Nisei broadcasters, Rep. Coble and the Calling Tokyo documentary

Vol. 136, No. 9, May 16, 2003. 12 pages. View this issue

Nisei radio broadcasters of World War II were the subject of the front page. Martha Nakagawa reported on the documentary “Calling Tokyo,” screened at the Japanese American National Museum and followed by a panel with surviving members who worked for the Office of War Information and the British Political Warfare Mission. A second story looked at 12 Nisei radio translators in Portland. Caroline Aoyagi covered California’s Assembly Joint Resolution 30, which condemned Rep. Howard Coble’s remarks endorsing the wartime internment.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about Executive Order 9066 and the 1952 immigration reform, and Harry K. Honda reviewed Ruth Okimoto’s research on Poston. Valerie Yasukochi and Jonathan Kaji offered commentary on the Pacific Citizen and JACL’s future. Chapter news came from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Sacramento and White River Valley, where Frank Abe spoke about redress. The sports pages covered golf, snooker and a Lodi baseball field named for Masato Yamashita.

What’s in this issue

National

• Nisei WWII Broadcasters Tell Their Story in ‘Calling Tokyo’, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. A documentary titled ‘Calling Tokyo’ highlighting Nisei radio broadcasters who worked for the U.S. Office of War Information and British Political Warfare Mission during WWII was screened at the Japanese American National Museum, followed by a panel discussion with surviving members. Panelists discussed their secretive wartime work producing psychological warfare broadcasts against Japan from Denver radio station KFEL.
• Portland Also ‘Calls Tokyo’, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. While Gary Ono’s documentary focuses on Denver broadcasters, a lesser-known story involves 12 Nisei radio translators who worked out of Portland, Oregon, for the Federal Broadcasting Intelligence Service. Helen Nambara Kaneko and her sister were among the first hired to translate Japanese radio transmissions and relay information directly to military and government leaders.
• California Considers Legislation Officially Denouncing Rep. Coble, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. The California State Legislature is considering Assembly Joint Resolution 30 to condemn Rep. Howard Coble’s remarks endorsing WWII Japanese American internment, seeking an apology and his resignation from a House subcommittee chairmanship. Despite bipartisan sponsorship and passage in committee, the White House and Republican Party leadership have remained largely silent on the issue, frustrating JACL and other Asian Pacific American groups.
• California to Debate Coble Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 2. This continuation details the political dynamics behind AJR 30, noting that while some Republicans like Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi have criticized Coble, the broader Republican Party and White House have remained silent despite similar past rebukes of other politicians for offensive remarks. JACL leaders and Asian Pacific American groups argue this silence signals a double standard in how such controversies are treated compared to other minority communities.
• University of Wyoming Hosts Heart Mountain Draft Resisters, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee members Frank Emi and Yosh Kuromiya spoke at a University of Wyoming sociology conference about their wartime detention and resistance to the draft. Fellow resister Takashi Hoshizaki sent a statement comparing the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans to modern civil liberties concerns under the USA Patriot Act.
• Tri-Caucus Meets with FOX and DirecTV to Discuss Merger, Diversity, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American, Black and Hispanic caucuses met with Fox Broadcasting and DirecTV presidents to discuss a potential merger and diversity efforts within the companies. Caucus leaders expressed cautious optimism about progress while emphasizing continued concerns about media consolidation’s impact on minority communities.
• Chinese American Suspected Spy May Have Compromised Finance Probes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. Katrina Leung, a Los Angeles businesswoman accused of being a double agent, reportedly had 2,100 contacts with Chinese officials while serving as an FBI informant. Investigators are examining whether she compromised 1990s investigations into Chinese campaign finance influence efforts.
• Clinton Says Chinatown Needs $500,000 in Aid, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. Sen. Hillary Clinton called for federal, state and local aid to help New York’s Chinatown recover from the economic effects of 9/11 and SARS fears. She requested about $500,000 from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. to promote tourism and support local businesses.
• Asians Buying Property Near Mohegan Sun Casino, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. Asian American investors have purchased 44 homes near the Mohegan Sun casino in Montville, Connecticut, converting them into boarding houses for casino workers. The area has been dubbed ‘Little Chinatown’ by town officials as property values rise due to demand.
• Police: Body Found in Greenbrier That of Asian, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A body found in West Virginia’s Greenbrier State Forest, originally identified as Hispanic, has been reclassified by Smithsonian forensic anthropologists as belonging to an Asian woman, possibly Japanese. Investigators plan another missing persons search as the cause of death remains unknown.
• 12-Year-Old Off to Medical School, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. Sho Yano, a 12-year-old prodigy who graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University at age 12, has been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Chicago’s medical school. He will enter a rigorous combined MD-PhD program after achieving top scores on admission tests.
• Marker Honors Asian Civil War Soldiers, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A historical marker dedicated in Columbus, Ohio, honors at least 17 Asian immigrants, mostly Chinese, who fought for the Union during the Civil War. Organizers note these soldiers were historically denied pensions and citizenship due to anti-Asian sentiment of the era.
• California Supreme Court to Review Slave Labor Law, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. The California Supreme Court agreed to review a state law allowing lawsuits against companies that used forced labor during WWII, examining a case brought by a Korean American man against a Japanese cement company. The 1999 law permits wartime forced-labor victims to seek redress until 2010.
• UC Berkeley Eases Student Ban From SARS-affected Countries, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. UC Berkeley announced it would ease its ban on some students from SARS-affected Asian countries enrolled in core academic summer classes, though the ban remains for English as a second language program students. The university faced criticism from civil rights groups who called the original ban discriminatory and overly broad.
• Jennifer Oyama Wins Miss Aloha Hula Title, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. Jennifer Kehaulani Oyama of Honolulu won the Miss Aloha Hula title at the Merrie Monarch festival, competing against dancers from 16 hula halau. The competition featured performances in both ancient (kahiko) and modern (auana) hula styles.
• NSRCF Awards Scholarships to Southeast Asian Refugee Students, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund awarded $35,000 to 30 graduating students from Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese refugee families at its 21st annual ceremony in Portland. The fund, founded in 1980 out of gratitude for wartime student relocation assistance, has awarded over $340,000 to 388 students since 1983.
• Nisei Broadcasters ‘Calling Tokyo’ (continued), by Martha Nakagawa, page 6. This continuation details the specific broadcasters who worked for the OWI in Denver and describes the psychological warfare strategy used against Japan, as explained by historian Dr. Allison Gilmore. The article also explores whether the Nisei broadcasters faced security scrutiny despite their sensitive wartime propaganda work.
• Initial Funding for Eagledale Ferry Dock Study Secured, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray announced $25,000 in federal funding for a study of the Eagledale Ferry Dock site on Bainbridge Island, which served as a departure point for Japanese Americans sent to internment camps. The study is the first step toward potentially designating the site as a National Historic Site.

