Live animal markets, Japanese Latin American redress and Nikkei veterans

Vol. 128, No. 4, February 19, 1999. 12 pages. View this issue

A new California bill on the sale of live turtles and bullfrogs led the news. Tracy Uba reported that Assemblymember Mike Honda’s AB 238 set permit and humane slaughter rules, while animal rights groups said it did little and Asian merchants defended their businesses and traditions. Redress was also in the news: lawyers for Japanese Latin American claimants asked a court to force compliance with the Mochizuki settlement, and later pages reported a funding shortfall for those claims.

Nikkei veterans filled several pages. Martha Nakagawa covered two rival tours to Branson, Missouri, and construction began on the Go for Broke monument in Los Angeles. Bill Hosokawa reviewed Chief Justice Rehnquist’s book on the World War II incarceration, and Mika Tanner and Bill Marutani wrote columns. Washington state lawmakers introduced a civil liberties education bill, and a Sonoma County JACL Day of Remembrance program was announced.

What’s in this issue

National

• Rep. Honda Authors New Bill as Asian Merchants Face Controversy Over Live Animal Sales, by Tracy Uba, page 1. Assemblymember Mike Honda’s bill AB 238 imposes new regulations on the sale of turtles and bullfrogs at live animal markets in the Bay Area, requiring permits, humane slaughter, and posted regulations. Animal rights groups say the bill does little to stop inhumane treatment, while Asian merchants argue it protects both wildlife and their cultural practices and businesses.
• Former California State Treasurer Matt Fong Returns to Private Practice, page 3. Matt Fong, former California State Treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate, has joined a California law firm to serve as a strategic consultant for clients on government and business issues. Fong, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, previously served on the State Board of Equalization and holds a rank in the USAF Reserves.
• Dolly Gee Nominated for Federal Bench, by Associated Press, page 3. Senator Barbara Boxer recommended that President Clinton nominate Chinese American attorney Dolly Gee to the Federal District Court for the Central District of California, which would make her the first Chinese American woman and first mainland Asian American woman on the federal bench. Gee, daughter of Chinese immigrants, has a background in labor and employment law and civil rights advocacy.
• Groups File Civil Rights Suit Against UC Berkeley, page 3. A coalition of civil rights organizations filed suit against UC Berkeley alleging the university’s admissions process is stacked against students without access to honors and advanced placement courses. The suit follows a drop in minority admissions after California’s anti-affirmative action measure took effect.
• Connell Appoints Beth Renge as Deputy Controller, page 4. California State Controller Kathleen Connell announced the appointment of Beth Renge to Deputy State Controller, where she will represent Connell on boards including the Public Employees’ Retirement System. The brief announcement details her new administrative role.
• Chinese American Student Pleads Guilty to Sending Hate E-mail, by Associated Press, page 7. Kingman Quon, 22, pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts for e-mailing racially threatening messages to Asian and Hispanic professors, students, and officials nationwide. Quon said he ‘snapped’ under the pressures of being a high-achieving college student and could face up to seven years in prison.
• APA Groups Thank Doris Matsui, page 11. JACL led a group of Asian Pacific American organizations in honoring Doris O. Matsui for her six years of service as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of public liaison in the Clinton administration. A reception was held in her honor at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., attended by numerous administration officials.

