Manzanar, Hirabayashi’s coram nobis brief and dual citizenship

Vol. 100, No. 21, May 31, 1985. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page carried a mix of civil rights and community news. Rep. Norman Mineta and Rep. Don Edwards protested an Interior Department press release that described Manzanar as established for protection against espionage and sabotage, and Secretary Don Hodel agreed to withdraw it. The California Assembly voted to repeal Section 19573, the provision used during World War II to fire 314 Japanese American government workers with dual citizenship. JACL and the American Jewish Committee filed a joint brief supporting Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis case in Seattle. The front page also reported on Richard Takechi’s win in an Omaha city council race and on the Democratic Party dropping its Asian Pacific Caucus.

On the commentary pages, Bob Shimabukuro wrote about Japanese Americans and the idea of belonging, and Bill Hosokawa took up sushi. J.K. Yamamoto questioned the notion of Japanese Americans as a bridge to Japan, and letters pressed readers to support redress legislation. Page 8 lists chapter news, including scholarship dinners in Contra Costa, West Los Angeles, Marysville and Fresno.

What’s in this issue

National

• Hayakawa Ridicules 9th Circuit Court Decision, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of San Francisco State students arrested in a 1969 confrontation with then-president S.I. Hayakawa, ordering erasure of disciplinary records and payment of $100,000 in attorney fees. Hayakawa called the decision ‘perfectly nonsensical’ and defended the mass arrest as constitutional.
• Assembly Removes Dual-Citizenship Provision, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California State Assembly voted to repeal Section 19573 of the Government Code, which was used during WW2 to fire 314 government workers who were Japanese Americans with dual citizenship. The bill, authored by Philip Isenberg, now goes to the State Senate.
• Policeman Beats Chinese Immigrant, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Boston undercover detective Francis Kelly allegedly beat Long Kuang Huang, a 56-year-old Chinese immigrant restaurant worker, claiming Huang resisted arrest for solicitation, though witnesses contradicted his account. Community members formed a support committee demanding charges be dropped, an investigation, and police reforms including bilingual officers.
• ‘Model Minority’ Image Praised by U.S. Civil Rights Commission Chair, by Sophia Kyung Kim, Korea Times Los Angeles, page 1. Clarence M. Pendleton Jr., chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, praised Asian Americans as a ‘model minority’ for relying on their own strengths rather than government help, while again condemning affirmative action as ‘a new kind of racism.’ Black civil rights leaders picketed his appearance, accusing him of making a mockery of the Commission and being a mouthpiece for Reagan.
• A/P Democratic Caucus Dropped, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Democratic leaders stripped the party’s Asian Pacific Caucus of official recognition in a move seen as rejecting ‘special interests,’ also affecting other caucuses while protecting Black, Latino, and women’s caucuses by charter. Asian American Democrats reacted angrily, calling it a return to exclusionary politics and vowing protest.

Community

• JA Wins Omaha City Council Race, by from reports by Omaha World-Herald, page 1. Richard Takechi was elected to the District 5 Omaha city council seat with 64% of the vote, defeating incumbent Connie Findlay in a comeback after previously serving from 1977-1981. Takechi campaigned on responsiveness to constituents and criticized Findlay’s support for a controversial development project.
• Coalition Monitors Woo/Stevenson Race, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A coalition of Asian Pacific groups asked Los Angeles city council candidates Mike Woo and Peggy Stevenson to pledge against race-based campaign tactics ahead of the June 4 election, citing past racial innuendo used against Woo. Woo signed the pledge while Stevenson’s campaign pointed to an existing pledge that the coalition said did not address race.
• Name Change for NY Center, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Japanese American Counseling Center of the Asian American Mental Health Demonstration Project in New York has been renamed the Asian American Mental Health Service-Japanese Unit. Services and location remain unchanged.
• Valley JAs to Honor Scholarship Winners, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Fernando Valley JACL chapter and Japanese Community Center will honor 23 high school scholarship winners on June 1, with Dr. Susan Shimomaye as guest speaker. Winners include recipients of the Eugene Oda Memorial, SAM Award, JACL Boutique Award, and JACL/JACC scholarships.
• S.F. to Honor Community Leader, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein will proclaim June 7 as Hisao Inouye Day honoring his contributions to the city’s civic and business communities, including founding the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Cherry Blossom Festival. Inouye also served as board chair of Kimochi, Inc. and helped complete the Kimochi Home project.
• Entries Sought for Short Story Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 7th annual American Japanese Literary Award, initiated by author James Clavell, seeks manuscript entries by June 30, with a $1,000 prize awarded at the Miss Sansei California Pageant. The contest, open to all JAs, requires original unpublished short stories incorporating the Japanese American experience.
• Contra Costa Chapter Holds Senior Appreciation Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. More than 250 members and friends attended the Contra Costa JACL chapter’s annual Senior Appreciation Dinner, which included recognition of scholarship winners Christopher Katayanagi, Henry Isakari, and Kyle Yamamoto. Chapter president Yoshiro Tokiwa extended greetings to senior guests.
• Greater L.A. Singles Chapter to Hear Talk on U.S.-Japan Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 8. National Vice President Rose Ochi will speak on U.S.-Japan relations at the Greater L.A. Singles chapter’s general meeting on June 14 in Gardena. Members from other chapters are invited to attend.
• West Los Angeles Chapter Scholarship Dinner Set, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The West Los Angeles JACL chapter will award scholarships to five local high school seniors at a dinner June 2 at Yamato Restaurant, with guest speaker Keiko Hentel addressing Sansei and Yonsei expectations. Reservations can be made through chapter contacts.
• Marysville Chapter Announces Scholarship Winners, Archives Project, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Marysville JACL chapter named 1985 scholarship recipients including Leslie Kanda, Paul Okimoto, Janelle Sasaki, Leigh Iwanaga, and Jill Okimoto. An archives committee was formed to compile documents and photos to mark the chapter’s 50-year history.
• Fresno A.L.L. Holds Scholarship Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Fresno American Loyalty League will hold its annual scholarship dinner June 9 at Inakasushi Restaurant. Hana Kimura has donated a $2,000 scholarship to be distributed in $500 increments over four years.
• Diablo Valley Chapter Plans Annual Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Diablo Valley JACL chapter will hold its annual picnic June 23 at Heather Farms, with participation from Berkeley and Contra Costa chapters. Volunteers are being sought to help organize the event.

