Norman Mineta leaves Congress: reactions and the redress legacy

Vol. 121, No. 6, September 15, 1995. 12 pages. View this issue

Norman Mineta’s resignation from Congress after more than 20 years to join Lockheed Martin ran through much of this 12-page issue. Gwen Muranaka reported the news and gathered reactions from JACL members and leaders, including Carl Fujita, Etsu Masaoka and Jerry Enomoto, and Rep. Robert Matsui called it a great loss. A timeline traced Mineta’s path from Santa Anita and Heart Mountain to his role in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and Bill Hosokawa asked who would follow him in national politics.

Elsewhere, Muranaka reported that a jury acquitted Troy Shiozawa of stabbing his step-daughter and deadlocked on an assault charge. Three Asian American organizations opposed proposed cuts to legal immigration in HR 2202. Richard Suenaga and others covered the workshops at the JACL Singles Convention in Costa Mesa, which drew some 400 people. JACL’s interim national director Karyl Matsumoto also reported on the organization’s finances.

What’s in this issue

National

• Jury Acquits Shiozawa on Stabbing Charge, Deadlocks on Assault, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. A jury acquitted Troy Shiozawa of stabbing his two-year-old step-daughter but deadlocked on a separate assault charge involving his former wife. Prosecutors have 20 days to decide whether to retry Shiozawa, whose father has been seeking help from federal agencies to investigate alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
• Mineta Resigns, Congressman to Take Job with Lockheed as VP, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta announced his resignation from Congress after more than 20 years to become CEO of Lockheed Martin’s Transportation Systems and Services Division. The 11-term congressman, first Asian American to chair a major Congressional committee, cited a new opportunity to build a better society.
• Proposed Cuts in Legal Immigration Opposed by Three APA Organizations, page 1. Three Asian American organizations are urging members to protest drastic reductions in legal immigration numbers proposed in Rep. Lamar Smith’s HR 2202 bill. The bill would eliminate most family reunification categories, disproportionately affecting Asian immigrants waiting in backlogs.
• Mineta: Looking Back on a 20-Year Career, page 7. A profile and timeline detail Norman Mineta’s career from internment at Santa Anita and Heart Mountain to becoming San Jose’s first Japanese American mayor and an 11-term congressman. The piece highlights his committee leadership, sponsorship of the redress bill, and his new position at Lockheed Martin.
• JA Community Reacts to Mineta Resignation, by Gwen Muranaka, page 9. JACL members and leaders including Carl Fujita, Etsu Masaoka, Jerry Enomoto, Grayce Uyehara, and Cherry Kinoshita expressed shock and admiration following Mineta’s resignation announcement. Many praised his role in securing redress and lamented the loss of his influence and seniority in Congress.
• Matsui Comments on Mineta’s Resignation, page 9. Rep. Robert Matsui called Mineta’s resignation a great loss for the Asian American community, praising his legacy beyond redress legislation. Matsui noted the remaining Asian Americans in Congress and highlighted Mineta’s bipartisan leadership style.
• Void Continued: Yasuhara and Matsumoto React to Mineta’s Departure, page 9. JACL National President Denny Yasuhara and Interim National Director Karyl Matsumoto called Mineta’s resignation a tremendous loss for the Japanese American community and civil rights advocacy. Both praised his career and expressed hope he would continue supporting JACL’s mission from the private sector.

JACL

• Singular: JACL Singles Convention Draws 400 to Costa Mesa, page 1. Some 400 people attended the 7th annual JACL Singles Convention in Costa Mesa, Calif., featuring workshops and social events. JACL President Denny Yasuhara gave opening remarks and actress Nobu McCarthy served as keynote speaker.
• Departure Leaves Void for JACL, page 1. JACL’s Washington consultant Leigh Ann Miyasato says Mineta’s departure leaves a void in Asian American leadership in Congress, making it harder to secure funding for redress issues. She notes the JACL will need to reassess who its remaining allies in Congress will be.
• Highlights from Headquarters, by Karyl Matsumoto, page 3. JACL’s interim national director outlines organizational updates including thanks to outgoing DC representative Leigh-Ann Miyasato, financial and membership system improvements, and regional office activities across districts. The report also includes a wish list of needed office equipment and calls for volunteers and student interns.
• JACL Robert’s Rules Guide: Procedure for Handling a Main Motion, page 3. National JACL offers informational tips to help chapters and districts conduct meetings, detailing procedures for obtaining the floor, bringing a motion before an assembly, and voting. The guide is part of a series intended to aid parliamentary procedure at JACL gatherings.
• JACL Reports 2nd Quarter Financial Update, page 6. JACL’s interim national director Karyl Matsumoto released the first in a planned series of quarterly financial updates showing revenue and expenditure projections through mid-1995. Despite holding expenditures to budget, the report projects the organization will end the year in a deficit position.

