Bud Aoyama’s photographs and the film ‘Emperor’

Vol. 156, No. 5, March 15, 2013. 16 pages. View this issue

The rediscovered photographs and letters of Takashi ‘Bud’ Aoyama led this issue. The Nisei photographer worked at Heart Mountain and later for the War Relocation Authority, and the story of how Patti Hirahara found his work and gave it to Washington State University ran on page 4. Film coverage followed, with producer Yoko Narahashi on bringing ‘Emperor’ to the screen, a review of the film, and Justin Chon on ’21 & Over.’ Carol Kawamoto opened the 2013 Spring Campaign on page 2.

Commentary included Gil Asakawa on recent racist incidents against Asians, and John Tateishi on the book ‘Japanese Eyes, American Heart,’ about Hawaii in World War II. Community pages covered a Day of Remembrance program in Philadelphia, the Manzanar Pilgrimage with Karen Korematsu, and the coming Jerome Rohwer museum in Arkansas.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Letter From the P.C. Editorial Board Chair: Spring Campaign Begins, by Carol Kawamoto, page 2. Carol Kawamoto, chair of the Pacific Citizen Editorial Board, thanks JACL members and supporters for their contributions and officially kicks off the 2013 Spring Campaign fundraising drive. She encourages readers to donate at the ‘Wall of Fame’ level of $150 or more to support the paper’s operations, staff and technology needs.

Commentary

• Letter to the Editor: Apology to California State Workers Comes Too Late for Mitsuye Endo, by Stanley N. Kanzaki, page 2. A reader responds to a prior article about California’s apology to state workers fired in 1942 due to Japanese ancestry, noting that Mitsuye Endo, the litigant in Ex Parte Endo, was among those fired. He notes she pursued her case despite some Nikkei leaders trying to dissuade her, leading to the freedom of 120,313 incarcerated Japanese Americans, and laments the apology comes too late for her.
• Racism Against Asians Rages on, But Sometimes There’s Good News, by Gil Asakawa, page 3. Gil Asakawa recounts several recent racist incidents targeting Asians, including an Indiana college student’s YouTube rant, offensive tweets from a Miami University student, a controversial Taki’s Magazine commentary, and a Vermont newspaper’s ‘Fry Rice’ poster using Wonton font. He notes some positive pushback, including a satirical animated response from a Taiwan-based company and an NPR segment addressing stereotypes faced by Asian Americans.
• For the Record: ‘Japanese Eyes, American Heart’, by John Tateishi, page 3. John Tateishi reviews the book ‘Japanese Eyes, American Heart: Voices from the Home Front in World War II Hawaii,’ which compiles personal stories of Hawaii’s Japanese population during WWII. He highlights stories of hardship and resilience, including families who lost fathers to arrest and internment while children worked to support the family, showing a wartime experience on the islands very different from mainland incarceration.
• Asians (continued): NPR Segment Highlights Ongoing Stereotypes, by Gil Asakawa, page 16. This continuation of Asakawa’s column discusses an NPR segment called ‘The Race Card,’ featuring a Korean American woman discussing common stereotyping questions Asian Americans face. Asakawa reflects that educating people about Asian American experiences is an ongoing task with new frustrations arising regularly.
• ‘American’ (continued): Reflections on Japanese Eyes, American Heart, by John Tateishi, page 16. Tateishi continues his reflection on ‘Japanese Eyes, American Heart,’ highlighting the story of Michael Okihiro, who became Hawaii’s first neurologist despite wartime hardships. He concludes that the book demonstrates how Japanese values helped Hawaii’s Nikkei community endure WWII, a struggle both distinct from and resonant with the mainland incarceration experience.

In-Depth

• Finding Bud Aoyama, page 4. The article traces the rediscovered life story of Takashi ‘Bud’ Aoyama, a Nisei photographer who worked at Heart Mountain incarceration camp and later for the War Relocation Authority before dying of tuberculosis in 1951. His photographs and letters were recently found by Patti Hirahara among her family’s Heart Mountain collection and donated to Washington State University, shedding new light on his career and connections, including a photograph he took of Ben Kuroki.