Incarceration & Redress

• Mineta Protests Manzanar Article, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Secretary of Interior Don Hodel agreed to withdraw a press release that described Manzanar as established ‘for protection against espionage and sabotage,’ after Rep. Norman Mineta and Rep. Don Edwards protested the characterization. Mineta called the release ‘outrageous and shocking’ and said it contradicted statements made at the camp’s dedication.

JACL

• JACL Files Brief in Support of Hirabayashi, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL and the American Jewish Committee filed a joint amicus curiae brief in Federal District Court in Seattle supporting Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis case. The 40-page brief traces anti-Asian sentiment history and urges the court to overturn Hirabayashi’s 1942 conviction.

Commentary

• Citizens with One Country, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. The columnist discusses the misconception held by both Japanese and Americans that Japanese Americans are not fully American, recounting a personal experience in Japan where he was treated differently because he ‘looked Japanese.’ He argues AJAs are Americans who happen to embrace Japanese ethical traditions, and calls for people-to-people efforts to resolve this misunderstanding.
• Positively Speaking, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. The acting editor responds to criticism from PC Board members that the paper emphasizes Asian American rather than Japanese American issues and portrays too much ‘negative’ content. He defends the paper’s coverage of civil rights issues and pan-Asian organizations as containing many Japanese Americans, and argues that fighting back against injustice is itself a positive portrayal.
• Speak Up for Sushi, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa criticizes newspaper columnists who wrote disparaging and factually incorrect pieces about sushi and fugu, noting confusion between sushi and sashimi and errors about which part of the fugu fish is toxic. He praises a more balanced article by a Minnesota columnist after prompting from readers Ruth Tanbara and restaurant owner Reiko Weston.
• LEC Appeal, by Harry Kajihara, page 5. A letter asks readers to support the Legislative Education Committee’s redress pursuit plan by becoming Prime Solicitors for fundraising. The writer directs readers to the upcoming June 7 PC issue for more detailed information on the LEC redress plan.
• First Things First, by Wilfred H. deCristoforo, page 5. The letter writer commends student activism on apartheid and Central American refugees but urges that students also support redress legislation (H.R. 442 and S. 1053) for Japanese American internment. He argues writing letters to legislators in support of redress would demonstrate commitment to democratic traditions.
• A Real Life, by Michiko Bi, page 5. Responding to Bill Marutani’s column on the television series ‘Hills and Rivers Ablaze,’ the writer provides background on the real Kibei man who inspired the story’s tragic protagonist, detailing his wartime service as an interpreter and his personal life. The writer criticizes novelist Toyoko Yamazaki for politicizing the man’s motivation for suicide rather than depicting the actual romantic conflict.
• Not Quite a Bridge, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 5. Yamamoto questions the common notion that Japanese Americans naturally serve as a ‘bridge’ between Japan and the U.S., arguing that most Nisei, Sansei, and even many Issei lack the bicultural and bilingual fluency needed for that role. He contends only individuals with deep, current knowledge of both countries’ politics and economics can truly serve as such a bridge, and that being a ‘bridge’ should not mean automatically defending Japan from criticism.

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