Vol. 118, No. 21, June 3, 1994. 8 pages. View this issue
The JACL National Board voted unanimously on May 22 to hold a plenary session at the Salt Lake City convention to review and discuss the Lim Report, as Gwen Muranaka reported. PSW Governor Ruth Mizobe proposed the motion, and a story on page 3 followed the divided opinions among board members, including Lillian Kimura and Toaru Ishiyama. Also on the front page: the Legacy Fund grant criteria, a health care reform item for the convention agenda, and Harry K. Honda on the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who landed in Naples four days before Normandy.
Inside are Bill Hosokawa on editing, Bill Marutani on Japanese family names, and Dean Webine on the student relocation council. Mei Nakano walked through Walnut Grove and Locke. Alan Dash previewed a U.S.-Japan relations workshop, and the dedication of the Key Kobayashi Baseball Field in Virginia is covered on page 5.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- JACL National Board Votes for Plenary Session on Lim Report at Salt Lake Convention, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. The National Board voted unanimously on May 22 to hold a plenary session at the national convention in Salt Lake City to review and discuss the Lim Report. PSW Governor Ruth Mizobe proposed the motion to educate members and dispel rumors of a cover-up regarding the report on JACL’s activities during the pre-evacuation and internment period.
- Legacy Fund Grant Criteria Re-evaluated, page 1. Grayce Uyehara, chair of the JACL Legacy Fund Campaign Committee, reported on the group’s May 11 teleconference discussing grants selection criteria for chapters. The committee debated eligibility requirements, reward factors for successful fund-raising, and additions to the one-year grant selection criteria including a minimum fundraising threshold.
- Health Care Reform Set on Convention Agenda, page 1. Toaru Ishiyama, chair of the JACL health care reform task force, presented recommendations to the National Board on May 21, urging JACL to make health care reform a major priority. The committee did not endorse any single proposal but outlined priorities including coalition-building with Asian American health groups and monitoring impacts on JACL-Blue Shield membership.
- Legacy Fund Committee Discusses Deferred Giving, Golf Tournament, and Donor Wall, page 3. The Legacy Fund Campaign Committee reviewed a draft deferred/planned giving brochure, discussed a golf tournament fundraiser at the Salt Lake convention, and heard updates on a proposed donor wall. The committee also approved a $65,000 budget for administering the grants program and giving initiatives.
- Health Care Committee Debates Blue Shield, Abortion Coverage, and Universal Access, page 4. Continuing discussion on JACL’s health care reform stance, Larry Ishimoto urged support for proposals allowing choice of health carrier to protect JACL-Blue Shield membership. Other board members raised issues including abortion coverage consistency with JACL’s 1992 pro-choice resolution and Trisha Murakawa’s call for universal access without preconditions.
Military & Veterans
- For 100th/442nd, They Had Their D-Day, Too, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. While the 50th anniversary of the Normandy D-Day invasion is widely commemorated, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team had already landed in Naples four days earlier and came under fire near Anzio. The article recounts the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd’s combat history in Italy, including their role near Rome, which was downplayed in official accounts.
- Key Kobayashi Baseball Field Dedicated in Virginia, page 5. The Key Kobayashi Baseball Field was dedicated May 7 in Falls Church, Va., honoring the late longtime member of the Washington, D.C. JACL Chapter who was an international figure in Little League baseball. About 100 friends and family, including widow Kyoko Kobayashi and son Forrest, attended the ceremony with remarks from local officials.
National
- Three More Convicted in Killing of Vietnamese Student, page 1. William Madalone, Terry Jamerson, and Christopher Anderson were convicted of second-degree murder in the 1992 killing of Luyen Phan Nguyen, who was chased and beaten by a mob after being called racial slurs. Asian American organizations including JACL and NAPALC have monitored the case, with defense attorneys planning to appeal.’},{
Incarceration & Redress
- Lim Report Discussion Continues Amid Divided Opinions, page 3. JACL leaders including Lillian Kimura and Toaru Ishiyama criticized the Lim Report’s reliance on secondary and hearsay sources, while praising the honorable actions of Heart Mountain draft resisters. Board members like Trisha Murakawa and Ron Ohata debated how to structure the planned convention discussion given deep divisions within the Japanese American community.
Commentary
- U.S.-Japan Relations Workshop Planned for Salt Lake Convention, by Alan Dash, page 5. A workshop at the JACL national convention will examine how U.S.-Japan relations affect Japanese Americans, noting that tensions between the two countries often lead to increased hate crimes against Nikkei. Panelists including Steven Clemons, Glen Fukushima, Jonathan Kaji, Sheridan Tatsuno and Nancy Yoshihara will discuss the issue.
- Panelist Profile: Sheridan Tatsuno, page 5. Sheridan Tatsuno is president of Dreamscape Productions, an interactive media company, and a Yale and Harvard-educated author of books including Technopolis Strategy. He also researches at Stanford’s U.S.-Japan Technology Management Center and publishes on Asia Pacific media markets.
- Good Stories Made Better, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa recounts his early journalism career alongside Tooru Kanazawa, who published his first book at 83 and later delivered his second book, ‘Close Support,’ about the 442nd’s Cannon Company, to fellow veterans at a reunion. The column reflects on the value of editing in improving writing, quoting Norman Podhoretz on an editor’s role.
- Japanese Family Names, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Marutani explains the pronunciation rules for Japanese family names (myo-ji), noting common errors like mispronouncing Hosokawa’s name. He lists the top 10 most common Japanese surnames and compares naming conventions with other Asian cultures.
- JA Group Helped Many Achieve Education Goals, by Dean Webine, page 6. The writer describes how the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council helped nearly 4,000 Nisei leave internment camps to attend college, including his own parents who attended UC Berkeley and later University of Texas and Boston University. His parents co-founded the Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund in 1980 to continue this legacy through scholarships for Southeast Asian students.
Community
- UCLA Lecture Explores Issues Affecting the Elderly, page 5. A special lecture titled ‘Is There Life After Retirement?’ will be held at UCLA on July 12, addressing how Japanese Americans, one-fifth of whom are 65 or older, cope with aging and retirement. The event is co-sponsored by the UCLA Nikkei Bruin Committee and the UCLA Center on Aging.
In-Depth
- A Walk Through History: Walnut Grove and Locke, by Mei Nakano, page 7. Nakano recounts a visit sponsored by the National Japanese American Historical Society to the historic towns of Walnut Grove and Locke in the Sacramento Delta, exploring their Chinese and Japanese immigrant history dating to the 1870s-1900s. The piece describes the segregated communities, thriving Japantown businesses, and lasting sense of identity among former residents despite discrimination.
Obituaries
- Steve K. Orni, 36, Denver, page 8. Steve K. Orni, a former Berkeley gymnast and UC Berkeley Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a doctorate in tree seedling physiology, died March 21 in Denver. He established research emphasis at the USDA Forestry Service nursery in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and is survived by his parents and siblings.
Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.