/442nd Regimental Combat Team who participated in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp during WW2. Interested veterans are asked to contact the Center’s Associate Dean directly.
- Astronaut to Carry JACL Pins, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Major Ellison Onizuka, whose space flight was rescheduled for the third week of January, will carry several JACL pins and patches into space. National JACL Director Ron Wakabayashi hopes Onizuka will present the items at the April Tri-District meeting in Fresno.
Arts & Entertainment
- Sansei Playwright Wins Award, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Philip Kan Gotanda was awarded the prestigious Joseph Kesselring Playwriting Award for his new work ‘The Wash,’ about an older Nisei woman who leaves her husband after 36 years. Gotanda is also working on multiple other projects including a samurai murder-mystery and a film collaboration with Wayne Wang.
Obituaries
- Frank Ekizo Iura, 1896-1984, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Frank E. Iura, an 88-year-old Issei born in Fukuoka-ken and a longtime bonsai enthusiast and authority, died in Los Angeles following an illness. A private family service was held with Canon John Yamazaki officiating, and he is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
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