JACL

• Nakano Receives Assembly Approval for ‘Blue Star’ Designation of Calif. Highway 1, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assembly member George Nakano’s Assembly Concurrent Resolution 58 was approved, designating California State Highway Route 1 as the ‘Blue Star Memorial Highway’ to honor veterans. The designation continues a tradition rooted in the WWI-era Blue Star Flag and follows Nakano’s earlier legislation honoring Vietnam veterans on the same highway.
• Cleveland/Cincinnati/Dayton Chapters Present Program on Japanese American Experience, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Members from three Ohio JACL chapters presented a program titled ‘In the Land of the Free’ about the Japanese American WWII internment experience at a National Council for the Social Studies conference. Speakers shared personal stories of evacuation, family separation, legal challenges like the coram nobis cases, and JACL’s curriculum resources.
• White River Valley Chapter Holds Scholarship Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The White River Valley chapter’s scholarship banquet featured keynote speaker Frank Abe, director of ‘Conscience and the Constitution,’ who discussed the legacies of redress and the WWII draft resisters. Abe praised JACL’s 2002 apology to Nisei draft resisters while noting Frank Emi’s call for the organization to also apologize to the broader Japanese American community.

Commentary

• Our Lifeline to the Community, by Valerie Yasukochi, page 2. A new NCWNP district Pacific Citizen editorial board representative reflects on her growing appreciation for JACL and the Pacific Citizen’s essential role as a communication link for the organization. She praises the small, dedicated PC staff and urges readers to support the Spring Campaign financially to sustain the publication’s operations.
• Re: Peggy Oki, by Mariana Kate Hoag, page 2. A reader letter praises a previous Pacific Citizen article on skater and environmentalist Peggy Oki, calling her an inspiration. The writer also highlights other Japanese Americans who contributed significantly to skateboarding, including Shogo Kubo, Christian Hosoi and Spencer Fujimoto.
• 80 Days That Changed the World, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa critiques Time magazine’s list of 80 days that changed the world for omitting two pivotal events for Japanese Americans: the signing of Executive Order 9066 and the 1952 immigration reform granting naturalization rights to Japanese immigrants. He argues these events were as historically significant as the wars and cultural milestones Time chose to highlight.
• Ruth Okimoto’s Research: ‘To Piece Together the Story of Poston’, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda reviews Ruth Okimoto’s research report on the shared history between the Colorado River Indian Tribes and Japanese Americans interned at Poston during WWII, detailing the tensions and collaborations between the Office of Indian Affairs and the War Relocation Authority. The piece also describes the physical legacy of the camp, including irrigation systems, adobe buildings, and postwar memorial efforts by Nisei and Sansei volunteers.
• JACL’s Future — Do Omoimasu Ka?, by Jonathan Kaji, page 9. Kaji argues that JACL should refocus its mission on encouraging Japanese nationals to immigrate and naturalize as American citizens, given the organization’s declining Nisei membership and successful achievement of civil rights goals like redress. He proposes that JACL leverage its historical role in passing the Walter-McCarran Act to attract new Japanese immigrant members and revitalize the organization’s political influence.

