Hate crimes legislation and the release of Wen Ho Lee

Vol. 131, No. 14, September 22, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue

Two national stories led the 8-page issue of September 22, 2000. JACL President Floyd Mori and National Executive Director John Tateishi praised a 232-192 House vote backing the Senate-passed hate crimes amendment, and Congressman Xavier Becerra spoke in favor. The release of Wen Ho Lee drew calls for a presidential pardon. Commentary from Phil Shigekuni, Roger Minami and Dr. Jane Hu weighed the case, and Shigekuni compared it to the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans.

Elsewhere, Tracy Uba reported on Herbert P. Bix’s biography of Hirohito, and Mitsuko Iwama profiled Yoshihiro Uchida and judo’s path to the Olympics. Christina Shigemura wrote about a proposed Little Tokyo recreation center. Emily Moto Murase described a performance piece of diary entries shown at the Tule Lake Pilgrimage. Also found are a Minidoka reunion notice and a film festival screening about Fred Korematsu.

What’s in this issue

National

• JACL Applauds House Vote for Stronger Hate Crimes Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House of Representatives passed a motion 232-192 to include the Senate-passed hate crimes amendment in the final Defense Reauthorization bill. JACL leaders, including President Floyd Mori and National Executive Director John Tateishi, praised the vote and called on conferees to maintain the amendment and pass the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act.
• Public Responds to Lee’s Release, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 1. Following Wen Ho Lee’s Sept. 13 release after pleading guilty to one felony count, groups like the 80/20 Initiative, OCA, and CAUSE-Vision 21 called for a presidential pardon and independent investigations into possible racism in his prosecution. Asian American leaders raised concerns at a White House Initiative meeting on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
• Wen Ho Lee, by P.C. Staff, page 4. CAUSE-Vision 21 chair Charlie Woo announced plans to seek a congressional hearing on racial profiling following Wen Ho Lee’s release, calling the case a wake-up call for Asian Americans. President Clinton said Lee’s detention could not be justified, while Attorney General Janet Reno refused to apologize, blaming Lee for prolonging his own confinement.
• A Quarter of Foreign-born U.S. Residents Have College Degrees, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A U.S. Census Bureau report released Sept. 11 found that just over half of the 26 million foreign-born U.S. residents are from Latin America, with a quarter from Asia. The report noted that foreign-born residents are about as likely as native-born Americans to hold college degrees, though those without degrees tend to have less education overall.

In-Depth

• Author Offers Insight on Hirohito and Japan’s Wartime Accountability, by Tracy Uba, page 1. Historian Herbert P. Bix discussed his new biography ‘Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan’ at the Pacific Asia Museum, revealing evidence that Hirohito played a more active role in Japan’s wartime aggression than previously believed. The book comes amid lawsuits and legislative efforts seeking accountability from Japan for WWII-era atrocities.
• A Bridge Across the Pacific: Distant Voices, by Emily Moto Murase, page 6. Julie Nishimura and Danny Peak created ‘Distant Voices,’ a performance piece dramatizing Hiroaki Nishimura’s WWII internment diary entries set to piano music. The piece has toured the East Coast and was performed at the Tule Lake Pilgrimage, drawing enthusiastic audience reactions and personal reflection from Nishimura’s father.

Sports

• Yoshihiro Uchida: Founding Father of Judo in the Olympic Games, by Mitsuko Iwama, page 1. Yoshihiro ‘Yosh’ Uchida, now 80, is credited with establishing judo as an Olympic sport despite facing racism after WWII internment and initial resistance from Japan over his weight-class regulations. With support from Avery Brundage and Henry Stone, Uchida helped judo debut at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and has been honored by numerous institutions for his lifelong contributions.

