Bruce Yamashita’s commission and the JACL’s Pacific Citizen dispute

Vol. 118, No. 2, January 21, 1994. 12 pages. View this issue

Bruce Yamashita led the news after he accepted a Pentagon offer of a U.S. Marine Corps captain’s commission. Gwen Muranaka reported his view that his personal fight was over but the constitutional one continued. The same issue carried a quarter-century of letters and columns on the dispute between the Pacific Citizen and National JACL, including a call by Karl K. Nobuyuki and Dr. Roy Nishikawa for an accountability commission. Peter Harris wrote on conciliation within JACL, and readers weighed in on the removal of board chair Paul Shinkawa.

Also inside: coverage of the January 17 Los Angeles earthquake and the firebombing case in Sacramento, Rep. Robert T. Matsui’s request that the Justice Department look at radiation experiments during the World War II incarceration (often called internment), and Gordon Hirabayashi’s coming talk in Florin. Bill Hosokawa wrote on matsutake mushrooms, and Harry K. Honda on Japanese immigration to Chiapas, Mexico.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Yamashita Views Days Ahead as Marine Captain, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. Bruce Yamashita, recently offered a Pentagon proposal for a U.S. Marine Corps captain commission, says his personal fight is over but the constitutional fight for equality in the Marine Corps continues. He plans to pursue a public commissioning ceremony and may go to the Board for Correction of Naval Records or federal court to address the broader issue of racism in the military.
• Names of JA Killed-in-Action Sought by San Gabriel, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center is seeking help identifying Japanese Americans from the area killed in action during WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The center plans to honor these Nikkei with a memorial plaque and currently has nine names.

JACL

• Yamashita to Speak at JACL Events, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bruce Yamashita will speak at the Honolulu Chapter JACL membership luncheon on Jan. 23 and at the JACL National Youth Council conference in San Francisco on Feb. 5. Details on registration costs and contacts are provided for both events.
• JACL Youth Event Set for Feb. 4-5, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Youth Council announced registration is open for its Feb. 4-5, 1994 National Youth Conference, “People Envisioning Tomorrow,” at the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco. The conference will address issues like media images of Asians, hate crimes, AIDS awareness, and political empowerment, featuring speaker Bruce Yamashita.
• NCWNP Elects 1994 Officers, Adopts Motions, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District elected new officers including Lucy Kishiue as district governor and passed resolutions opposing anti-immigrant legislation and urging an end to the Pacific Citizen controversy debate. The district also approved a $1,000 donation to the Sacramento JACL Recovery Fund.
• Eden Announces 1994 Officers, Board, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Eden Township Chapter JACL installed its 1994 officers and board members, led by president Victor Fujii, with National JACL Director Randy Senzaki as installing officer. Guest speaker Judy Sakaki, special assistant to President Clinton on Educational Equity, addressed the installation dinner.

National

• Earthquake May Cause Delays in PC Delivery, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Jan. 17 earthquake in Los Angeles may delay printing or mailing of the Pacific Citizen, though the paper sustained no damage and met its deadline. The 6.6 quake caused at least 33 deaths and about $7 billion in damage, with chapter leaders reporting damage to homes and buildings in the affected area.
• Firebombing Suspect to Be Tried as Adult in Sacramento, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Campos, 18, will be tried as an adult for firebombings targeting a synagogue and offices including the Sacramento JACL chapter, NAACP, and a city councilman’s home. Campos, who claims to be a white separatist, could face life in prison if convicted, and JACL members are monitoring the case amid concerns other suspects may be involved.
• Blacks Have Tough Time in Texas, Too, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal officials moved four African American families into an all-white housing project in Vidor, Texas, a town known for Ku Klux Klan activity, after seizing the project from local authorities for failing to desegregate. The move follows the death of the project’s last Black resident, who was shot in an unrelated incident after leaving due to hostility.
• Glenn Sugiyama Is Chicago Congressional Candidate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chicago businessman and Democrat Glenn Sugiyama, 35, a Yonsei, is running for the U.S. House in Illinois’ ninth Congressional district against longtime incumbent Sidney Yates. Sugiyama previously ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 1992 and became CEO of a steakhouse chain after working in restaurants.
• Wards Cove Interest Exemption From Civil Rights Law Continues, Says JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to apply the Civil Rights Act of 1991 to an employment discrimination case affecting over 2,000 Asian Pacific American and Native Alaskan workers in Antonio v. Wards Cove Packing Co. JACL, OCA, and other groups expressed disappointment and called on Congress to pass the
• Investigation Into Radiation Should Include Internment, Says Matsui, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Rep. Robert T. Matsui asked Attorney General Janet Reno to expand the Justice Department’s investigation into radiation experiments to include a review of activities at Japanese internment camps during WWII. Matsui is seeking to determine if any radiation experiments were conducted on internees between 1942 and 1946.
• JACL, OCA Join Fight to Challenge Maryland Hate Crime Law, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL and the Organization of Chinese Americans joined the Anti-Defamation League in filing an amicus brief in Ayers v. Maryland, defending the constitutionality of Maryland’s hate crime statute. The case involves a defendant convicted under the law after assaulting an African American woman, with Maryland reporting significant increases in hate-motivated crimes.
• Anti-Smoking Program for Asian Pacifics May Be in Jeopardy, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Anti-smoking campaigns targeting the Asian Pacific community are at risk as Proposition 99, which funds California’s tobacco control programs, comes up for legislative re-authorization. Former assemblyman Bruce Bronzan warned health educators at a statewide conference that they need to lobby legislators to preserve the funding.
• AP Group to Provide Education on Immigration, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center received a U.S. Justice Department grant to conduct educational outreach on immigration-related employment discrimination in the Asian Pacific community. The outreach addresses concerns that some employers refuse to hire people who look or sound foreign under the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Community

