Kim Dae Jung in Los Angeles, the Pierman sentence and the Liu case

Vol. 100, No. 4, February 1, 1985. 12 pages. View this issue

Three stories ran across the front page and beyond. Robert Shimabukuro reported on Dr. Kim Dae Jung’s address to a crowd of over 4,000 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles before his return to South Korea. The paper also followed the Taiwan government crisis over the slaying of Henry Liu, and the six-year sentence given to James Pierman for the manslaughter of Vietnamese student Thong Hy Huynh, which Asian American groups called too lenient.

Other stories cover redress, civil rights and community life. Rep. Gillis Long, a co-sponsor of the redress bill HR 442, died, and Rep. Norman Mineta spoke in Little Tokyo about the long road ahead for redress. The American Jewish Congress’s governing council in Chicago backed the Commission’s findings. Go For Broke, Inc. asked for funds for a Smithsonian exhibit honoring veterans. Bill Hosokawa and J.K. Yamamoto weighed in on the word ‘Nikkei,’ and chapter news fills page 9.

What’s in this issue

National

• Uncertain Future Faces Dissident Leader Kim, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 1. Dr. Kim Dae Jung spoke to a crowd of over 4,000 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles before his return to South Korea, outlining his history of opposition to Park and Chun regimes and a three-point plan for restoring democracy. He also called on Korean Americans to support democratic movements and cooperate with other minority groups in the U.S.
• Taiwan Government in Crisis Over Liu Slaying, page 1. The murder of Henry Liu, a critic of Taiwan’s president, has triggered a political crisis likened to Watergate for President Chiang Ching-kuo’s government. Members of the Bamboo gang and Defense Ministry intelligence officials have been arrested, and the scandal may undermine the ruling Kuomintang party and reduce military influence.
• Professor Forced Into Retirement, Sues College, page 1. A political science professor claims he was forced into early retirement due to his age and race by a private Christian college in Santa Barbara. Norman Nyun-Han, 63, says he was the only tenured professor let go during a cutback while younger white colleagues retained their positions.
• Midwest Jewish Group Backs Compensation, page 1. The American Jewish Congress’s governing council in Chicago endorsed the findings and recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Chicago JACL redress co-chairs Chiye Tomihiro and Bill Yoshino were credited with securing the resolution.
• Pierman Sentence: 6 Years, page 1. James ‘Jay’ Pierman was sentenced to six years at the California Youth Authority for the manslaughter of Vietnamese student Thong Hy Huynh in a racially charged stabbing. Asian American observers, including the victim’s mother and the Coalition of Asians for Equal Rights, criticized the sentence as too lenient and failing to address racism.
• TV Host’s Caricature Draws Protests, page 2. American Citizens for Justice is protesting a Detroit TV host’s offensive Asian caricature character ‘Charlie Rum’ on a martial arts movie program. The station manager defended the character as humorous, prompting ACJ to urge viewers to write letters of protest.
• Rights Groups Unneeded, Reagan Says, page 12. President Reagan stated in a radio interview that some civil rights organizations may no longer be needed because they have achieved their goals, suggesting leaders keep people ‘stirred up’ to preserve their jobs. He emphasized focusing on accomplishments rather than continuing grievances, while acknowledging more work remains.

Incarceration & Redress

• Rep. Long, Redress Supporter, Dies, page 2. Rep. Gillis Long (D-Louisiana), a co-sponsor of redress bill HR 442 and chair of the House Democratic Caucus, died of a heart attack at age 61. Colleagues including Reps. Matsui and Mineta praised his support for redress and civil rights legislation.
• Slaying: Pierman Case Details and Community Reaction, page 4. Continued coverage details CAER’s criticism that the Pierman sentence will not deter racist crimes, while the defendant’s family insists he is not racist. Court testimony covered Pierman’s learning disabilities, aggressive behavior learned from his father, and his attorney’s claims the stabbing was accidental.
• Golden Gate Chapter Honors Holocaust Victims, page 9. Members of the Golden Gate JACL chapter placed flowers at a Holocaust memorial sculpture by George Segal on Christmas Eve, in a ceremony initiated by member Morgan Yamanaka. Clifford Uyeda gave a dedication statement attended by members of Jewish organizations in what was described as a moving ceremony.