Community

• In Communicating, You See That Really Counts, by Richard Suenaga, page 4. Non-verbal communication expert Gary Collins spoke at the JACL Singles Convention about the importance of credibility, visual presentation, and body language in effective communication. He offered tips including using stories, humor and pauses, and emphasized being natural and yourself.
• Discovering the Self: It’s a Matter of Harmony, by Richard Suenaga, page 4. Psychotherapist Nancy Tashiro presented a personality trait inventory test at the JACL Singles Convention exploring innate temperament versus personality. She discussed four personality categories and how Asian cultural conditioning can create a mismatch between one’s inner and outer self.
• Panel Says Expectations on What Men and Women Want Vary, by Gwen Muranaka, page 4. A panel of mostly Sansei men and women at the JACL Singles Convention discussed differing expectations between men and women in relationships. Panelists including Harvey Hanemoto, Janice Nii, Grace Masuda, Greg Marutani, Sam Matsumoto and Toshi Ito shared personal views on desirable partner attributes.
• Want Charisma? Just Be Yourself, Says Speaker, by Richard Suenaga, page 5. Neurolinguist Richard Greene told JACL Singles Convention attendees that charisma is about being fully oneself rather than an external glamorous quality. He discussed visual, auditory and kinesthetic personality types and how Japanese American culture often suppresses full self-expression.
• Get Social: Open Up, Smile, page 5. Self-described ‘smileologist’ Joan Sakyo shared tips at the JACL singles convention workshop on becoming more social and outgoing despite cultural barriers. She advised attendees to smile, be friendly, and avoid asking judgmental questions when meeting new people.
• Making More of Memory, page 5. Speaker Patrick Hunter demonstrated memory techniques at the JACL singles convention, showing attendees how to create mental ‘file cabinets’ to retain information long-term. He also gave tips for remembering names through positive attitude and association.
• Someday Your Frog Will Come, by Richard Suenaga, page 5. The Rev. Kenneth Fong spoke at the JACL Singles Convention about becoming a more lovable person by accepting one’s flaws rather than chasing fantasy ideals of romance. He outlined steps toward emotional maturity including bonding, boundaries, and integrating one’s flawed humanity.

Incarceration & Redress

• Mineta Continued: Reflections on Internment and Redress Legacy, page 6. In his resignation remarks, Mineta reflected on his family’s internment experience during World War II and his role in passing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. He described the internment as an attack on Japanese Americans by their own government and called redress one of his proudest achievements.

Commentary

• Who Will Follow in Mineta’s Footsteps?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reflects on Norman Mineta’s resignation as signaling the twilight of the Nisei generation’s influence in national politics. He questions whether Sansei and Yonsei leaders will emerge to fill the void left by pioneering Japanese American politicians.
• A Governor’s Revolt Against Bureaucracy, by Jin Konomi, page 8. Columnist Jin Konomi discusses Japan’s postwar bureaucratic dominance and Tokyo Governor Aoshima Yukio’s decision to cancel a costly International Cities Fair project. Konomi frames Aoshima’s stand as a symbolic revolt of citizens against entrenched bureaucracy-industry collusion.
• American Express Proposal to JACL Criticized, by Douglas Urata, Stuart Tsujimoto, page 8. Letter writers, professionals in insurance and securities, criticize a proposal for American Express to gain access to JACL’s community for financial seminars. They question potential conflicts of interest and call for transparency and National Council approval before any such arrangement proceeds.
• Listen to Sansei, Yonsei, Reader Says, by Tom Okubo, page 9. In a letter using an extended metaphor about aging, Tom Okubo urges Nisei JACL members to pass on wisdom to younger Sansei and Yonsei generations and be willing to compromise. He argues the survival of JACL depends on engaging younger members.
• Nothing Funny About Hosokawa Column, page 9. A letter writer responds to Bill Hosokawa’s earlier column on ‘Internment Exaggerations,’ arguing there is nothing laughable about a child’s trauma from witnessing a parent’s forced removal. The writer acknowledges Hosokawa’s own understanding of internment hardships but pushes back on downplaying its emotional impact.
• Time to Bring Families into JACL, Says Reader, by Mike Proshiba (St. Louis Chapter), page 9. A letter writer argues that JACL should focus membership recruitment efforts within members’ own families rather than looking externally. The writer suggests buying memberships for relatives as a way to expose them to Japanese American issues and grow the organization.

Military & Veterans

• Akaka Seeks to Recognize MIS for War Efforts, page 10. Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka proposed an amendment requiring a review of military intelligence personnel records to determine if WWII veterans deserve higher honors like the Congressional Medal of Honor. The move would benefit the 6,000 members of the secret Military Intelligence Service who have gone largely unrecognized compared to the 442nd and 100th Battalion.

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