• Chinese Street Signs Created in Houston, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chinese-language street signs were added in a Houston area dubbed “Little Asia” at the request of the Taiwanese and Chinese Chamber of Commerce, costing taxpayers $1,360. Some residents like Jerry Weber objected to not being consulted, while supporters said the signs help non-English-speaking newcomers.
• Seabrook Gets Grant to Tell Its Story Through Videotape, by Ellen Nakamura, page 4. The Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center received a $10,000 grant from the New Jersey Committee for the Humanities to create a videotape telling the Seabrook Village story, to be shown Oct. 8, 1994, the 50th anniversary of Japanese Americans’ arrival there. A
• Personally Speaking, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This roundup covers Japanese American community members’ achievements, including Dennis Sato’s appointment to the Marin County Human Rights Commission, Richard K. Tanaka’s election to a community college board, and Leland Nomura being named Illinois Minority Small Business Person of the Year. Jay Fukushima was also appointed to a White House Conference on Small Business task force.
• Pace of Violence in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Mieko Yoshihama, a UCLA doctoral candidate, spoke at a West Los Angeles Auxiliary dinner about her 1992 survey on domestic violence against women in Japan, revealing under-reported hitting, humiliation, and neglect. Yoshihama has counseled women and children at several counseling centers in the Los Angeles area.
• Gallery to Present JA History in Imperial Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Japanese American Gallery, under construction at Pioneer’s Park Museum near El Centro, Calif., will open in early 1994 to document the history of Japanese Americans in the Imperial Valley. The exhibit will include original artifacts and photos showing Issei immigrants’ role in the area’s agricultural development.
• Sacramento TV Station Gets Free Offer to Air Ethnic Programming, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Multi-cultural station KTSF-TV, dropped by Sac Cable amid protests, offered the cable company a free lineup of shows in Japanese, Cantonese, Italian, Mandarin and other languages. A coalition pushing for multicultural cable programming hopes the offer will be accepted as an interim solution.

Incarceration & Redress

• Gordon Hirabayashi to Speak at Florin, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Gordon Hirabayashi, who challenged the legality of Japanese American internment, will speak at the Florin Chapter JACL’s 12th annual “Time of Remembrance” event on Feb. 5. The event also includes a historical exhibit and an educators workshop sponsored by the Elk Grove Unified School District.
• Hoosier Chapter to Present Photo Exhibit on Internment, by Charles Matsumoto, page 4. The Hoosier Chapter JACL, with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, will present “Children of the Detention Camps,” a photo exhibit depicting the internment experience through children’s eyes, marking the first showing outside California. Dr. Donna Nagata will give a keynote address on the intergenerational impact of internment on Sansei descendants.