Community

• Heart Mountain Reunion Set, page 3. The second Heart Mountain Reunion will be held over Labor Day weekend 1985 at the Red Lion Inn in San Jose, organized by a steering committee led by Ernie Inouye and Karl Kinaga. Registration details and area coordinators across California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado are provided.
• Mineta: ‘Long Climb Ahead’, by Miki Himeno, page 3. Rep. Norman Mineta spoke at a Little Tokyo Business Assn. dinner in Los Angeles about the long road ahead for redress legislation, noting only 18 months had passed since the CWRIC report and 25% congressional support had been garnered. He urged community organizations to pool resources and work together on redress and other issues.
• Two Physicians to Speak on ‘Dem Nisei Bones’, page 3. A seminar on arthritis and osteoporosis will be held at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center featuring Dr. Sidney Bluestone and Dr. Joseph Li. The event aims to educate older women particularly about preventive techniques for these chronic conditions.
• Methodists to Hold National Caucus, by United Methodist News Service, page 7. Asian American United Methodists gathered in San Francisco for the first assembly of the Asian American caucus within the denomination. The meeting focused on strengthening ethnic minority congregations, preceded by a history consultation and board meetings.
• Marysville Chapter 50th Anniversary and Installation Banquet, page 9. The Marysville-Yuba City chapter will celebrate its 50th anniversary and hold its 1985 installation banquet featuring TV producer Jon Minagawa as speaker. The program includes chapter history presentations and entertainment.
• Marina Chapter to Discuss Outmarriages, page 9. Marina Del Rey chapter will host guest speaker Ken Fong discussing ‘Outmarriages’ at a meeting, which also covers plans for attending a Prince concert at the Forum. Members are urged to attend due to limited ticket availability.
• Salinas Valley Chapter Installation Dinner, page 9. The Salinas Valley chapter’s 1985 installation dinner features keynote speaker Eric Saul, curator of the U.S. Army Museum, an authority on the 442nd and MIS. The documentary ‘Nisei Soldier’ by Loni Ding will also be screened.
• A Chance to Get Involved: Women’s Concerns, by Sandi Kawasaki and Marilynn Nakata, page 9. The newly elected co-chairs of the PSWD women’s concerns committee invite members to help plan activities promoting greater involvement and leadership of women within JACL. They plan to create workshops to help members develop confidence and skills for leadership roles.
• Marin Chapter Spaghetti Feed and Bingo Night, page 9. The Mill Valley-based Marin chapter is hosting a spaghetti dinner and bingo night at the Marin Buddhist Church. Tickets are $3.50 for adults and $1.50 for children.
• Sacramento Chapter Annual Crab Feed, page 9. The Sacramento chapter will hold its annual crab feed fundraiser, with proceeds supporting the national redress campaign. The event will take place at the Sacramento Buddhist Church.
• People in the News: Law and Business Honors, page 11. Hon. William Marutani was honored by the Asian Pacific American Bar Assn. of Washington, D.C. for his contributions to civil rights, while Gerald Yamada became acting general counsel at the EPA. Robert J. Matsumoto was elected president of the Building Industry Assn. of Kern County.

JACL

• Igasaki Named to Human Relations Post, page 3. Paul Igasaki, president of Chicago JACL, was appointed as the new Asian American Liaison for Chicago’s commission on human relations by Mayor Harold Washington. Igasaki, a Northwestern and UC Davis law graduate, previously worked for the American Bar Assn. and various legal services organizations.

Commentary

• From the Frying Pan: Political Involvement and the Term Nikkei, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. The columnist continues discussing how cultural restraints impede Japanese American political involvement, citing a reader’s suggestions that AJAs should treat political contributions as a living expense and join predominantly non-Japanese organizations. He also announces he will stop using ‘Nikkei’ in favor of ‘AJA’ after discovering the term’s precise Japanese meaning.
• In Defense of ‘Nikkei’, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 4. The author defends the use of ‘nikkei’ to refer to Japanese Americans, countering arguments that it is grammatically incorrect or inappropriately foreign. He notes many other Japanese words have become part of everyday English usage without controversy, and nikkei is actually more accurate than ‘nihonjin’.
• Bridging the Science Information Gap, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. The columnist discusses the language barrier problem in Japanese scientific and technical literature, noting most research is published only in Japanese, hindering international access. He cites Professor Makoto Nagao’s work on machine translation systems intended to bridge this communication gap by 1986.
• ‘Anti-white’ Resolution, by Phillip T. Bohall, page 5. A letter writer criticizes JACL’s Bible Year resolution as anti-Christian and anti-Caucasian, arguing the Bible moderated Western expansion’s impact and that Christian churches like the Disciples of Christ opposed Japanese American internment. He urges JACL members to ensure fair representation rather than quit the organization over the issue.
• For National Headquarters, L.A.’s the Place, by S. Stephen Nakashima, page 5. The author argues that National JACL should move its headquarters from San Francisco to Los Angeles to be closer to the larger Japanese American population and consolidate with the Pacific Citizen office. He acknowledges potential challenges in financing and logistics but urges the National Board to study the proposal.
• To Computer Owners, by Bacon Sakatani, page 5. A JACL member describes his new IBM PC computer setup and plans to develop programs for chapter membership management, mailing labels, letters, and treasury reports. He invites other chapter computer users to share ideas and software in an informal user group.

Military & Veterans

• Vets Group Asks for Redress Funds, by Tom Kawaguchi, page 8. Go For Broke, Inc. presented a position paper to Congress requesting CWRIC funds to establish a permanent Smithsonian exhibit and monument honoring Japanese American WWII veterans. The organization has already co-produced traveling exhibits and documentaries and seeks continued community support and membership.
• Mile High Chapter Hosts Attorney James Shimoura, page 9. Detroit attorney James Shimoura, instrumental in bringing Vincent Chin’s attackers to federal court, will speak at a special dinner meeting of the Mile High chapter in Denver. Officers and board members will also be installed at the event.
• 442 Vet Honored, page 11. Col. John Y. Sadanaga, the last active-duty member of the 100/442 Regimental Combat Team, was honored by fellow officers at Travis AFB upon his retirement. Born in Portland and interned at Minidoka, he served with distinction in WWII before a long military career culminating in numerous decorations.

In-Depth

• Overseas Japanese Count, by Chuck Kubokawa, page 8. A statistical breakdown based on 1982 Japanese Foreign Office census data details populations of ethnic Japanese and Nikkei across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. The article highlights potential sites for new JACL chapters based on concentrations of ‘Shin Issei’ permanent residents in U.S. cities.

Arts & Entertainment

• Powerful Literature from Camp, by Fred Houn, page 9. A review of ‘Poets Behind Barbed Wire,’ a collection of traditional haiku and tanka poetry written by four Japanese American internees, published by Bamboo Ridge Press. The reviewer praises the collection as an essential contribution to Asian American literature, reflecting spiritual resistance and unity during incarceration.

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