JACL Singles Convention and the fight over redress funding

Vol. 109, No. 7, September 15, 1989. 8 pages. View this issue

A record crowd of over 400 people from 10 states gathered at the Torrance Marriott for the fourth National JACL Singles Convention, and the front page told that story. Alongside it, the paper followed the money behind redress: a Senate subcommittee recommended no funding for redress payments in FY1990, and the NCRR and the Pacific Southwest District JACL announced a joint letter-writing and lobbying effort. Readers will also find Hank Tanaka on JACL’s long range planning workshops, Bill Hosokawa on a reunion of former enemies on Saipan, and Raymond Okamura on a study of newspapers published in the wartime camps.

Other pages carry an editorial welcoming the Amerasian League, letters about draft resisters and the race for the 3rd Assembly seat, a call for entries to the Ruby Yoshino Schaar Playwright Award, and Harry K. Honda’s notes on books including Peter Irons’ collection of documents from the Yasui, Hirabayashi, and Korematsu cases.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Over 400 Attend JACL Singles Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A record 400-plus attendees from 10 states gathered at the Torrance Marriott Hotel for the fourth National JACL Singles Convention, Sept. 1-3. The weekend featured a golf tournament, a mixer, speeches by Torrance Mayor Katy Geissert and JACL President Cressey Nakagawa, a raffle, and announcement of the fifth convention to be held in Denver in 1991.
• JACL Ruby Yoshino Schnot Playwright Award Competition Now Open for 1990, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The New York JACL Chapter’s Ruby Yoshino Schaar Playwright Award, honoring a pioneering Nisei concert singer turned mentor, is accepting applications for 1990 with a deadline of April 1. Previous winners include Akemi Kikumura and Philip Kan Gotanda, whose play ‘Yankee Dawg You Die’ received a favorable New York Times review.

Community

• Japanese Cherry Trees Added to Capitol Park, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese cherry trees were planted in August at California’s Capitol Park as a symbol of goodwill between Japan and California. Officials present included the Japanese Consul from San Francisco, State Sen. David Roberti, and representatives of the So. Calif. Japan Business Association.
• Sept. 19 Set for Hatamiya Fundraiser, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Robert T. Matsui and the Sacramento Asian Pacific community will host a fundraising reception for Lon Hatamiya, a candidate for the 3rd Assembly seat, on Sept. 19 at the Fuji Restaurant. Hatamiya, a third-generation Yuba County native and attorney, is running in the district where his family operates a large orchard.
• Six Nikkei Ranked Among L.A. Officials Earning Over $100,000, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Los Angeles Times list of county officials earning over $100,000 in 1987 included six Nikkei individuals, ranked from 35th to 128th. The list includes officials from Public Works, Water & Power, LAUSD, and the Harbor Department.
• Bayanihan Jaycees to Host Benefit Bowling Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Bayanihan Jaycees of Los Angeles will host ‘Bowl for Life,’ a charity bowling tournament on Nov. 18 at the Little Tokyo Bowl benefiting AADAP and a Philippine school program. This marks the third annual event, open to bowlers of all skill levels with cash prizes for top teams.
• AAJA Receives $5,000 for Fellowship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Pacific Telesis Foundation donated $5,000 to the Asian American Journalists Association to establish a fellowship program upgrading journalism skills for professional broadcast and print journalists. AAJA President Lloyd LaCuesta expressed gratitude, with the program expected to launch by winter/spring with the first fellows possibly selected in spring 1990.
• Osaka Family ‘Ecstatic’ as Newspaper Story Results in Recovery of Missing Baggage, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Japanese family touring the U.S. to combat racism in Japan had their lost luggage—containing irreplaceable interviews with Coretta Scott King and Jesse Jackson—recovered after a security guard found the bags and read about the loss in a newspaper. The Black Business Council of America arranged return of the bags and a reward for the guard who found them.
• Asian Foundation Awards Grants to Community Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Foundation for Community Development will award $38,000 in grants for employment and training programs serving low-income Asian immigrants and refugees in the Bay Area. Funding, a 90% increase over last year, comes from the S.H. Cowell Foundation, the city of Oakland, and individual donors, with matching grants potentially bringing the total to $72,000.

Incarceration & Redress

• Senate Serves Goose Egg for Redress Appropriation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee recommended zero funding for redress payments in FY1990, despite a proposal by Sen. Inouye to make future redress payments an entitlement starting in FY1991. JACL-LEC chairman Jerry Enomoto and Reps. Mineta and Matsui expressed disappointment, noting the budget now proceeds to a House-Senate conference committee.
• NCRR, PSW JACL in Joint Redress Effort, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National Coalition for Redress and Reparations and the Pacific Southwest District JACL announced a joint campaign featuring letter-writing, lobbying delegations to Washington, and meetings with California senators to secure full redress funding. The groups aim to collect tens of thousands of letters targeting key senators on the Appropriations and Budget Committees.
• WRA Camp Papers Assessed by Oregon Journalism Professor, by Raymond Okamura, page 1. University of Oregon journalism professor Lauren Kessler’s study concludes that newspapers published in WWII internment camps reflected the ‘fettered freedoms’ of internees rather than the realities of internment, due to indirect WRA control over editors and content. Kessler’s research found the papers avoided controversy and functioned as propaganda portraying camp inmates as happy and well-adjusted.
• L.A.’s KNX Radio Wants Redress Now, by George Nicholaw, page 7. KNX-AM radio in Los Angeles broadcast an editorial by VP George Nicholaw condemning Congress for stalling on redress payments promised under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The editorial notes that no checks have been mailed and the House budget would only cover about 2,500 of 60,000 eligible survivors, urging Congress to honor its commitment promptly.

