JACL’s multiracial census policy and long-denied MIS honors

Vol. 125, No. 2, July 18, 1997. 12 pages. View this issue

The JACL National Board of Directors voted unanimously on July 8 to adopt a policy position on the multiracial category in the next census. Helen Kawagoe and Herbert Yamanishi explained that it does not say how mixed-race people should be counted, but why an accurate count is needed. Medals long denied to Military Intelligence Service veterans were also in the news: Yutaka Masuda became the first MIS veteran in Hawaii to receive a Bronze Star with ‘V’, and nineteen more decorations followed on May 4.

Elsewhere, Yas Tokita wrote about the re-dedication of a memorial to the Issei aviator Masashi Goto. Caroline Aoyagi reported on Nikkei parents of gay children, and Rocky Kiyoshi Mitarai described being attacked in San Francisco’s Japantown because he is hapa. Rep. Robert T. Matsui announced funds for a fence at the Manzanar National Historic Site. Harry K. Honda reviewed three books, and 66 San Francisco Nisei received their diplomas after 55 years.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• JACL Adopts Policy on ‘Multiracial’ Census Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Board of Directors unanimously adopted a policy position on the multiracial category for the U.S. census, aiming to explain the needs for an accurate population count. Officials including Helen Kawagoe, Herbert Yamanishi, and Bob Sakaniwa emphasized that the policy does not dictate how mixed-race people should be counted but seeks to balance accurate data collection with protecting civil rights categories.
• JACL Tri-District Conference Scheduled for July 31-August 1, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL Tri-District Conference in Chicago will feature workshops on leadership development, including sessions by LEAP president J.D. Hokoyama, and a banquet keynote by Judge Lynn Kawamoto of Cook County Circuit Court. The gathering will bring together Midwest, Eastern, and Mountain Plains district councils.

Military & Veterans

• Long-Denied Honors for MISer Bestowed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yutaka Masuda became the first Military Intelligence Service veteran in Hawaii to receive a Bronze Star with ‘V’ under a new law recognizing long-denied WWII decorations for secret MIS achievements. Nineteen more decorations were awarded on May 4, honoring Nisei soldiers who served in dangerous intelligence operations including Iwo Jima.
• A Tribute to Toro — My Kid Brother, by Jack Hirose, page 7. Jack Hirose pays tribute to his late brother Toro, recounting their childhood in Santa Monica, their work in wholesale produce, and Toro’s volunteering for military service with the 442nd RCT while Jack cared for the family. The piece details Toro’s combat experience in Southern France, his postwar involvement with JACL, and his death from cancer in 1997 at age 77.
• Long-Denied Medals Bestowed to Hawaiian Nisei, page 9. This continuation details the 19 MIS veterans awarded medals including the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star at a May 4 ceremony in Honolulu, highlighting individual stories such as Kazuo Yamane’s discovery of Japanese ordnance inventory and Hoichi Kubo’s dramatic Saipan cave negotiations. The event was attended by generals, ambassadors, and the governor.
• P.C. Bookshelf: Other Side on Rescue of the Lost Battalion, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. This review covers ‘Lost Battalions: Going for Broke in the Vosges, Autumn 1944’ by Franz Steidl, which tells the story of the 442nd’s rescue of the Texas Lost Battalion alongside the little-known story of a German unit’s parallel rescue in the same forest. The reviewer praises the author’s use of accounts from both sides of the WWII campaign.
• Roy Matsumoto Inducted into Army MI Hall of Fame, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. Roy H. Matsumoto, a former Jerome internee who volunteered for the Army, was inducted into the Army Military Intelligence Hall of Fame for his heroic actions with Merrill’s Marauders in Burma, including eavesdropping on Japanese communications and impersonating a Japanese officer to save his battalion at Nhpum Ga. His actions earned him the Legion of Merit in 1944.
• Tokyo TV Documentary on MIS GIs Being Translated, by ABH, page 10. A 1995 Tokyo Broadcasting System documentary about the Military Intelligence Service is being translated by the Sons & Daughters of Nisei Veterans for Hawaii libraries. The documentary includes interviews with MIS veterans including Ralph Yempuku, who discusses liberating POWs on Hainan Island.
• 1st Asian-American, Eric Shinseki, Nominated to Be 4-Star General, page 11. Eric K. Shinseki was nominated to become the first Asian American four-star general, awaiting Senate confirmation for a position as commanding general of U.S. Army Europe. A Kauai native and West Point graduate, Shinseki’s 32-year career includes assignments worldwide and decorations including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.
• Legion of Merit Awarded to MISer Mac Nagata, page 11. Mac Nagata, a member of the MIS team attached to the Americal Infantry Division in the South Pacific, received the Legion of Merit medal for translating a captured Japanese naval transmitting code book early in the war. The recognition came 55 years later thanks to the efforts of MIS historian Harry Akune.