Incarceration & Redress

• JLA Attorneys File Motion to Force U.S. Compliance with Mochizuki Settlement, page 1. Lawyers for former Japanese Latin American internees filed a motion alleging the government breached the Mochizuki settlement by burdening claimants with unnecessary information requests and withholding claimant data. Attorney Robin Toma said the government’s refusal to release information prevents him from properly representing his clients.
• Sonoma County Chapter’s Day of Remembrance, page 5. The Sonoma County JACL chapter will present a Day of Remembrance program featuring panelists discussing the Japanese American, Japanese Latin American, and Japanese Canadian WWII experiences, plus a recollection from a Military Intelligence Service veteran. The event, organized by Mei Nakano, aims to educate the broader community and includes displays of books and curriculum materials.
• Animals Controversy Continued: Cultural and Ethical Sensitivity Debate, page 10. The live animal markets controversy continues as animal rights groups push to overturn Honda’s bill and revisit a full import ban, while Asian merchants defend the practice as cultural. The piece also recalls a 1997 controversy over ikezukuri, a Japanese sushi preparation method, that drew racially charged backlash against Asian communities.
• JLA Redress Payments Face Funding Shortfall, page 12. With approximately 676 potentially eligible JLA applicants but only enough funds for about 380 claimants, Campaign for Justice co-chair Julie Small is calling on Congress and the Department of Justice to extend deadlines and secure additional funding. A related lawsuit by a JLA claimant named Shima seeking $10 million in damages was denied a hearing after the court ruled the claims were falsified.

Military & Veterans

• Branson: Tribute or Tribulation?, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Two competing travel agencies, Chase Travel and A.V. Travel, are organizing rival tours to Branson, Missouri for Nikkei veterans attending the city’s annual veterans tribute in May, with differing prices, accommodations, and endorsements causing tension in the community. Organizers of the original Chase Travel effort expressed frustration that A.V. Travel is benefiting from their groundwork without collaboration.
• Competing Branson Tours Raise Questions, page 3. The rivalry between Chase Travel and A.V. Travel’s Branson tours intensified as veterans and organizers debated endorsements, pricing, and donation promises to Nikkei veterans monuments. A.V. Travel’s Lawson Sakai defended his tour while original organizers Anesetti and Shishino expressed disappointment that collaboration hadn’t occurred.
• Construction Begins for ‘Go For Broke’ Monument, page 4. Construction began Feb. 5 on the ‘Go For Broke’ monument in Los Angeles honoring Nisei WWII soldiers of the 442nd, 100th, and MIS, located near the Geffen/MOCA museum. Project engineer Bruce Kato is leading the construction team toward a completion schedule with an unveiling ceremony set for June 5.
• Lt. Col. Richard Sakakida Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal Posthumously, page 4. Senator Daniel Akaka participated in a ceremony awarding the Distinguished Service Medal posthumously to Lt. Col. Richard Sakakida, a U.S. Army undercover agent and intelligence officer during WWII who was the only Japanese American POW captured by Japan. Akaka’s amendment to the 1999 Defense Authorization Act waived statutory time limits to allow the award after the Army recommended it in 1998.

JACL

• Washington State Introduces Civil Liberties Public Education Act, page 1. Washington state legislators Kip Tokuda and Sharon Tomiko Santos introduced the Washington Civil Liberties Public Education Act, modeled after California’s law championed by Mike Honda, to educate students and the public about the WWII internment of Japanese Americans. JACL chapter members in the Puget Sound area met with Honda to learn more about the legislation.
• Washington, D.C. Chapter’s 53rd Annual Installation, page 5. The Washington, D.C. JACL chapter held its 53rd annual installation dinner, installing its 1999 board and presenting a $5,000 donation to the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation. Keynote speaker Matthew Finucane of the AFL-CIO spoke about JACL’s relevance in today’s political environment, and the chapter’s education committee was honored for developing curriculum on the JA experience.
• JACL Gets Some Answers to Redress Program Questions, page 10. JACL’s Washington, D.C. office met with White House, DOJ, and Capitol Hill officials to determine the government’s plans for satisfying the Mochizuki settlement terms, including language allowing the attorney general to move funds to pay JLA claims. Officials emphasized the need for claimants to complete applications promptly as the ORA winds down operations.

