Concerns over ‘Banzai’ and a Nikkei gathering in New York

Vol. 133, No. 4, August 17, 2001. 8 pages. View this issue

JACL and the Media Action Network for Asian Americans raised concerns with USA Network executives over ‘Banzai,’ a British import that mocks Japanese game shows. Harry K. Honda and Tracy Uba reported on the meeting between MANAA president Guy Aoki and USA Network’s Ron Sato, who defended the show as absurd fun. Honda also covered the PANA-USA East convention in New York, where close to 500 people gathered and Kazunori Kesaka of Buenos Aires was elected international chairman. Martha Nakagawa reported on the CAUSE political summit in Los Angeles, which drew more than 250 people.

Elsewhere in these eight pages: senators asked for funding to operate the Minidoka National Monument, supporters of Wen Ho Lee criticized a federal report, and Hirabayashi was set to attend a kiosk unveiling at the Mt. Lemmon camp near Tucson. Columns by Christina Shigemura on Little Tokyo, Bill Yoshino and Bill Marutani appear on page 6.

What’s in this issue

National

• JACL, MANAA Air Concerns Over ‘Banzai’, by Harry K. Honda; Tracy Uba, page 1. JACL and Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) raised concerns with USA Network executives about the show ‘Banzai,’ a British import mocking Japanese game shows, citing its use of exaggerated Caucasian voiceovers and stereotypical imagery. MANAA president Guy Aoki met with USA Network VP Ron Sato to discuss the negative stereotyping, though Sato defended the show as absurd fun rather than offensive.
• PANA-USA East Convention Draws Nikkei Leaders from the Americas, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Close to 500 people attended the PANA-USA East convention at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, featuring representatives from ten countries across the Americas. Kazunori Kesaka of Buenos Aires was elected PANA’s international chairman in a contested election, and the next convention was set for Santa Cruz, Bolivia in 2003.
• Wen Ho Lee Supporters Blast Federal Report, by Associated Press, page 1. Supporters of fired Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee criticized a federal report that concluded race was not a factor in his prosecution, calling it biased since it was produced by the same agency that investigated him. Critics including Cecilia Chang and Ted Wang cited testimony from the lab’s former counterintelligence chief that race was indeed considered during the investigation.
• Illinois Prosecutors Address Asian American Hate Crime Concerns, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. The Cook County State Attorney’s office informed the Illinois Asian American Hate Crime Network about developments in hate crime prosecutions. Additional details on Secretary Chao’s husband Sen. Mitch McConnell skipping a Chinese community picnic were also noted.
• Senators Want Funding for Minidoka Monument, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Republican Sens. Michael Crapo and Larry Craig and Democrat Patty Murray asked for funding to begin operating the Minidoka National Monument, site of a former WWII internment camp that housed 9,400 internees. Little remains of the camp except a stone guard tower and visitors waiting room, and the monument was designated by President Clinton in his final days in office.
• Deaf Man Held in Death of AA Teen, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Christopher Hearn, 20, was arrested for allegedly stabbing and killing his 17-year-old neighbor Kenneth Chiu in Laguna Hills, California. Investigators found a racial epithet scratched onto a car belonging to Chiu’s father but have not yet cited a motive.
• Hate Crimes Spurred by Race Rise Slightly, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Hate crimes motivated by race and ethnicity rose slightly in California last year while crimes driven by religion or sexual orientation fell, according to state statistics released Aug. 10. Overall hate crime numbers remained about the same as 1999, though total victims declined slightly.
• Study Reveals Economic and Health Woes of Filipino Vets, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. A survey of Filipino WWII veterans found they are dying 57 percent faster than their American counterparts, with half reporting chronic blood pressure and hypertension. A 1946 act prevented most of the estimated 200,000 Filipino soldiers from receiving promised U.S. military benefits.
• Study on School Segregation May Be Misleading, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. A Harvard University study claimed Hawaii has one of the most racially segregated public school systems in the nation, shaking the state’s self-image of racial harmony. Harvard professor Gary Orfield acknowledged the findings could be misleading since most Hawaii public schools have Asian rather than white majorities.
• AAs Seek Redistricting to Unify Ethnic Communities, by Associated Press, page 3. Asian American groups unveiled a statewide redistricting plan aiming to unify divided ethnic communities and increase political clout, as Assembly boundaries drawn a decade ago split communities into multiple districts. The coalition’s proposal would combine areas like Chinatown, Koreatown, and Little Saigon while increasing the number of competitive districts for both parties.
• Immigrant Rights Leaders Applaud Funding for California Programs, page 3. Immigrant advocates praised Gov. Gray Davis’s decision to permanently fund the California Food Assistance Program and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants regardless of entry date. The programs, created after 1996 federal welfare reform cut legal immigrants from federal benefits, will now be permanent for those who entered after Aug. 22, 1996.
• Mineta, Bush Expected to Attend 50-Year Anniversary of U.S.-Japan Peace Treaty, page 4. Top U.S. and Japanese leaders including President Bush, Prime Minister Koizumi, and Secretary Norman Mineta are expected to attend a September 8 San Francisco commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the peace treaty ending WWII in the Pacific. The event includes a conference, reception, and gala dinner where Mineta will accept an award on behalf of the Japanese American community.
• ‘Banzai’ Controversy Continues as JACL Weighs Response, page 7. Following meetings with USA Network executives, MANAA’s Guy Aoki noted the show’s British humor style clashed with American sensibilities regarding Asian stereotypes. JACL continues to discuss its response to the show, which critics say panders to a teenage demographic at the expense of Asian American representation.
• Wen Ho Lee Report Called Incomplete by Critics, page 8. Critics continued to question the federal report on the Wen Ho Lee investigation, calling it a ‘halfway report’ that fails to address how accurate its conclusions really are. The report examined only part of the circumstances surrounding Lee’s prosecution and detention.