National

• Akaka Seeks Census Change, page 1. Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka urged a House subcommittee to reclassify Native Hawaiians alongside American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the next census rather than with Asians and Pacific Islanders. The proposal faced objection from American Indian representatives concerned about impacts on programs designated for Native Americans.
• Opening Week’s Tone of Senate Hearing on Campaign Finance Reform ‘Disappointing’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A coalition of six national Asian Pacific American organizations, including JACL, offered assistance to Senate hearing chair Fred Thompson regarding campaign finance hearings, expressing concern over media ‘Yellow Peril’ stereotyping of Asian Americans. The coalition outlined six precautions to prevent racial stereotyping during the hearings into 1996 campaign finance abuses.
• Campaign: JACL and Coalition Respond to Senate Hearing Conduct, by P.C. Staff, page 7. This continuation details specific incidents during the Senate campaign finance hearings, including Sen. Brownback’s mocking remarks and criticism from Sen. Feinstein, alongside statements from JACL’s Bob Sakaniwa, NAPALC’s Karen Narasaki, and OCA’s Daphne Kwok about racial stereotyping. The coalition letter was co-signed by leaders from JACL, OCA, CAPACI, APALA, and NAPALC.
• Hawaii Gov. Cayetano Marries Businesswoman, page 9. Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano, 57, married businesswoman Vicky Liu, 41, in a private ceremony. A close friend attended the wedding.
• MIS Extension for MIS Awards Sought, page 11. Harry Fukuhara asked Sen. Dan Akaka to extend the deadline for MIS veteran award recommendations, as the one-year window that expired February 10, 1997 was too limited. Akaka is requesting a two-year extension and also seeking unit citations for MIS team members’ contributions.
• Ethnic Changes in Germany Complicated, by E.M., page 12. German-born Turkish politician Cem Ozdemir highlighted Germany’s growing ethnic diversity as one in five babies are born to foreigners, while Chancellor Kohl resists becoming an immigrant nation like the U.S. The article discusses citizenship law challenges facing Turkish Germans and racial violence in post-unification Germany.
• Japan Businesses Focus on Las Vegas, page 12. San Francisco-based Japanese Consul General Kiyohiko Nanao told Las Vegas businessmen that deregulation and lowered trade barriers in Japan are creating new business opportunities for Americans. He addressed the Japan America Society of Nevada luncheon and toured the UNLV campus as Japanese development companies bid on Southern Nevada properties.

