Vol. 110, No. 19, May 18, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue
U.S.-Japan trade negotiations led this eight-page issue. Yosh Tamura reviewed the April 1990 agreements on Super 301 items and the Structural Impediments Initiative, and previewed a workshop on the subject at the JACL National Convention in San Diego. Also on the front page, Alvina Lew reported on a Caltech rally of more than 75 supporters demanding tenure for Dr. Mark Tanouye. The JACL Legacy Fund drew a critical letter from Denny Yasuhara, and Bill Yoshino marked ten years of the JACL Sweepstakes.
Much of the issue looked back at wartime camp life. An editorial discussed the dedication of the Minidoka memorial in Idaho. A report on Dr. Gordon Sato’s Manzanar Project in Eritrea explained how the name honored Japanese American history. The paper also covered the death of Jerome camp artist Henry Sugimoto, a Rohwer reunion and redress payments. Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani wrote columns on page 4.
What’s in this issue
National
- Views on U.S.-Japan Trade Negotiations to Be Exchanged at Convention Workshop, by Yosh Tamura, page 1. April 1990 saw major U.S.-Japan trade breakthroughs, including Japan’s agreement on Super 301 items like satellites, supercomputers, and wood products, plus Structural Impediments Initiative concessions. The article details reactions from U.S. officials and Japanese public opinion, and previews a panel discussion on these issues at the JACL National Convention in San Diego.
- Fujimori Cites Economic Aid Key to Drug War, page 1. Peru presidential frontrunner Alberto Fujimori argued in an interview that economic development aid, not just military and police assistance, is essential to combating the drug trade. He explained that coca growers need roads and markets for legal crops to make the switch away from coca profitable.
- Columnist Breslin Regrets Racist Remarks, page 1. Newsday columnist Jimmy Breslin apologized after a racist tirade against reporter Ji-Yeon Mary Yuh, calling her derogatory ethnic slurs after she criticized his column as sexist. Asian American groups called for his resignation, and Breslin was suspended for two weeks without pay.
Community
- Caltech Rally Demands Tenure for Prof. Tanouye, by Alvina Lew, page 1. Over 75 supporters, organized by the Greater Pasadena Area JACL, marched at Caltech demanding tenure for Dr. Mark Tanouye, who was denied tenure despite securing significant grant funding. Speakers from NAACP, APSU, and JACL called the decision a racial injustice, and a state Senate bill on minority tenure was distributed at the rally.
- Monterey Apt. Nisei Landlord Appeals Whopping $9,750 Water Bill, page 2. Terry Miyamoto of Seaside faced a staggering $9,750 water bill due to California’s ongoing drought and rationing rules tied to a single meter serving her apartment building’s seven tenants. Officials suspect overcrowding by undocumented residents afraid to complete water census forms, while the water utility seeks rate hikes to offset declining sales.
- Rohwer Reunion Banquet for July 20 Sold Out, But Many Still Coming, page 2. The first Rohwer camp reunion banquet at the Stouffer Concourse Hotel sold out since February, but organizers say many attendees are still traveling to Los Angeles for the broader weekend event. The reunion will include a golf tournament and a photo exhibit with a slide show by Stone Ishimaru.
- Prewar San Gabriel Valley Reunion Slated Sept. 1, page 2. The second prewar San Gabriel Valley Reunion will be held September 1 at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center, following a 1987 reunion that attracted 500 people. Registration fees vary by deadline, with free admission for prewar residents 80 and older, and a golf tournament is also planned.
- Labor Activist’s Papers Donated to UCLA Library, page 3. Longtime labor activist Karl Yoneda donated a 32-box archival collection of pre-WWII Japanese immigrant labor and leftist movement documents to UCLA’s Japanese American Research Project. The collection includes materials about his wife Elaine Black, their internment at Manzanar, and postwar redress campaign activities.
- Sacramento JACL Wants Office Coordinator, page 3. The Sacramento JACL chapter board is seeking a part-time office coordinator to succeed volunteer Tom Okubo, who resigned due to personal business. The position requires 12 to 15 hours per week.
- JCYC to Celebrate 20th Anniversary, Five Distinguished Awards to Be Presented, page 3. The Japanese Community Youth Council will celebrate its 20th anniversary at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, honoring Congressman Robert Matsui, JACL leaders Cressey Nakagawa and Jerry Enomoto, attorney Daro Inouye, and poet Janice Mirikitani. The event features music by jazz/fusion band Hiroshima and singer Colette Ikemi, celebrating JCYC’s history of youth programs since its 1970 incorporation.
- Deukmejian Proclaims Asian/Pac Islander Month, page 5. California Governor George Deukmejian signed a proclamation declaring May as Asian/Pacific Islander Month in the state. He referred to Asian Pacific Americans as ‘exceptional citizens’ and paid tribute to their heritage and contributions.
Arts & Entertainment
- ‘Come See the Paradise’ a Hit at Cannes Festival, page 1. Alan Parker’s film about Japanese Americans during World War II premiered at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival to divided critical reception but strong festival-goer response. The film, starring Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita, deals with interracial marriage and internment and will be released in the U.S. later this year.