JACL

• High Turnout for CAUSE Summit Shows Increasing Influence of APAs, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. More than 250 people attended a political summit sponsored by CAUSE and Vision 21 in Los Angeles, a sharp increase from a similar summit two years earlier, indicating growing APA political engagement. The event focused on coalition building with Latino leaders and featured speakers including Charlie Woo, Michael Eng, and various elected officials.
• National JACL Singles Convention Set for Labor Day Weekend, page 4. The Ninth National JACL Singles Convention will be held Aug. 31-Sept. 2 at the Torrance Marriott Hotel, featuring guest speakers David Ono and Warren Furutani, workshops on relationships and career topics, and entertainment by the band Music Company. Registration details and additional activities like a golf tournament and Las Vegas bus trip were also announced.
• JACL Health Benefits Trust Names New Administrator, page 4. The JACL Health Benefits Trust, underwritten by Blue Shield of California, named Stephen Divizich as its new administrator. The announcement was made alongside trust chairman John Yasumoto and other officials.
• CAUSE Summit Highlights Coalition Building and APA Political Momentum, page 7. The CAUSE political summit held in Alhambra featured Latino guest speakers including Lydia Camarillo and Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, focusing on coalition building following Judy Chu’s election victory. Cardenas announced his candidacy for a Los Angeles council seat, and speakers compared APA political momentum to the Latino community’s growth in the 1970s.
• 1001 Ways to Boost Membership, by Ryan Chin, page 8. JACL VP Public Affairs Ryan Chin announces a new email listserv to help chapters share membership recruitment ideas, inspired by a suggestion from White River chapter president Yvonne Kinoshita Ward. The listserv aims to collect success stories and strategies from JACL’s 112 chapters to more efficiently boost national membership.

Community

• Honda Recognized as Nisei Pioneer, page 1. Pacific Citizen Editor Emeritus Harry Honda was one of five individuals honored as Nisei Pioneers at a luncheon during the 61st Annual Nisei Week festivities in Los Angeles. An estimated 430 people attended the sold-out event at the New Otani Hotel.
• APAs in the News, page 3. Frank Abe received two national awards for his PBS documentary ‘Conscience and the Constitution’ on Japanese American WWII resistance, from AFTRA and the Asian American Journalists Association. Additionally, three Asian Americans were awarded ABC New Talent Development Program scholarships, and Patsy Cummings Iwata was named chairwoman of Pacific Asian American Women Writers-West.
• Hirabayashi to Attend Kiosk Unveiling Ceremony at Former WWII Prison Camp, page 4. Dr. Gordon Hirabayashi and other Japanese Americans incarcerated at the Mt. Lemmon camp near Tucson will unveil a new interpretive kiosk on Aug. 25 telling the site’s history. Hirabayashi famously resisted internment orders during WWII and served time at the camp, which was renamed in his honor in 1999.
• French Camp Awards Scholarship, page 6. The French Camp JACL chapter awarded Melanie Komure a $500 scholarship. Komure was valedictorian of Lincoln High School in Stockton and plans to attend UC San Diego in the fall.
• San Fernando Valley JACL and JACCC Award Scholarships, page 6. Six high school seniors from the San Fernando Valley area received scholarships from the San Fernando Valley JACL and the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. The ceremony was keynoted by Alvin Kusumoto from the office of California State Sen. Richard Alarcon.
• Greater L.A. Singles Chapter Awards Hana Uno Shepard Scholarship, page 8. The Greater L.A. Singles JACL chapter awarded its annual Hana Uno Shepard Scholarship to Chris Orimoto, valedictorian of Garfield High School. Orimoto received $1,500 and will attend Columbia University.