In-Depth

• 1929 Tragedy of Masashi Goto in the Uinta Forests Remembered, by Yas Tokita, page 1. A ceremony on July 4, 1997 commemorated the re-dedication of a memorial to Issei aviator Masashi Goto, who died in 1929 attempting to cross the High Uintas during an ambitious solo flight to circumnavigate the globe. The article details Goto’s flight plans, his crash near Soapstone Basin, and the historical monument erected by the Japanese Association of Utah.
• P.C. Bookshelf: CWRIC’s Report in a 1997 Format, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. This book review covers the reissued ‘Personal Justice Denied’ report on wartime internment, now published by University of Washington Press with new prologue and foreword material by Tetsuden Kashima. The reviewer highlights the added scholarly context and suggests the index could be used to create a directory of witnesses for future educational use.
• P.C. Bookshelf: San Diego Nikkei History Still Unfolding, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. This review covers ‘Hot Enough to Melt Iron,’ a journal article detailing the San Diego Nikkei experience from 1942-46, including letters from internees at Santa Anita and Poston camps. The reviewer suggests the material could be incorporated into JACL educational curricula.

Community

• Nikkei Parents with Gay Children Share Personal Pain and How They Overcame, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. At a Los Angeles panel discussion sponsored by JACL-affiliated groups, Nikkei parents including the Kameyas and Nakatanis shared personal stories of accepting their gay and lesbian children within the Japanese American community. The event highlighted the need for understanding and support for JA families with LGBT children, featuring stories of loss, grief, and eventual acceptance.
• Significance of a Cedar Tree, page 3. Utah JACL chapters presented a blue atlas cedar tree to Rabbi Wegner of Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City to commemorate Holocaust remembrance. The event honored Japanese Consul General Chiune Sugihara, who issued visas to Jews escaping Nazi persecution, and included remarks from veteran Nelson Akagi who helped liberate Dachau.
• Santa Maria Valley JACL Scholarship Winners, page 3. Santa Maria Valley JACL scholarship winners Melissa Nunez and Kacee Fujinami each received $500 at a chapter luncheon at Hancock College. Both graduates were honored alongside chapter chair Dawn Kamiya.
• Wisconsin JACL Hears General Mukoyama’s Secret for Success, page 4. Maj. Gen. James H. Mukoyama spoke at the Wisconsin JACL’s annual recognitions dinner, sharing his ‘A.H.A.’ (appreciation, honor, attitude) philosophy for overcoming difficult problems. Also honored was graduate Mary Zeck, and JACLer Shiro Shiraga discussed fundraising for the National Japanese American Memorial.
• Father-Son Give $1 Million to Endow Chair in Philosophy, page 4. Dr. Edison H. Miyawaki and his father Edison K. Miyawaki donated $1 million to endow a philosophy chair at Loyola Marymount University. The gift honors a debt of gratitude the elder Miyawaki felt toward a mentor from his student days in 1948.
• APA Heritage Month Celebrated in New Mexico, page 5. New Mexico celebrated its first Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with proclamations signed by Gov. Gary Johnson and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez. Members of the New Mexico JACL and National Chinese Society attended the reading of the proclamation at the Capitol Rotunda.
• Monterey Peninsula JACL Cites Hattori as Outstanding Scholar, by Suzanne Nishiguchi, page 5. Tommy Hattori of Robert Louis Stevenson School won the 1997 JACL Outstanding Scholar Award based on grade point average, community service, and essay writing. Hattori, heading to UC Berkeley, is active in sports and music and comes from a family with deep JACL ties.
• Maruyama Garden Pathway Dedicated, by Dr. John Hara and Robert Mitori, page 6. A cherry tree allée was dedicated at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Japanese Garden in memory of Paul Maruyama, an Issei who resettled in St. Louis from Tule Lake and helped found the Japan America Society of St. Louis. Speakers including Dr. Peter Raven and Paul’s son Ken Maruyama recalled his legacy and contributions to Japanese-American relations in St. Louis.
• Nissin Foods Backs ’97 Nikkei Games, page 12. Nissin Foods pledged $10,000 as a major sponsor for the 1997 Nikkei Games, which grew from the original PSW JACL Nisei Relays into a larger event with 1,000 participants. The games, expanded to include karate, judo, kendo and other sports, were set for August 16-17 at CSU Long Beach’s Pyramid.
• JANBA Establishes Hall of Fame, page 12. Fifteen persons were inducted into the newly established Japanese American National Bowling Association Hall of Fame during the 1997 annual tournament at Sportsworld Lanes. Inductees were honored in categories of Pioneers, Meritorious Service, and Performance.
• Canadians Plan Climb of Mt. Manzo Nagano, page 12. National Association of Japanese Canadians president Randy Enomoto announced an expedition to climb Mt. Manzo Nagano in British Columbia, named after the first known Japanese immigrant to Canada. The climb, planned for August 22-25, would be only the second ascent of the peak since 1977.

