Redress funding fights and a library’s 4,200 pages of testimony

Vol. 109, No. 8, September 22, 1989. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress ran through the front page of this eight-page issue. The Japanese American Library in San Francisco received a $5,000 grant from the National Council for Japanese American Redress to help edit the testimony of about 675 people who spoke before the CWRIC in 1981, work led by Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga. Other front-page stories followed the money: JACL-LEC members backed Sen. Daniel Inouye’s plan to make redress funding an entitlement, Seattle JACLers lobbied Sen. Brock Adams, and a miscount may cost Canada $63 million more than budgeted for Japanese Canadian redress.

On page 4, an editorial on Heart Mountain asked for fuller markers at the camp site, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about Masakazu Iwata’s history of Issei in agriculture. The arts pages covered the exhibit of four Nikkei artists in New York, Tamlyn Tomita’s film role, and Lise Yasui’s documentary A Family Gathering. Letters on page 5 included responses to Velina Hasu Houston and a writer’s account of the Heart Mountain draft resisters.

What’s in this issue

National

• S.F.’s JA Library Granted $5,000 from NCJAR, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese American Library in San Francisco received a $5,000 grant from the National Council for Japanese American Redress to help edit testimony from about 675 individuals who testified before the CWRIC in 1981. Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga and others are editing the 4,200 pages of transcripts, with support from NCJAR Chair William Hohri and Rep. Norman Mineta.
• L.A. Nikkei Teenager Seen as Gang Fight Victim, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mark Iwashita, 14, died Aug. 9 after being shot in a gang-related confrontation in Los Angeles. Police said he had some gang affiliation but a motive and suspects remain unknown.
• Guam Reparations Commission Seeking $160 Million More, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Guam Reparations Commission is expected to seek $160 million in compensation for deaths, injuries, forced labor and internment suffered by Guamanians during WWII. Delegate Ben Blaz and Gov. Joseph Ada argue new payments are justified given the $20,000 given to each interned Japanese American.
• Japan Cited ‘Richest Nation’ in World, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japan has overtaken the U.S. as the world’s richest nation in assets, according to the Japanese Economic Planning Agency, due largely to yen appreciation since 1985. However, the article notes that economic success has not fully trickled down to average Japanese citizens’ living standards.
• Japan Tourist Arrivals Snarl Honolulu Airport, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese tourists now regard Honolulu’s entry system as the worst in the world due to long customs and immigration delays, according to testimony at a House subcommittee hearing. Officials cited language barriers and bunched airline arrival schedules as contributing factors.
• JPRN Ends Campaign on Inter-Ethnic Tension and Japanese Corporations in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Japan Pacific Resource Network completed a 56-day campaign in Japan to raise awareness about inter-ethnic tensions caused by Japanese corporations’ employment practices in America. Executive director Tomoji Ishi delivered 12 lectures to over 1,200 people and met with civil rights groups, media, and business organizations, though he found the Japanese business community not yet ready to openly discuss the issue.
• Hawaii Receives First Family to Arrive Under Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1987, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The first American family to arrive in Hawaii under the 1987 Amerasian Homecoming Act landed in Honolulu, including siblings Han Thanh Thuy and Xuan and their mother after waiting 10 months in a Philippines holding camp. An accompanying editorial explains that an estimated 8,000-15,000 Amerasians are eligible to resettle in the U.S. under the act before the March 1990 deadline.
• Textbook Publishers in Japan ‘Unhappy’, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Social studies textbooks in Japan undergo far more revisions than other subjects, with the Ministry of Education averaging 117 rewriting and 237 improvement instructions per year to publishers, according to the Japan Federation of Publishing Workers’ Union.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Miscalculation May Cost Canadian Gov’t $63 Million, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A miscount of Japanese Canadians eligible for redress may cost Ottawa $63 million more than budgeted after applications exceeded expectations by 3,000. The federal program pays $21,000 per person, and officials are reviewing census figures used to estimate survivors.