Commentary

• Reader Thinks Honda Not a Worthy Leader, page 2. A letter writer criticizes Rep. Mike Honda for condemning Japan’s Rape of Nanking while failing to condemn China’s Tiananmen Square massacre, the expulsion of Tibetans, and U.S. actions like the My Lai massacre and atomic bombings. The writer concludes Honda is not worthy of representing his district as a party leader.
• Re: Seattle Redress Resisters Panel, page 2. A letter responds to statements by Bill Hosokawa regarding WWII draft resisters published in a previous Pacific Citizen issue, questioning what unpublishable materials Hosokawa referenced. The writer notes there were hundreds of resisters of conscience among Japanese Americans during WWII, comparing them to Patrick Henry, and expresses admiration for veteran Shiosaki’s comments supporting the resisters.
• Big Problems in Little Tokyo, by Christina Shigemura, page 6. For 30 years, the Little Tokyo community has tried to build a gym, but the Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development Corporation has been unable to acquire land, partly due to conflict with the Geffen Contemporary Museum’s plans for an art park on the same site. The author criticizes the Geffen’s lack of genuine ties to the community compared to the Japanese American National Museum, and hopes the gym issue can be resolved.
• A Newspaper Stumbles, by Bill Yoshino, page 6. The author describes meeting with Chicago Sun-Times editors after two columnists used the term ‘Chinaman’ without explanation of its derogatory nature. Despite the meeting, columnist Mark Steyn continued using ethnic slurs in later columns, leading the author to conclude the paper’s conservative ownership seems to tolerate racially offensive language.
• A Key Difference, by Bill Marutani, page 6. The columnist explores how Japanese nationals (‘Nippon-jin’) tend to judge Nikkei Americans by the same standards as themselves, often viewing them unfavorably compared to Japanese corporate expatriates. He argues the key difference is that Issei pioneers committed fully to America with no fallback, unlike kaisha employees who can return to Japan.

In-Depth

• TV Series to Chronicle JA Experience Over 150 Years, page 5. ‘The Japanese American Saga,’ a TV documentary series about Japanese American history, received a $50,000 Cornerstone Prize grant from the United States-Japan Foundation. The series, produced by the Smithsonian and KCTS-Seattle, will consist of three one-hour programs focusing on individuals who shaped the JA experience over 150 years.
• PANA Convention Features Workshops on WWII Camp Experiences and More, page 5. The PANA convention included workshops covering WWII camp experiences of Japanese Americans, Canadians, and Latin Americans, featuring panelists like Dr. Franklin Odo and author William Hohri. Other highlights included medical facility visits, a mass media workshop at CNN, a Trade and Commerce workshop at the NY Stock Exchange, and a closing ceremony passing PANA’s ceremonial flag frame to Bolivia.

Obituaries

• Obituaries, page 7. This section lists numerous obituaries including Carl Mitsu Yasuda, Harry Satoshi Hirabara, Harry Yoshiteru Honda, and others, detailing their birthplaces, internment camp histories, military service, and surviving family members. Notable entries include John ‘Sonny’ Ward, a Manzanar National Park Service volunteer, and several Nisei who were interned during WWII.
• Nobuo Ajimura Death Notice, page 7. Nobuo Ajimura, 88, passed away Aug. 1 in Tarlac City, Philippines. Born in Honolulu, the Yamaguchi-ken Kibei was interned at Tule Lake and later became a longtime farmer and landscaper in the Santa Clara Valley, survived by his wife and large family.
• Sumiye Hirai Death Notice, page 7. Sumiye (nee Kuge) Hirai, 85, passed away peacefully July 20 in Milwaukee. She was a longtime member of the Wisconsin JACL chapter and WIBC, survived by her children and grandchildren.
• Paul Fukuma and Hiroshi Fujita Tribute, page 7. This tribute recounts the lives of Paul Fukuma, who lived in North Seattle before WWII, and Hiroshi Fujita. The piece details their family histories and community connections.

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.