Community

• Hosokawa’s Role as Honorary Consul Gets Tribute in Denver, page 4. Bill Hosokawa was honored at a gala tribute in Denver, Colorado featuring video congratulations from dignitaries including former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm and a signed football from Bronco Ed McCaffrey. Hosokawa spoke about the importance of U.S.-Japan relations in his closing remarks at the event attended by over 300 people.
• Eden Chapter Installs Officers, page 5. Eden Township JACL and Eden Youth Group installed their 1999 officers and board members, with Moses Oshima and Ron Sakaue serving as co-presidents of the chapter and Daniel Fukuchi and Christine Kawabata as Eden Youth Group co-presidents. Tom Shigemasa of San Jose served as installing officer and guest speaker at the dinner.
• Imperial Valley Nikkei Reunion Scheduled for March 13, page 5. An Imperial Valley Nikkei Reunion will be held March 13 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Japanese American Gallery at the Imperial Valley Pioneers Museum, which honors the area’s Issei pioneers. Organizer Tim Asamen hopes Sansei and Yonsei attendees will also learn about the region where their parents grew up.

Arts & Entertainment

• Guy Kawasaki Shares His Secrets to Starting a Revolution, by Martha Nakagawa, page 6. Guy Kawasaki, former Apple evangelist and author of ‘Rules for Revolutionaries,’ spoke at the Selanoco JACL installation about his career path and shared key principles for entrepreneurial success. He detailed lessons from Apple’s early days, including the importance of jumping to the next technology curve and embracing unexpected product uses.
• Catching Car Chases Through PursuitWatch Network, by Martha Nakagawa, page 7. Ken Kuwahara, a Los Angeles County law enforcement officer, launched PursuitWatch Network, a paging service that alerts subscribers to live televised police car chases. The service, started with a $2,500 investment, has attracted media attention and plans to expand beyond California.

Commentary

• Chief Justice Rehnquist’s Take on Internment, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa reviews Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s book ‘All the Laws But One,’ which examines the WWII internment of Japanese Americans and weighs whether it was a grim necessity or the worst blow to civil liberty in U.S. history. Rehnquist concludes that civil liberties will not occupy as favored a position in wartime as in peacetime.
• Beyond Barbed Wire? Is It Possible?, by Mika Tanner, page 8. Mika Tanner reflects on how Asian American Studies is shifting focus away from the historically dominant Japanese and Chinese American experience toward other Asian ethnic groups like Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans. She argues this transition, while necessary for inclusion, will be gradual and does not diminish the importance of JA history to the broader Asian American community.
• Nikkei WWII Veterans’ Oral Histories Preserved in New Book, by Bill Marutani, page 8. Bill Marutani discusses the book ‘Japanese Eyes… American Heart,’ a 448-page collection of oral histories from Hawaii’s Nikkei WWII veterans covering their wartime and postwar experiences. The book includes remarkable accounts such as a Nisei lieutenant’s private meeting with Emperor Hirohito and interactions with Japanese war criminals at Sugamo Prison.
• A Convoluted Comparison, page 9. A letter writer disputes Bill Hosokawa’s comparison of Clinton’s affair with the WWII Japanese American internment, arguing the two situations are not comparable in magnitude or impact. The writer contends that the internment caused vastly greater harm than the political scandal surrounding Clinton.
• Letter Criticizes Hosokawa’s Partisan View and Global Alliance Redress Comparison, page 9. A letter writer criticizes the NCWNP District Council’s support for Japan wartime atrocity redress efforts, arguing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was about unconstitutional government action, not military atrocities, and that conflating the two misunderstands the law’s meaning. The writer also criticizes Bill Hosokawa for using the Pacific Citizen to express a partisan view on the Clinton matter given JACL’s nonpartisan status.
• MIS Veteran Responds to War Hero Recognition Letter, by Don Chea, page 9. Don Chea responds to a previous letter, describing his service with Marine units under the Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Areas (JICPOA) and noting that many Nisei MIS veterans deserve recognition they never received. He mentions deceased comrades and his current efforts to help the 100th/442nd/MIS Veterans organization build a memorial monument.

Obituaries

• Shigematsu, New Mexico 442nd Veteran, Dies at 76, page 11. Kiyoshi Shigematsu, a 442nd veteran from Los Lunas, New Mexico, died Feb. 4 of cancer, having enlisted after graduating with honors from high school in 1941 and earning a Purple Heart in service. He later became a prominent local businessman, running Teen Town and Kotch’s Cafe before working for the U.S. Postal Service until 1989.

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