JACL

• JACL-LEC Members Add Support to Inouye’s Redress Entitlement, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL-LEC board members endorsed Sen. Daniel Inouye’s plan to make redress funding an entitlement program for FY1991 after the Senate voted no funds for FY1990. Grant Ujifusa and Cressey Nakagawa explained the plan’s financial mechanics and the political hurdles still facing it in Congress.
• Seattle JACLers Enlist Aid of Sen. Adams, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Brock Adams pledged continued support for redress funding to Pacific Northwest JACL members following a Senate appropriations subcommittee markup. Local JACLers also met with Sen. Slade Gorton and Rep. Norm Dicks to seek support for increased redress appropriations.
• San Jose JACL to Sponsor a Student for the 1990 Presidential Classroom Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Jose JACL Chapter will again sponsor one student to attend the 1990 Presidential Classroom for Young Americans in Washington, D.C. Applicants must be high school juniors or seniors with a 3.0 GPA and be of Japanese descent with current or future chapter membership.
• Downtown L.A. JACL Celebrating 60th Year By Raising Funds for Future Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Downtown Los Angeles JACL Chapter is marking its 60th anniversary with a fundraising dinner at the Biltmore Hotel to benefit a scholarship for a Ninth Street Elementary School student. The chapter traces its history back to 1929 and has had numerous notable leaders, including founding president Masao Igasaki, whose grandson Paul Igasaki is now JACL’s Washington representative.
• 1000 Clubbers Gear for 1990 Convention Whing Ding in S.D., by P.C. Staff, page 8. Participants of the 1971 1000 Club Whing Ding trip to Japan will hold a reunion during the 1990 National JACL convention in San Diego, featuring a photo contest. Organizers from Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia are planning delegations and skits.

Arts & Entertainment

• Dance Group Receives Grants for ‘Trilogy’, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The June Watanabe Dance Company received three grants, including from the NEA and Zellerbach Family Fund, to support creation of a broadcast tape and related work on its piece ‘Trilogy,’ which includes a section titled ‘E.O. 9066.’
• Four Nikkei Artists: ‘From Bleakness…’ Exhibit on Display in NYC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An exhibit featuring works by four Japanese American artists created while interned during WWII—Miné Okubo, Henry Sugimoto, Byron Takashi Tsuzuki and Koho Yamamoto—opened in New York. The exhibit includes camp-made artifacts on loan from the Japanese American National Museum and is accompanied by film screenings and a symposium on internment and redress.
• ’84 Nisei Week Queen Tomita Lands Role in ‘Come See the Paradise’, by Rafu Shimpo, page 2. Tamlyn Tomita, 1984 Nisei Week Queen and Karate Kid II actress, has landed the lead role opposite Dennis Quaid in Alan Parker’s film Come See the Paradise. The film is a love story set during WWII-era Japanese American internment, with all Japanese American roles played by Japanese American actors.
• Lise Yasui’s ‘Family Gathering’ Airing Oct. 17, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Filmmaker Lise Yasui’s documentary A Family Gathering, expanded to an hour for PBS’s The American Experience, traces her family’s history from her grandfather Masuo Yasui’s 1903 arrival in Hood River, Oregon through his wartime incarceration and the family secret it took her father 28 years to reveal. The original half-hour version was nominated for a 1988 Academy Award.

Community

• BCA Women’s Federation Meeting in Fresno, Oct. 6-8, by P.C. Staff, page 2. About 900 Buddhist women are expected to attend the Buddhist Churches of America Federation of Buddhist Women’s Associations Conference in Fresno. The event will feature keynote speakers Rev. Gishin Sannomiya and Ruth Tabrah, plus tours and a golf tournament.
• ‘Sansei Live’ Rounds Up a Galaxy of Stars, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kimochi, Inc. will present its 6th Annual Sansei Live! fundraiser in San Francisco featuring actors Mako and George Takei, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, and multiple musical acts. Proceeds support social and health care services for the Bay Area’s Japanese American elderly.
• Japan Paper Mill Chooses Stockton as U.S. Site, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Port of Stockton was chosen as the site for a $200 million paper mill by Daishowa America Co., touted as the largest construction project in San Joaquin county history. The container-board mill will use 100% recycled material and be located on 145 leased acres along the San Joaquin River.
• NJAHS Fundraiser Picnic a Success, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Over 600 members and friends of the National Japanese American Historical Society attended its fourth annual fundraiser picnic in Mt. Eden, featuring a video on Japanese American women, a sneak preview of a new photo exhibit on detention camps, and performances. The event netted $10,000, partly earmarked for an upcoming women’s exhibit at the Oakland Museum.
• ‘People’s Law School’ Offered in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Asian Bar Association of Washington will host a People’s Law School in Seattle’s International District, offering sessions on courts, lawmaking, divorce, consumer rights and more. The seven-week program runs Tuesday evenings starting Oct. 17 and costs $20.
• Oct. 21 Date for Little Tokyo Library Auction, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Friends of the Little Tokyo Branch Library will hold its Annual Benefit Auction Luncheon on Oct. 21, featuring ceramic works, objets d’art and antiques. Proceeds will support the newly-opened Little Tokyo Branch Library.
• JACCC’s AutumnFest Auction Fundraiser Merchandise Includes a Toyota Lexus, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s AutumnFest auction will feature a Toyota Lexus along with items from numerous donors including Mikasa China, the L.A. Lakers, and various artists. Proceeds support the JACCC’s efforts to present Asian American artists in the community.
• BCA Disburses Funds to Needy Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Buddhist Churches of America has donated over $250,000 since 1982 through its Thanksgiving Offering drive, disbursing funds to organizations including the Asian Health Project, Hartford Street Zen Center, and Japanese American Service Committee. Bishop Seigen Yamaoka and the Social Welfare Committee oversee the screening and recommendation process.