Commentary

• Signal Events for JACL and Asian Americans, by Herb Yamanishi, page 3. National Director Herb Yamanishi reflects on two anniversaries: the 45th anniversary of the Walter-McCarran Act of 1952, which eliminated race as a factor in immigration and naturalization, and the 15th anniversary of the murder of Vincent Chin, which galvanized Asian American civil rights activism. He describes his personal involvement in the American Citizens for Justice organization formed after Chin’s death.
• Tri-District Conference Shows Worth of JACL’s Purposes, by Grace Kimoto, page 3. Grace Kimoto reflects on the successful Tri-District Conference held in Las Vegas, praising the Central California district’s role in hosting and thanking conference chair Larry Ishimoto. She emphasizes the ongoing importance of JACL’s grassroots work, civil rights advocacy, and community activities in preserving culture and supporting future generations.
• Words from Bill: Language, Culture, and Comparisons Between Japan and Israel, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani discusses his correspondence with Dr. Clifford Uyeda about Japanese language quirks and shares excerpts from a speech by Professor Ben-Ami Shilony comparing Japan and Israel as societies with strong senses of particularism and divine national origin claims. The column touches on WWII-era anti-Semitism and anti-Japanism, including the Holocaust and atomic bombings.
• A Provocative Idea: Should Japan Adopt English as a Second Official Language?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa relays a Japanese businessman’s provocative suggestion that English become Japan’s second official language, taught from early childhood alongside Japanese. The idea, though logical to address communication barriers, was rejected by influential Japanese as too radical, illustrating Japan’s resistance to unconventional ideas.
• Families: Nikkei Parents with Gay Children Share Personal Pain (continued), by Caroline Aoyagi, page 6. This continuation details the personal journeys of the Kameya and Nakatani families as they navigated their children’s homosexuality within Japanese American cultural expectations. The article recounts the pain, eventual acceptance, and advocacy work of parents who lost sons to AIDS and violence, urging the wider community to support LGBT Nikkei youth.
• $10 Dues Hike Makes Headline — It’s Not JACL’s, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda compares the NAACP’s proposed $10 dues increase to JACL’s own budget challenges, discussing options for returning the Pacific Citizen to a weekly publication schedule. He details the history of the P.C.’s publication frequency and compares membership percentages between NAACP and JACL relative to their respective populations.
• More Comment: The K.C. Kao Tragedy in Sonoma County, by Man Murakami, page 8. A letter to the editor argues that the Pacific Citizen’s coverage of the Kuan Chung Kao shooting case omitted important details, including that Kao was legally drunk and had struck police vehicles with a pole before being shot. The writer urges the P.C. to validate racially-charged stories more carefully to avoid inflaming tensions unnecessarily.
• A Letter from Kona: Catching Up with Recent P.C. News, by Ray H. Kaneko, page 8. Kay Uno Kaneko writes a personal letter sharing reflections on topics covered in recent Pacific Citizen issues, including the ‘glass ceiling,’ multiracial terminology, the Japanese American memorial design, and the Kona coffee history exhibit. She also discusses her community involvement in Hawaii and family updates.
• Letters: Not ‘Cape Horn’, by Name Withheld, page 8. A letter corrects a previous P.C. article about a round-the-world sailing trip, noting that ‘Cape Horn’ should have read ‘Capetown’ since Cape Horn is located at the tip of South America. The writer points out the geographical error in the original story.
• Letters: Re: Clinton’s ‘Race Card’, by Earl Kai Chinen (Anchorage, Alaska), page 8. A letter disagrees with a previous column arguing JACL should not join President Clinton’s race relations initiative, contending it would only emphasize racial divisiveness. The writer, a self-identified mixed-national JACL member, argues JACL should focus on cultural and civil liberties history rather than racial separateness.
• First Person: ‘I Was Beaten by Asians in Japan-town Because I’m a Hapa’, by Rocky Kiyoshi Mitarai, page 9. Rocky Kiyoshi Mitarai, a 19-year-old Hapa college student, describes being attacked by a group of Asians in San Francisco’s Japantown because of his mixed ethnicity, and details a lifetime of rejection from both Asian and white communities. He argues for greater understanding and acceptance of multi-ethnic identity within the Japanese American community.
• Is Japan Really Changing This Time?, by Glen S. Fukushima, page 9. Glen Fukushima examines Western assumptions that Japan’s reform rhetoric signals convergence toward Western-style democracy and capitalism, drawing on two recent books by Ivan Hall and Sheldon Garon that challenge this wishful thinking. He argues Japan’s pattern of state-managed social mobilization remains a durable feature unlikely to fully align with American norms.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Nippon Otokichi Monogatari’ Drama to Premiere at Seattle-Area Theater, by Hugh Berleson, page 4. A Japanese drama troupe from Nagoya will perform ‘Tale of Otokichi of Japan’ at Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center Theater, telling the little-known story of Japanese castaways who reached North America in 1834, a decade before the famous John Manjiro. The article details Otokichi’s shipwreck, rescue by Makah Indians, and his later involvement in early Japanese-English translation work.