- Asian Pacific American International Film Festival to Present New Works, page 5. The Asian Pacific American International Film Festival at UCLA’s Melnitz Theater, running May 12-27, celebrates the 20th anniversary of Visual Communications and showcases works examining Asian American cinema’s roots and future. Featured films include Steven Okazaki’s ‘Days of Waiting,’ Arthur Dong’s ‘Forbidden City, U.S.A.,’ and local filmmaker Susan Inouye’s award-winning ‘Solo.’
JACL
- Mile-Hi JACL’s Horiuchi to Meet with Colorado Revenue Officials, page 1. A Colorado Department of Revenue letter incorrectly suggested redress payments would count toward state assistance eligibility, prompting concern from Mile High Chapter redress chair Bob Horiuchi. He clarified that a 1989 bill signed by Governor Roy Romer, achieved through JACL’s efforts, already excludes such restitution payments from financial determinations for state programs.
- JACL Joins in White House Event for Asian Americans, page 1. President George Bush proclaimed Asian Pacific Heritage Month 1990 at a White House Rose Garden ceremony attended by JACL Washington Representative Paul Igasaki. Bush praised Senator Spark Matsunaga’s role in creating the observance and predicted growing Asian Pacific American political leadership.
- Convention Extends Early Bird Rate, page 1. The San Diego JACL Convention Planning Committee extended the early bird registration rate deadline to June 16 for the National Convention. Convention chair Robert Ito explained that packages like the six-day $165 rate will remain available until that date, with regular rates applying afterward.
- JACL Legacy Trust Fund: ’50-35-15%’ Allocation Proposal, by Denny Yasuhara, page 5. Former Pacific Northwest District Governor Denny Yasuhara criticizes the JACL National Ways and Means Committee’s proposed Legacy Trust Fund for allocating too little money to local chapters, originally just 10 percent. He proposes an alternative 50-35-15 split favoring National JACL, chapters, and the Pacific Citizen respectively, and argues chapters should reject the plan unless revised with proper input and accountability.
Incarceration & Redress
- WRA Camp Artist Henry Sugimoto, 90, Dies, page 1. Wakayama-born watercolor artist Henry Y. Sugimoto died May 8 at age 90. His paintings depicting WWII camp experiences at Jerome, created on grain and sugar bags and bedsheets, captured the agony and anxiety of evacuees.
- Her Redress Money Going to Pay for Climbing Property Tax for Home, page 2. Shizu Heau, 72, interned at Gila River during WWII, plans to use her upcoming $20,000 redress payment to cover rising property taxes on her Kahala, Honolulu home. Despite the temptation to sell amid rising real estate speculation, she prefers to stay near the school where she taught.
In-Depth
- ‘Manzanar Project’ in Ethiopia Started as Fish Farm off Red Sea, page 3. Dr. Gordon Sato named a fish farming project in Eritrea the ‘Manzanar Project’ to honor the memory of Japanese American WWII internment while helping feed starving, war-torn Eritreans. The project, funded partly by Shingo Nomura, teaches local farmers to raise mullet, milkfish, crab and shrimp using ponds, cages, and natural bays along the Red Sea.
Commentary
- The Gate at Minidoka, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial discusses the upcoming dedication of the Minidoka Relocation Center Memorial in Idaho, noting the significant fading of bitterness as the site is described with softened language rather than terms like ‘concentration camp.’ It highlights that the monument’s sponsors, mostly not directly affected by the internment, demonstrate their sensitivity to the historical shame of the Evacuation.
- Foremost Convention Fundraiser, by Bill Yoshino, page 4. The JACL National Director’s Report marks the 10th anniversary of the JACL Sweepstakes fundraiser, explaining its importance in supporting the organization’s civil rights mission amid continued societal intolerance. The 1990 campaign offers a $5,000 grand prize and ten $1,000 prizes, with $20,500 in contributions acknowledged against an $18,000 break-even goal.
- What’s So Real About the ‘Ninja’ in a Movie Reel, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Columnist Bill Hosokawa recounts taking his grandchildren to see ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ describing the plot and providing background on the historical ninja tradition of feudal Japan. He notes his grandson’s unimpressed reaction to the film despite its fight scenes and popularity.
- Dokkoi-Sho!, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani reflects on his spontaneous use of the Japanese exclamation ‘dokkoi-sho’ while pushing a broken lawn tractor up a ramp, prompting him to research its meaning in a Japanese dictionary. He explores the term’s connection to ‘kake-goe,’ shouts of encouragement, and childhood memories of hearing Issei use similar phrases.
Obituaries
- Mitsue Onizuka, 76, Mother of Astronaut Ellison Onizuka, Dies, page 6. Mitsue Onizuka, 76, of Keopu, Hawaii, died March 14 of a stroke and brain hemorrhage. She was the mother of the late astronaut Ellison Onizuka and is survived by her son Claude.
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