Commentary

• A Footnote on Heart Mountain, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial discusses efforts led by Bacon Sakatani to add historical context about redress and the full evacuee perspective to markers at the Heart Mountain campsite following a camp reunion in Reno. The piece argues the current memorial plaques, while well-intentioned, give a misleadingly rosy impression of camp life and omit the redress story.
• Iwata’s Efforts Bear Fruit, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa’s column describes the 25-year effort by Masakazu Iwata to complete a manuscript on the history of Issei in American agriculture, titled Planted in Good Soil. Hosokawa praises the forthcoming two-volume work for its readability and its tribute to Issei farmers’ struggles and triumphs.
• Iroiro Update, by George Johnston, page 4. George Johnston’s column covers several miscellaneous topics: a positive update on the Karate Kid cartoon’s handling of Asian stereotypes after his earlier feedback, his disappointment over a basketball injury ending his playing days, and an apology for delayed correspondence. He also notes the P.C. office’s ongoing computer problems affecting subscriber delivery.
• Joyful Train, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani reflects on Japan’s luxurious ‘Joyful Trains’ and his own hazy memories of train journeys, including being unable to recall the train ride to internment camp as a child. He recounts subsequent train trips during his Army service and visits to Japan, including the Shinkansen.
• America’s Three Victories in World War Two, by Takashi Atoda, page 5. Japanese novelist Takashi Atoda reflects on Japan’s wartime defeat and argues that America’s moral superiority was perhaps the most significant of three American ‘victories.’ He contends the U.S. remains the most capable nation to lead the world due to its willingness to sacrifice self-interest for justice and freedom, unlike France, Russia, China or Japan.
• Cry of the Heart, by B.J.T. Suyama, page 5. A letter to the editor responds to a prior piece by Mr. Kochiyama about WWII draft resisters, describing their suffering after resisting the draft at Heart Mountain and their demand for a JACL apology. The writer argues Nisei are grateful to the resisters for taking pressure off others in 1943.
• Mother Agrees with Houston, by Marie Ochi-Jacobs, page 5. A letter writer, a Japanese American mother of Eurasian sons, shares her experiences with racial assumptions and slurs, agreeing with a prior column by Velina Hasu Houston. She expresses hope that her mixed-heritage children will become part of a wiser, kinder generation.
• Brilliant and Witty, by Martha Kaihatsu, page 5. A short letter praises the addition of columnist Naomi Kashiwabara, recalling working with him at the Rafu Shimpo English Section and remembering him as a brilliant and funny person.
• Redress in Japanese, by Allan Beekman, page 5. A letter responds to an earlier East Wind column asking for the Japanese word for redress, praising Andrew Nelson’s Japanese-English character dictionary as an essential tool for students of Japanese. The writer notes the Hawaii Hochi gives the word for redress as hoshokin.

In-Depth

• A Little Kindness Paid Back… With Interest, by Jin Konomi, page 5. This Moshi Moshi column tells how Dr. Ernest Shiro Takahashi’s chance 1960 encounter with a bewildered Japanese visitor, Fumio Mori, led to decades of unpaid volunteer service to Japan’s optometric industry. Takahashi was honored twice by the Japanese government in 1989 for his unique, selfless contributions benefiting Japan rather than the U.S.

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