Redress, Little Tokyo’s future and a film renamed at Rep. Matsui’s request

Vol. 99, No. 24, December 14, 1984. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page of this eight-page issue carried news on several fronts. At the request of U.S. Rep. Robert Matsui, the National Archives renamed a film exhibit previously titled “Jap Zero,” a WW2 training film starring Ronald Reagan. Bert Nakano, national spokesperson for the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations, was appointed to the California Democratic State Central Committee. Canada’s Multiculturalism Minister Jack Murta said an apology to Japanese Canadians interned during WW2 was “very likely.” Other stories covered an Asian American task force on UC Berkeley admissions and J.K. Yamamoto’s report on a UCLA study of Japanese American outmarriage.

Inside are Harry Honda’s final Little Tokyo Life column, on the future of the neighborhood, and Bill Hosokawa’s piece on a Seattle search for prewar photographs of Issei. Ron Wakabayashi, Bill Marutani and Clifford Uyeda wrote the commentary columns. The paper also noted a Pacific Southwest District redress committee gathering for Min Yasui and the burial of the Little Tokyo Centennial time capsule in January.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Government Film Renamed Following Matsui Request, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At the request of U.S. Rep. Robert Matsui, the National Archives changed the name of a WW2 training film exhibit previously titled ‘Jap Zero.’ The film, starring Ronald Reagan, will now be called ‘Training Film Starring Ronald Reagan.’
• Little Tokyo Time Capsule to Be Buried, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Little Tokyo Centennial time capsule, on display at Asahi Shoe Store, will be buried Jan. 15 after accepting donated memorabilia including souvenir booklets, a KNBC videotape, and prewar JACL items. Organizer Frank Omatsu hopes for more prewar submissions before the Jan. 9 deadline, with the capsule also to include grapefruit seeds from a 100-year-old JACCC tree.
• Chapter Pulse: San Diego, by P.C. Staff, page 3. National City’s JACL Post 4851 will host a traditional New Year’s Eve dance with tickets at $7.50, plus a separate dinner-dance option for younger members at the Hotel del Coronado for $35. Tickets are available through chapter board members.
• Chapter Pulse: Stockton, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Stockton’s annual potluck Christmas Party and Keiro Kai honoring senior citizens 70 and older will be held Dec. 15 at the Buddhist Temple Social Hall, featuring dinner, entertainment, and bingo. Transportation assistance is available for seniors who need it.
• Chapter Pulse: Selanoco, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Selanoco Chapter will hold a mochitsuki fundraiser Dec. 22 at Wintersburg Church to support scholarships for the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans, with mochi priced at $2 per pound. The chapter’s installation dinner follows Jan. 12 at the Buena Park Hotel, featuring speaker Min Yasui and emcee Tritia Toyota.

National

• Demo Post for Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. U.S. Rep. Mervyn Dymally appointed Bert Nakano, national spokesperson for the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations, to the California Democratic State Central Committee. Nakano previously attended the 1984 Democratic National Convention as a Jesse Jackson delegate and will serve on the party’s policy committee through 1986.
• Decision Due on Apology for Japanese Canadians, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Canada’s Multiculturalism Minister Jack Murta said an apology to Japanese Canadians interned during WW2 is ‘very likely,’ with a compensation announcement possibly coming by Christmas. The statement followed a National Assn. of Japanese Canadians report concluding the internment of 21,000 Nikkei Canadians was motivated by racism rather than security concerns.
• Panel to Study UC Admissions Policies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian American community leaders formed a task force to study why Asian American undergraduate enrollment suddenly declined at UC Berkeley under new admissions policies. The task force, co-chaired by judges Ken Kawaichi and Lillian Sing, will meet for about six months to examine the issue, which saw declines across nearly all Asian subgroups in 1984.
• It’s Confirmed: Sansei Prefer to Marry Non-Japanese, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. A UCLA study by Harry Kitano and colleagues found Japanese Americans in L.A. County outmarry at higher rates (60.6 percent in 1979) than Chinese or Korean Americans, with Asian women and American-born Asians intermarrying more often than men and immigrants. Kitano attributes the trend to weakening family control over marital choices as generations become more acculturated, though he does not believe JAs will disappear through intermarriage.
• Politics ‘Too Risky,’ Say Some Asians, by P.C. Staff, page 2. University of Cincinnati professors say Asian Americans hesitate to run for public office due to concerns about financial security and insecurity about verbal skills in public speaking. Experts note the scarcity of Asian American lawyers, the traditional entry point to politics, and a perceived lack of community support base contribute to the reluctance.
• Reward Offered in San Francisco Chef’s Murder, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of master chef Masataka Kobayashi. Kobayashi was found beaten to death in his Nob Hill apartment on Nov. 13.

JACL

• District Redress Committee to Fete Yasui, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Pacific Southwest District redress committee will hold an informal get-together with JACL-LEC chair Min Yasui on Jan. 13 at Gung Hay Restaurant in Gardena, honoring Mabel Ota and Don and Betty Yamaoka for their contributions to the redress campaign. Cost is $15 per person with reservations due Jan. 10.

Commentary

• Musubi: A Family Scene, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. Wakabayashi reflects on the heightened consciousness of family relationships during the holidays, describing how JACL staff and Japanese American families scatter and gather for traditional observances blending American and Japanese customs. The column affectionately details multigenerational holiday rituals, from mochi displays to ozoni dinners, closing with New Year’s greetings to the JACL family.
• East Wind: Nisei and the Success Syndrome, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani continues his examination of why mainland Nisei, despite strong organizational talents, have been underrepresented in politics, pointing to cultural pressures around a ‘success syndrome’ that discourages risk-taking and failure. He contrasts this with Hawaii’s politically active Nikkei community and discusses cultural adages that promote reticence and discourage assertiveness.
• Cliff’s Corner: The Battles of Wounded Knee, by Clifford Uyeda, page 5. Uyeda recounts the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre of Sioux prisoners by the U.S. Seventh Cavalry and the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee by the American Indian Movement protesting tribal and federal treatment of Native Americans. Both events are presented as symbolic struggles for Indian dignity, sovereignty, and treaty rights against U.S. government actions.
• Letters: Top-Level Management, by Fred K. Oshima, page 5. A reader from Salinas, Calif., praises JACL for gaining sophisticated corporate culture management leadership under new President Frank Sato. He calls the development refreshing and overdue for the organization.
• Letters: Visual History, by John Nishizaka, page 5. A reader describes Pete Hironaka’s 1978 print ‘The Issei,’ a montage depicting Issei history, displayed at the Nikkei Village senior housing project in San Fernando Valley. He calls it an inspiring visual history that belongs in every Nisei home.

In-Depth

• Preserving Prewar Images of Seattle Issei, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes a volunteer committee under the Nippon Kan Heritage Association seeking old photographs of Seattle’s prewar Japanese American community to display in an exhibit at the historic Nippon Kan Theatre. The project, led by Hideo Hoshide, aims to preserve community history ahead of Washington state’s 1989 centennial and is calling on former Seattleites nationwide to contribute photos.
• Little Tokyo Life (No. 45): Future of Little Tokyo, by Harry Honda, page 7. In the final piece of his series, Honda imagines the future of Little Tokyo through a time capsule letter from Roy Nishikawa and speculates on the fate of JACL, Japanese-language newspapers, and the neighborhood amid earthquakes and urban growth. He reflects on the area’s history and expresses hope that younger generations will carry forward the community’s self-confidence and identity.

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