National

• Minority Gains in Congress Seen After 1990 Census, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Population Reference Bureau report predicts minorities will gain congressional seats following redistricting based on the 1990 Census, particularly in states like California, Texas, and Florida with large minority populations. The 435-seat House currently has 36 minority members including four Asian Americans.
• English to Japanese and Back: Meanings ‘Lost in Translation’, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Masami Atarashi of Johnson & Johnson Japan addressed a Honolulu seminar on the communication barriers between American and Japanese business practices, explaining how Japanese indirect expressions like ‘I will think it over’ actually mean refusal. He identified limited bilingual fluency and differing approaches to business relationships as key barriers to better U.S.-Japan communication.

Commentary

• Welcoming a New Organization, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial welcomes the newly founded Amerasian League, an organization for persons of mixed American and Asian ancestry, noting its goals parallel those of JACL. The piece estimates there may be as many as 300,000 Amerasians and expresses hope for a future where ethnic advocacy organizations are no longer necessary.
• Different Regions, Different Priorities, by Hank Tanaka, page 4. Hank Tanaka reports on JACL’s Long Range Planning workshops conducted since April 1989, noting that different district councils identified unique priorities, from revamping governance to moving the national office to Washington, D.C. A questionnaire is included in this issue for readers to contribute additional input before a strategic plan is presented at the 1990 JACL Convention in San Diego.
• The Reunion of Ex-Enemies, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa recounts the story of former Denver Ford dealer Bill Eger, a WWII Navy veteran who commemorated peace on Saipan with a captured locomotive, and his chance meeting decades later with former Japanese army captain Tomokatsu Kawa. The two men’s reunion led to a larger gathering of 17 American veterans and 46 Japanese ex-soldiers on Saipan, forging unlikely friendships across former enemy lines.
• Shorthand Jargon, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani explores Japanese business terminology like ‘ringi-sho’ and ‘ne-mawashi,’ explaining how Japanese business decision-making differs from the top-down American model. He breaks down the kanji and cultural context behind these terms, drawing parallels to American business practices like ‘spade work.’
• WWII Draft Resisters, by G.N. Asawa, page 5. A letter writer argues that WWII draft resisters showed more courage than those who joined the army, since resisters faced ostracism and imprisonment for their beliefs. The writer, who joined the army himself, now honors the resisters’ courageous stand and hopes Golden Gate JACL will pursue reconciliation with them.
• Candidate’s Sansei Wife, by Cindy Enomoto Chandler, page 5. Cindy Enomoto Chandler, wife of Assemblyman Chris Chandler, writes to defend her husband against challenger Lon Hatamiya, detailing her family’s Sansei background and her husband’s record and family involvement. She asserts the couple will wage a vigorous re-election campaign and asks for continued community support.
• Heritage, by Edward Takashi Nakano, page 5. Edward Nakano reflects on cultural identity and assimilation among Asian Americans, describing a friend who was raised without connection to his Asian heritage and struggled with identity in college. He argues that retaining one’s ethnic heritage, rather than fully conforming to an ‘American’ ideal, is essential to healthy self-identification.
• The ‘Bimbo’ & the ‘Kechimbo’, by Jin Konomi, page 5. Jin Konomi discusses the historical and ongoing practice of concubinage in Japan, from the Tokugawa Shogun’s 40 concubines to modern-day ‘Nigo’ kept women, connecting this to the Premier Uno sex scandal. The piece argues Uno’s downfall stemmed less from the affair itself than from being perceived as ungallant and cheap toward his mistresses.

Obituaries

• Tashi Sakata, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tashi Sakata, 93, of Madera, a native of Nagasaki-ken, died Aug. 26 at Fresno Community Hospital. She is survived by her son Ken and several daughters and grandchildren.
• Katsuno Sayegusa, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Katsuno Sayegusa, 92, a naturalized Issei who lived in prewar San Francisco, wartime Topaz, Chicago, and West Los Angeles, died Aug. 29 at White Memorial Medical Center. She is survived by two daughters and four grandchildren.
• Saki Shimakawa, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Saki Shimakawa, 96, a Hiroshima-born pioneer of Stockton, died Aug. 24. She is survived by three sons, two daughters, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
• Kazuo Shimbo, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Kazuo Shimbo, 73, a Los Angeles-born Nisei veteran of San Gabriel, Calif., died Aug. 15. He is survived by his wife Mary Fumi, two sons, a daughter, and a sister.
• Iku Tachibana, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Iku Tachibana, 88, a Kyoto-born Los Angeles resident, died Aug. 21 after a prolonged illness. She is survived by a son, four daughters, and eight grandchildren.
• Haruko Tamashiro, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Haruko Tamashiro, 89, an Okinawa-born pioneer and South San Gabriel resident, died suddenly Aug. 18. She is survived by her husband Kizun, four sons, two daughters, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
• Ed Toma, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ed Toma, 58, of Honolulu, a former star football player and coach who later became a school principal and political campaign organizer, died of an apparent heart attack Aug. 21. He served on the Hawaii Stadium Authority and led the Hawaii Government Employees Association, and is survived by his wife Sachi and two children.
• Satoru Uyeno, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Satoru Uyeno, 91, of Sacramento, a native of Hiroshima, died Aug. 23. He is survived by two sons, a daughter, and grandchildren.

Arts & Entertainment

• Books to Peruse: Briefly Noted, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda reviews several books including Peter Irons’ collection of documents from the Yasui, Hirabayashi, and Korematsu cases, the anthology ‘Making Waves’ featuring Asian American women writers, and Jade Snow Wong’s memoir ‘Fifth Chinese Daughter.’ Each book is summarized with attention to its historical and cultural significance for Japanese and Asian Americans.

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