Commentary

• Injustice in Justice, by Robert K. Bratt, page 3. Former Office of Redress Administration director Robert K. Bratt recounts a three-and-a-half-year federal investigation into his personal life stemming from a disgruntled employee’s threat and unfounded allegations involving Russian visa forms. Despite prosecutors declining to charge him, the invasive investigation devastated his finances and personal life while the original whistleblower was reinstated with back pay.
• Wen Ho Lee Case Recalls WWII Internment Camp Prejudices, by Phil Shigekuni, page 4. San Fernando JACL member Phil Shigekuni draws parallels between the treatment of Wen Ho Lee and the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, citing race prejudice and political pressures in both cases. He urges JACL members to use their WWII experience to advocate for justice for other communities facing discrimination.
• Lee Case Proves 80-20, Democrats Not Representative of AAs, by Roger Minami, page 4. Roger Minami argues that the dismissal of nearly all charges against Wen Ho Lee proves the 80-20 Initiative and Democratic leaders do not adequately represent Asian American interests. He criticizes Energy Secretary Richardson for misleading statements and calls for an apology to Lee.
• Democrats Unsupportive in Wen Ho Lee’s Case, by Dr. Jane Hu, page 4. Dr. Jane Hu of the China Foundation criticizes the Clinton-Gore administration’s handling of the Wen Ho Lee case, saying it exposed hypocrisy in claims of minority support. She also questions Vice President Gore’s sincerity regarding Asian American campaign finance scandals.
• OHA Trustees Resign as Congress Weighs Status of Native Hawaiians, by Alan T. Murakami and David Forman, page 5. Following the Supreme Court’s Rice v. Cayetano decision, all nine Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees resigned en masse to prevent Gov. Ben Cayetano from appointing replacements through 2002. The authors discuss the decision’s threat to federal programs benefiting Native Hawaiians and JACL’s support for Sen. Akaka’s legislation to establish federal recognition.
• Save the Date: October 28, by Christina Shigemura, page 6. Christina Shigemura advocates for the Little Tokyo Recreation Center, a proposed community gymnasium that would serve multiple generations and ethnic groups in Los Angeles. She invites readers to a rally and educational event on Oct. 28 near the ‘Go For Broke’ monument to support the project.
• ‘Moses’ Masaoka’s Vision Not Reality, page 7. A letter writer responds critically to a previous piece by Dr. James Inashima regarding Mike Masaoka’s legacy, arguing that Masaoka’s WWII-era vision and actions have been unfairly sanitized by history. The writer cites the Lim Report and questions the appropriateness of honoring Masaoka with a monument.
• Medal of Honor Recipients Are Well-deserving, page 7. A letter writer defends the belated awarding of Congressional Medals of Honor to 22 Asian American WWII veterans, arguing it corrected historical injustices rather than being merely political. The writer details the heroism of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in rescuing the Lost Battalion and highlights specific honorees.
• Why Are JACLers Still Bitter Over Resister Apology?, page 7. A lengthy letter from a Berkeley writer criticizes older JACL members and veterans for opposing an apology to WWII draft resisters of conscience, calling their attitudes mean-spirited and outdated. The writer argues that JACL’s historical stance under Mike Masaoka suppressed civil rights dissent and that younger Nikkei generations represent a more progressive future for the organization.

Community

• Arizona JACL Chapter Will Recognize Joe Allman on Oct. 22, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL Arizona chapter will host a tribute luncheon for Joe Allman, a longtime chapter leader and recipient of Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure, on Oct. 22 in Glendale, Ariz. Allman has served in numerous JACL and veterans’ organizations and helped maintain the Gila River Relocation Center memorial.
• Asian American Officials Back California Assemblyman Machado, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Asian American elected officials, including Sacramento Mayor Jimmie Yee, voiced support for California Assemblyman Mike Machado after he was accused of making racial slurs against two Republicans. Yee cited Machado’s record supporting hate crimes prosecution funding and the Asian American community.
• New Location for San Mateo’s Asian American Curriculum Project, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Asian American Curriculum Project has relocated to a new address on 37th Avenue in San Mateo, California. The brief notice provides the new location details for the organization.
• Minidoka Reunion Set for Las Vegas, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A Minidoka Reunion is planned for April 4-5, 2001, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, with room blocks reserved and bus transportation arranged from Los Angeles. Contacts are provided for registration and bus sign-up information.

Arts & Entertainment

• International Documentary Film Festival to Show Fred Korematsu Story, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The fourth annual international documentary film festival will screen ‘Of Civil Wrongs and Rights,’ depicting Fred Korematsu’s legal battle against WWII exclusion orders and his eventual exoneration in 1983. The festival will also feature ‘Gaea Girls,’ a documentary about Japanese women’s wrestling.
• Artist’s Work to Be Sent Into Outer Space Aboard Discovery Space Shuttle, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Japanese American artist Hiro created a calligraphic painting commissioned by Zen Technology to be flown aboard NASA’s space shuttle Discovery on its Oct. 5, 2000 launch. The artwork depicts the Chinese character hsin, meaning trust and faith, and will undergo NASA quarantine procedures before and after the flight.
• Free Courtyard Concert Series, ‘Tuesdays at the Playhouse,’ in Pasadena, by P.C. Staff, page 6. In celebration of Velina Hasu Houston’s play ‘Ikebana,’ the Pasadena Playhouse will host free concerts featuring Japanese American musicians on three Tuesdays in October. The series, sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, includes taiko drumming, a musical ensemble, and traditional Gagaku court music performances.

Obituaries

• Kinya Shizume Family Sought, page 7. Roselyn Tanimoto Ereneta is compiling a family biography and seeks information about the Kinya Shizume family, who hosted her grandfather Riusaku ‘Frank’ Tanimoto in Chicago after his release from Poston Camp III. She is requesting contact from any surviving family members or descendants with recollections or photographs.
• Community Obituaries, by P.C. Staff, page 7. This week’s obituary listings include Sharon Kimi Fujita of Newtown, Pa.; Kazushige ‘Jay’ Hayashi and Kazuko ‘Katch’ Yamauchi of Walnut Creek, who died together in a plane crash near Las Vegas; Tom Kadoya of Spokane; Toshio Kamei of Inglewood; Kunihiro Kuwamura of Lodi, a Lodi JACL board member; Shigeru Uchiyama of San Jose; Tsutomu ‘Buster’ Ueda of Gardena; Shizuko Umeda of Monterey Park; and Peter Makoto Watanabe of Monterey Park. Each entry lists surviving family members and details of their lives and passing.

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