Community

• Korean War Vets to Host Annual Joint Memorial Service, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese American Korean War Veterans, Japanese Vietnam Veterans, and the AJA WWII Memorial Alliance will hold their annual joint Memorial Day service honoring the 1,181 Japanese Americans killed in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The ceremony will include floral tributes from families of the fallen and Medal of Honor recipients.
• Sacramento County to Award H.S. Diplomas to Former Camp Internees, WWII and Korean War Vets, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sacramento County’s Operation Recognition program has awarded high school diplomas to 16 Japanese American former internees and WWII/Korean War veterans whose education was interrupted. Applicants must show proof of internment or military service during specified wartime periods and be residents of Sacramento County.
• APAs in the News, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This roundup features Arizona JACL chapter members Joseph Allman and Ted Namba being named to the state’s first Asian American Advisory Council, and Monterey JACL president Larry Oda receiving an Employee of the Year Award. Also featured are Genevieve Shiroma being named a district Woman of the Year and JACL DC chapter member Margaret Reed being honored as an All USA Academic First Team member.
• Sacramento Chapter Hosts Annual Benefit Crab Feed, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sacramento JACL’s Annual Benefit Crab Feed drew more than 400 attendees to the Sacramento Buddhist Church, raising about $2,000 for the chapter’s scholarship fund through a raffle. The event featured an all-you-can-eat crab dinner, entertainment, and a traditional airplane flying contest for children.

Sports

• Baseball Diamond Named After Masato Yamashita, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A baseball field at Kofu Park in Lodi, California, was renamed in honor of Masato ‘Mauch’ Yamashita, a JACL baseball coach for over 50 years who led his team to four state championships. Yamashita, a former WWII internee, threw out the first pitch at the dedication ceremony attended by more than 100 people.
• S.I.’s 101 Most Influential Minorities, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sports Illustrated’s list of the 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports included several Asian Pacific Americans such as Tiger Woods, Yao Ming, Ichiro Suzuki and Kim Ng of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sports agent Don Nomura and NHL co-owners Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar were also recognized.
• Marco Fu Bids to be First Asian World Champion, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Hong Kong’s Marco Fu advanced to the World Snooker Championship quarterfinals after defeating Scotland’s Alan McManus, positioning himself to become the first Asian player to win the title. Fu expressed hope that his success would inspire more players from China to break through in the sport.
• Back to School: Wie’s Golf Adventure Takes a Break, by P.C. Staff, page 7. 13-year-old golf phenom Michelle Wie continues to balance a limited LPGA tournament schedule with school, having tied for ninth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and made the cut at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship. Wie expressed interest in eventually following Annika Sorenstam’s path to compete against men and hopes to attend Stanford.
• Park Wins Michelob Light Open By a Stroke, by P.C. Staff, page 7. South Korea’s Grace Park won the inaugural Michelob Light Open by one stroke despite a rocky final round that included three double bogeys. Park’s dramatic victory extended her personal streak of winning tournaments she leads heading into the final day.
• Higuchi Inducted to World Golf Hall of Fame, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Former Japanese golf star Chako Higuchi, the only Japanese player to win a major championship, has been selected for the World Golf Hall of Fame through the lifetime achievement category. Higuchi won the 1977 LPGA Championship and finished her career with 72 victories, mostly on the Japanese tour.

Arts & Entertainment

• EWP’s Visionary Awards Recognizes Asian Pacific Artists, by P.C. Staff, page 7. East West Players’ 37th Anniversary Visionary Awards honored the James Irvine Foundation, actress Nancy Kwan, playwright Cherylene Lee, and volunteer Ken Takemoto, raising more than $200,000 for the theater. The James Irvine Foundation also announced a surprise $200,000 grant to support the theater’s New Voices program.

Obituaries

• Death Notice: Paul Kuni Kato, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Paul Kuni Kato, 82, of Skokie, Illinois, passed away peacefully on April 13, survived by his wife Hideko and four children. He was remembered as leaving behind a legacy of love and treasured memories.

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