Redress after the bill: payments, legal help and a veterans memorial

Vol. 107, No. 17, November 25, 1988. 8 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen’s issue of November 25, 1988 followed what came after the redress bill became law. The front page reported that the Ex-Prisoners of War organization opposed the $20,000 payments to Japanese Americans interned during World War II. It also reported that the law firm Jenner and Block would give JACL-LEC free legal services, with John Nakahata as lead counsel. A story by Rita Takahashi covered the work. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye said he expected to be the next Senate majority leader, and Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui raised concerns about job discrimination under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act.

On page 4, Bill Hosokawa wrote about Asian American journalists, and John Hayashi profiled the JACL Midwest District. Letters on page 5 from Al Muratsuchi and Donna Kotake argued over who deserved credit for redress. Also inside: a proposed memorial naming 13,639 Nikkei who served in World War II, planned for Little Tokyo, and the Stanford student coalition’s call for an ethnic studies requirement.

What’s in this issue

National

• Stanford Student Coalition Rallies for Ethnic Studies Requirement, page 1. A coalition of Stanford student groups including MECHA and the Stanford American Indian Organization rallied in response to recent racist incidents on campus. The students demanded the university institute an ethnic studies graduation requirement and expand curriculum and minority faculty.
• Inouye Says He Will Be Next Majority Leader, page 1. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, speaking at a fund-raiser for Rep. Mike Lowry, predicted he would become the next Senate majority leader. He is competing for the post against Sens. J. Bennett Johnston and George Mitchell, with elections held by secret ballot on Nov. 29.
• Ex-POWs Oppose Pay to JA Internees, page 1. The 26,000-member Ex-Prisoners of War organization passed a resolution opposing the $20,000 redress payments to Japanese Americans interned during WW2. The group is backing efforts by Americans for Historical Accuracy to seek an injunction against the legislation.
• Miki, Former Japanese Prime Minister, Dies, page 1. Takeo Miki, former Japanese prime minister, died Nov. 13 at age 81 after being hospitalized since June. Miki studied in the U.S. before WW2 and later became known for his pro-American sentiments and leadership of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party.
• Study of Vets Fails Conference Committee, page 1. A provision authored by Sen. Spark Matsunaga to study post-traumatic stress disorder among Asian American Vietnam veterans passed the Senate but failed in conference committee. Matsunaga’s office said the measure died due to Congress’s rush to adjourn and lack of House floor debate time.
• Mineta, Matsui Report Job Discrimination Concerns on Immigration Control and Reform Act, page 1. Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui expressed concerns over a GAO report showing increased job discrimination based on the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. The report found many employers were asking only foreign-looking workers for authorization documents or hiring only U.S. citizens, prompting calls to avoid turning private businesses into immigration enforcers.

Military & Veterans

• Memorial Honoring Nikkei WW2 Vets, MIS Proposed, page 1. A memorial inscribed with 13,639 names of Japanese Americans who served in WW2 is planned as part of Little Tokyo’s First Street Plaza Project, according to retired Army Col. Young O. Kim. The $200 million redevelopment project will require developers to include a plaza space for the memorial, with a design competition planned and funding sought partly from the developer.

Community

• Nakajo Files Grievance Against S.F. State, page 1. Steve Nakajo, a part-time instructor in the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University, filed a grievance after being dropped from the staff without formal notification. He is seeking reinstatement and an official explanation from department chair George Woo.
• Imamura, Tsubota Honored During National Minority Enterprise Week, page 2. Sansei businessmen Lawrence Imamura and Taibo, president of Tsubota Industrial Supply Co., were recognized during Seattle’s National Minority Enterprise Week celebration. Imamura was honored as a business owner of the year while Tsubota received a Commerce Department regional award.
• 1989 Brawley Reunion Date Set, page 3. A Brawley reunion has been scheduled for June 17, 1989, to be held at the New Otani Hotel in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. The previous reunion was held in 1986, and dinner tickets are available through several named contacts.
• New Foundation Honoring K. Patrick Okura Created, page 3. Close to 200 friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate K. Patrick Okura’s 77th birthday and the creation of the Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation in his honor. The foundation, founded with contributions from Okura and his wife Lily, will provide fellowships for Asian American professionals in mental health and human services.
• Namba Elected Florin Chapter President, page 8. Attorney Curtis Namba was elected as the 1989 president of the Florin Chapter of JACL, replacing Richard K. Uno. Other chapter officers were also named, and the installation dinner is scheduled for Jan. 21, 1989 at the Fuji Restaurant.
• Nakajo Grievance Update: Support Committee Formed, page 8. Continuing coverage of Steve Nakajo’s grievance against San Francisco State University describes a Steve Nakajo Support Committee mounting a letter-writing campaign to university officials. Nakajo, also executive director of a Japanese American senior citizens group, was previously removed as co-chairman of San Francisco’s Cherry Blossom Festival amid controversy over eliminating a beauty contest.