Commentary

• A Mushrooming Problem, by Bill Hosokawa, page 7. Hosokawa discusses a Smithsonian Magazine article detailing how demand for matsutake mushrooms in Japan has turned a once-genteel hobby into a competitive, sometimes violent industry in Pacific Northwest forests. He notes tension between Southeast Asian immigrant commercial pickers and amateur enthusiasts, and laments how commercialization begun by Issei and Nisei has led to environmental damage and conflict.
• Shinzo-mahi, by Bill Marutani, page 7. Marutani recounts his personal experience of an unexpected heart attack and subsequent open-heart bypass surgery despite seemingly normal checkups. He reflects on dietary habits and the Issei term “shinzo-mahi” (cardiac paralysis), urging readers to take care of their health.
• Shinkawa Should Not Have Been Removed, Says Reader, page 7. A letter writer criticizes the removal of PC Board Chair Paul Shinkawa following debate about freedom of the press at the National Board Meeting. The writer calls for Shinkawa’s immediate reinstatement.
• PC Conflict Is Overblown; Lim Report Is Key Issue, page 7. A letter writer argues the ongoing PC-National JACL controversy is overblown compared to the more significant but under-examined 1990 Lim Report, which was condensed from 140 to 25 pages with limited scrutiny. The writer questions whether the Pacific Citizen will move past trivial issues to examine deeper organizational truths.
• Remembering King’s Legacy, by Jimmy Tokeshi, page 8. Tokeshi reflects on Martin Luther King Jr. Day amid rising violence in American society, citing statistics on hate crimes, homicides, and racial conflict in 1993. He calls for renewed commitment to King’s principles of civil rights, justice, and nonviolence as the community faces ongoing challenges in 1994.
• Second the Motion: Let a Commission Review JACL Accountability, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 8. Nishikawa supports former National JACL Director Karl Nobuyuki’s proposal for an independent “accountability commission” to address trust and credibility issues within JACL. He suggests several respected JACL figures who could serve on such a commission and warns that without action before the national convention, internal conflicts could worsen.
• 1994 — Once More Unto the Breach, by Karl K. Nobuyuki, page 8. Nobuyuki responds to reader questions about his views on JACL, the Pacific Citizen’s independence, and personal background including his career and family. He expresses optimism about JACL’s future despite internal challenges, referencing his own hobbies and past JACL personalities he admired.
• D.C. Statehood Supporters Celebrate, by Karen Narasaki, page 9. Narasaki describes the House debate over D.C. statehood, noting that opposition came overwhelmingly from white male representatives while a diverse coalition supported the measure as a civil rights issue. She also outlines internship and career opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans in Washington, D.C., including White House, congressional, and Smithsonian programs.
• The Anti-Matter Bomb, by Jin Konomi, page 9. Konomi describes an ambitious Japanese government project to develop an anti-matter bomb capable of destroying asteroids that threaten Earth, led by Dr. Kurimoto Kyoichi. The column explains the theoretical physics behind anti-matter and the technological challenges involved in creating such a weapon for peaceful purposes.
• Conciliation, Cooperation—and the Japanese Character, by Peter Harris, page 9. Harris criticizes the animosity surrounding the Pacific Citizen controversy within JACL, arguing that traditional Japanese conciliatory practices like nemawashi are being abandoned in favor of personal attacks. He also discusses stereotypes and Japanese Americans’ complicated relationship with criticizing Japan’s business and government practices.
• Correction on Marutani Column on Kochiyama, by Chester Tanaka, page 10. A 100/442nd Regimental Combat Team historian corrects details from a previous Marutani column about his wartime experiences alongside William Kochiyama near Luciano, Italy. He describes the events of being pinned down by artillery fire and both being wounded.
• Praise for Kochiyama From One Who Knew Him, by Bill Rishe, page 10. A reader recalls meeting Bill Kochiyama and his wife Mary at the 1963 March on Washington and reflects on witnessing love in the Kochiyama household despite the chaos of visitors. The letter praises Kochiyama’s character and legacy.
• ‘Bottom-Up’ Process Needed, Says Chapter President, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The San Fernando Valley Chapter JACL president contrasts the successful grassroots Redress movement with the top-down failure of the Rising Sun film controversy. He argues JACL must maintain a bottom-up process connecting leadership to membership to remain effective.
• Let’s Get Over Emotion of Word ‘Jap’, by A. Zuintus Sahat, page 10. The writer argues that the term “Jap” should be reclaimed and drained of its negative emotional content, proposing it as an acronym for “Japanese American People.” The letter compares this to the evolution of terms like “African American.”
• Let’s Get Over Racial/Ethnic Tensions by Putting American First, page 10. A letter writer argues that using “American” before ethnic identifiers would reduce stereotyping and division, sharing personal experiences of discrimination despite being born and raised in the U.S. and interned during WWII. The writer suggests JACL change its name to reflect this American-first approach.

In-Depth

• ‘Chiapas’ — With a PANA Connection, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. Honda writes about the history of Japanese immigration to Chiapas, Mexico, beginning in 1897 with the ill-fated coffee colony founded by Count Takeaki Enomoto. He recounts the struggles of early Issei immigrants and notes the upcoming 1997 PANA convention marking the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Mexico.

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