Incarceration & Redress

• 66 San Francisco Nisei Graduates Back for Diplomas After 55 Years, by Patty Wada, page 5. Sixty-six Nisei high school graduates from the classes of 1942-1945, who were forced into internment camps before finishing school, returned to San Francisco to receive their diplomas in a May 6 ceremony. The televised event featured remarks from city officials and readings by Janice Mirikitani and Dr. Harry Kitano.
• Plight of ‘Hanford Hibakushas’ Alerts Residents of Spokane, Yakima, Ontario, Hood River, Portland, by HKH, page 5. A panel discussion during the Pacific Northwest-Intermountain Bi-District Conference addressed the ‘Hanford downwinders,’ people exposed to radioactive releases from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation between 1944 and 1972. The Seattle JACL resolution called for educational programs and registration with the Hanford Health Information Network for those affected.
• ORA Adds Website, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Office of Redress Administration, closing August 10, 1998, launched a website and help-line for applications related to redress under wartime internment programs. The notice provides contact information for those seeking redress assistance.
• Goto: 1929 Tragedy in Uinta Forests Remembered (continued), by Yas Tokita, page 7. This continuation describes the re-dedication ceremony details for the Masashi Goto memorial, including a new brass plaque, tree planting, flag ceremonies by Boy Scout Troop 170, and remarks from various officials including Judge Raymond Uno and Consul General Nanao. The event was part of the Uinta National Forest’s 100th anniversary calendar.
• Funding for Manzanar Historic Site Initiated, page 11. Rep. Robert T. Matsui announced $310,000 has been included in next year’s federal budget for construction of a boundary fence around the Manzanar National Historic Site. This represents the first federal funds budgeted toward an estimated $2.16 million overall construction project.

Sports

• Child-Judoist Won’t Bow, Disqualified, Sues, by Ed Suguro, page 12. Nine-year-old Leilani Akiyama was disqualified from a judo tournament for refusing to bow before matches, prompting her parents to sue the U.S. Judo Federation for religious discrimination. Her mother argued that bowing to objects felt like a religious practice inconsistent with their beliefs, while judo officials maintained it was merely customary etiquette.

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