JACL

• Firm to Provide JACL-LEC with Free Legal Services; Nakahata Named Lead Counsel, by Rita Takahashi, page 1. The law firm Jenner and Block has agreed to provide pro bono legal services to JACL-LEC, with associate John Nakahata named lead counsel. The firm is researching eligibility issues related to the redress bill, Public Law 100-383, and will supply supporting documentation to the Department of Justice’s Office of Redress Administration.
• Over 175 Attend JACL-Sponsored Redress Workshop, page 2. More than 175 people attended a redress workshop sponsored by the Gardena Valley JACL Chapter and NCRR at the Ken Nakaoka Memorial Center. Speakers including Alan Nishio, Cressey Nakagawa and George Ogawa answered questions about the Civil Rights Act of 1988 and the redress process.
• The JACL Midwest District: Nikkei in America’s Heartland, by John Hayashi, page 4. This By the Board column profiles the JACL Midwest District, which spans nine chapters across seven states with approximately 1,750 members. The piece highlights the district’s successful redress lobbying efforts and its response to the Vincent Chin case, despite the area’s relatively small Japanese American population.

Commentary

• Going Out on Top, page 4. This editorial praises outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield, who announced his retirement at age 85 after serving longer than any previous U.S. envoy, having been appointed by President Carter in 1977. The piece credits Mansfield’s steady, well-informed leadership for maintaining strong U.S.-Japan relations through trade imbalances and other crises.
• A Good Omen for Journalism, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. In his From the Frying Pan column, Bill Hosokawa discusses the Asian American Journalists Association’s efforts to help Asian Americans enter the news profession through scholarships. He notes AAJA’s growing membership and the industry’s increasing recognition of the need for diversity in media.
• Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, by Al Muratsuchi, page 5. A letter to the editor argues that redress was achieved through a combination of grassroots community activism, lobbying efforts, and political factors rather than any single individual’s actions. The writer credits dedicated community activists and Japanese American members of Congress alongside political circumstances that led to Reagan signing the bill.
• Response to Masaoka: Grassroots Efforts Deserve Credit, by Donna Kotake, page 5. A letter to the editor disputes Mike Masaoka’s dismissal of grassroots letter-writing campaigns in achieving redress victory, arguing that thousands of letters to Congress and the President were significant factors. The writer criticizes leaders who fail to credit grassroots community members for the success of the redress movement.
• Suggestions for Finding Social Justice, by Grace Yoon, page 5. A member of the Korean American Coalition offers suggestions following a JACL forum on issues affecting Asian American communities, including hiring bilingual counselors in schools and fostering better understanding between Korean and Japanese American communities. The letter also calls for addressing oppression of Asian American women within family structures and businesses.
• Butts Out, by Paula Mune, page 5. A brief letter to the editor objects to the Pacific Citizen’s acceptance of cigarette advertisements, calling them harmful and offensive. The writer requests the paper stop running such ads.
• There Never Was a Hideyoshi Toyotomi, by Jin Konomi, page 5. This Moshi Moshi column examines the Japanese practice of reversing name order (given name first) when writing names for Western audiences, tracing its possible origins to the Rokumeikan Era of westernization. The author argues Japanese Americans have no need to rearrange their names since they are legally and culturally American.

In-Depth

• College Would Focus on Human Rights, by Shosuke Yagi, page 4. Japanese educator Sueo Murakoshi proposes creating a college devoted to studying discrimination and civil rights, particularly addressing the plight of burakumin, Japan’s largest minority group descended from Edo-period outcastes. The college would be open to other minorities including Koreans, Ainu, and Okinawans, and aims to train human rights experts with an international perspective.

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