Redress completed: the 1992 amendments and the work behind them

Vol. 115, No. 10, October 2, 1992. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress filled the front page and much of the inside. President Bush signed the Civil Liberties Act Amendments of 1992, authorizing $400 million more to complete payments and fund research and education. Dennis Hayashi of JACL, Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui, and Sen. Daniel Inouye were quoted. Karen Narasaki listed the co-sponsors and described the staff work behind passage, and Bill Hosokawa profiled White House staffer Clayton Fong. Funding for the Manzanar National Historic Site also moved ahead in conference committee.

Elsewhere, Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed the California Civil Rights Restoration Act, and JACL voiced disappointment. A Los Angeles radio host was fired over a sketch that stereotyped Japanese people. Sen. Inouye won Hawaii’s primary, and Gwen Muranaka’s column covered community honors. Readers also wrote seeking information on the Shitara sisters’ 1944 trial and a possible Alaska chapter.

What’s in this issue

National

• California Governor Vetoes Civil Rights Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed the California Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1992, which would have prohibited housing discrimination against the disabled and families with children. JACL, part of the California Civil Rights Conference coalition, expressed disappointment, noting Wilson signed a gay job rights bill the day before but vetoed this measure citing burden on small business.
• Mineta, Matsui Comment on Signing of Redress Amendments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui praised President Bush for signing the Civil Liberties Act Amendments of 1992, with Mineta noting his earlier doubts about Bush’s commitment were resolved by strong bipartisan support. Matsui said the swift passage proved that justice for wrongly interned Japanese Americans transcends partisan lines.
• L.A. Radio Host Fired for Racial Stereotyping, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. KMPC-AM radio personality Don Shaw was fired after a comedy sketch featuring a mock interview with a Japanese person was deemed offensive to Japanese Americans and reported to MANAA. Station president Bill Ward apologized for the broadcast, while also citing other recent radio incidents involving Asian stereotypes on KLOS and KPWR.
• Redress Amendments Co-sponsors Listed, by Karen Narasaki, page 4. Because the redress bill went through an expedited voting process without recorded votes, JACL’s Washington representative Karen Narasaki compiled the final list of Senate and House co-sponsors of the Civil Liberties Act Amendments. The article lists all named co-sponsors from both chambers.
• Scenes Behind the Redress Campaign, by Karen Narasaki, page 4. Karen Narasaki details the behind-the-scenes legislative maneuvering that led to passage of the redress amendments, crediting congressional staff including Chris Strobel, Marie Blanco, and Paul Cardus for navigating budget hurdles and procedural obstacles. She also credits administration officials Patricia Saiki and Clayton Fong for pressuring OMB to resolve budget issues threatening the bill’s passage.

Incarceration & Redress

• Manzanar Funding Bill Up for Final Vote, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A House-Senate conference committee approved funding for the Manzanar National Historic Site memorial. Rose Matsui Ochi, Manzanar Committee legal counsel, called the funding a commitment by the U.S. government to commemorate the Japanese American internment experience.
• Bush’s Signature Completes ’88 Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Bush signed H.R. 4551, the Civil Liberties Act Amendments of 1992, authorizing an additional $400 million to complete redress payments and fund historical research and education programs. Dennis Hayashi of JACL said the signing vindicated the constitutional rights of Japanese Americans interned 50 years ago, crediting Sen. Daniel Inouye and Rep. Norman Mineta for their leadership.

Community

• Sen. Inouye Wins Primary in Landslide, by Allan Beekman, page 3. Sen. Daniel Inouye won a landslide victory over Democratic challenger Wayne Nishiki in Hawaii’s Sept. 19 primary and will face Rick Reed in the November general election. The article also details results in other Hawaii races including U.S. House, Honolulu mayor, Big Island mayor, and state legislature contests involving Nikkei candidates.
• San Francisco Chapter Promotes Hirabayashi Video, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Francisco JACL Chapter is promoting an educational video, ‘A Personal Matter: Gordon Hirabayashi vs. the United States,’ about the constitutional violations experienced by Japanese Americans during WWII. The chapter negotiated a discounted price of $50 for schools and is serving as the primary contact for orders using Legacy Fund allocations to subsidize shipping.
• Personally Speaking, by Gwen Muranaka, page 5. This column highlights community news including Michael Woo’s mayoral campaign announcement, scholarship winners Scott Murano and Lori Uchiyama, honors for William Ouchi and John Naka, and photographer Dean Tokuno’s tribute to his grandfather. It also covers Olympic judoist Sandy Bacher and basketball coach Wendell Yoshida’s achievements.
• Judge, Museum Director to Be Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Joyce L. Kennard, the first Asian American woman on the California State Supreme Court, and Irene Hirano, executive director of the Japanese American National Museum, will be among 10 women honored by Robinson’s department store for community contributions. The recognition ceremony takes place Oct. 8 in Los Angeles.

Arts & Entertainment

• PBS 10-Part Series on Asia Begins Oct. 15, by P.C. Staff, page 3. PBS will air ‘The Pacific Century,’ a 10-part documentary series examining 150 years of history and America’s ties to the Asian-Pacific region, beginning Oct. 15. The series, also offered as a college-level video course, includes an episode titled ‘Reinventing Japan’ focusing on U.S.-Japan relations after World War II.

JACL

• Nikkei Conference Highlights Education, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Future of the Nikkei Community conference on Oct. 10 at the Biltmore Hotel will feature two workshops on educational issues. Speakers include teacher Katsuda, Esther Taira, and educator Kikuko Nishi.

Commentary

• The Part He Played, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa profiles Clayton Fong, a Chinese American White House staffer who played a behind-the-scenes role in securing redress funding by educating colleagues about the Japanese American internment and issuing a letter affirming administration support. Fong’s own family history as children of Chinese immigrants gave him empathy for the redress cause.
• Foreign Women Lawyers in Japan, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Bill Marutani discusses the growing number of foreign women lawyers—estimated at 80—working in Japan, who recently formed the Foreign Women Lawyers Association. He notes their varied roles, generally positive treatment, and their interest in addressing age and sex discrimination in Japanese hiring practices.
• Wants to Make Alaska Connection, by Paul S. Seko, page 6. A reader from Albuquerque, New Mexico, writes seeking the mailing address of Sylvia Kobayashi of Anchorage, Alaska, who had expressed hope for starting a JACL chapter there. He plans to visit Anchorage in late October and bring greetings from the New Mexico chapter.
• Seeks Research on Shitara Sisters, by Rumiko Nishino, page 6. A researcher is investigating the 1944 treason trial of the Shitara sisters in Denver and seeks information about what happened to them after serving their sentences. She requests contact from anyone with information about Tsuruko Wallace, Florence Otani, and Billie Shitara Tanigoshi.

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