Community

• Hapa Japan 2013 Festival Set for April in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Hapa Japan Festival 2013, presented by the Hapa Japan Database Project and USC, will run April 2-6 in Los Angeles, celebrating mixed-race and mixed-roots Japanese people and culture through concerts, film screenings, a book fair, comedy night and a scholarly conference. The festival culminates with the opening of the ‘Visible and Invisible: A Hapa Japanese American History’ exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, running through August 26.
• Day of Remembrance, by Herbert Horikawa, page 7. The Philadelphia JACL chapter held its Day of Remembrance program on Feb. 23, marking the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act’s signing, with featured speaker Grant Ujifusa discussing the challenges of passing redress legislation. The program also included a musical performance by Curtis Institute musicians inspired by Julie Otsuka’s book ‘Buddha in the Attic.’
• From Eggs to Film: A Japanese American Studio Head, by Ryan Nakashima, Associated Press, page 10. Kevin Tsujihara, a third-generation Japanese American who grew up doing farm work and egg deliveries in Petaluma, Calif., became CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment on March 1, making him the first Asian American to head a major Hollywood studio. The article traces his career path from accounting to home entertainment strategy and highlights his family’s WWII internment history and his help distributing the indie film ‘American Pastime.’
• Manzanar Pilgrimage to Feature Karen Korematsu and UCLA Kyodo Taiko, by P.C. Staff, page 11. The 44th Manzanar Pilgrimage on April 27 will feature guest speaker Karen Korematsu, co-founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, and a performance by UCLA Kyodo Taiko, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The event will also include the Manzanar at Dusk program at Lone Pine High School featuring speakers and an interfaith service.
• Museum Opening Date Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 11. The Jerome Rohwer Interpretive Museum and Visitor Center in McGehee, Arkansas, will be dedicated on April 16, featuring the exhibit ‘Against Their Will’ on Japanese American internment history. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe and actor-author George Takei, who was interned at Rohwer as a child, are expected to attend the dedication ceremony.

National

• Empty Chair Project Closes in on Reaching Memorial Goal, by Casey Kelly, page 6. A proposed Juneau, Alaska monument to Japanese Americans interned during WWII, the Empty Chair Project, received a $5,000 donation and nearly $2,000 from a fundraising concert, bringing organizers close to their $40,000 goal. The memorial, inspired by John Tanaka who missed his own high school graduation due to internment, will be a bronze replica of an empty chair honoring those taken from Juneau during the war.
• Senate Confirms Chen for U.S. District Court in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pamela K. M. Chen was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 4 to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, becoming the first openly gay Asian Pacific American federal judge. Chen had served nearly 14 years as an assistant U.S. attorney and chief of the Civil Rights Section in the Eastern District of New York.
• National Park Service Announces Peak Bloom Dates for D.C. Cherry Trees, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 7. The National Park Service predicts Washington D.C.’s famous cherry trees will reach peak bloom between March 26-30, slightly earlier than the historical average. The 2013 National Cherry Blossom Festival, marking the 1912 gift of trees from Japan, runs from March 20 to April 14 and draws about 1.5 million visitors annually.

Arts & Entertainment

• Mission Accomplished: Producer Yoko Narahashi Brings ‘Emperor’ to the Big Screen, by George Toshio Johnston, page 8. Producer Yoko Narahashi discusses her personal connection to ‘Emperor,’ a film about Gen. Bonner Fellers’ investigation into Emperor Hirohito’s culpability for WWII, since her grandfather served in Hirohito’s Ministry of the Interior. Narahashi and fellow producer Eugene Nomura discuss the challenges of making the film outside Japan and its anticipated reception when it releases in Japanese theaters this summer.
• Review: ‘Emperor’, by G.T.J., page 9. This review examines ‘Emperor,’ a dramatization of the U.S. investigation into Japan’s Emperor Hirohito after WWII, starring Tommy Lee Jones as MacArthur and Matthew Fox as Gen. Bonner Fellers. The reviewer praises the Japanese cast and the film’s climactic MacArthur-Hirohito meeting but criticizes the tacked-on romance subplot and the complete absence of any depiction of Japanese Americans who served during the occupation.
• Justin Chon on ’21 & Over’ and What Really Happened on His 21st Birthday, by Allison Haramoto and Nalea J. Ko, page 12. Actor Justin Chon discusses his starring role as Jeff Chang in the comedy ’21 & Over,’ describing the challenges of realistically portraying drunkenness throughout the film and his on-set chemistry with co-stars Miles Teller and Skylar Astin. Chon also shares humorous stories from his own 21st birthday in Korea and discusses his future ambitions as an actor, writer, producer and director.

Obituaries

• Taketsugu ‘Tak’ Takei, page 15. Tak Takei, a Cupertino, Calif. resident who was interned at Santa Anita and Topaz during WWII, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 18, 2013, at age 82. He had a distinguished career spanning all three branches of California government, including becoming the first Asian American Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara County in 1976.
• Akiko Lillian Sasashima, page 15. Akiko Sasashima, formerly of Sanger, Calif., passed away on Feb. 20, 2013, at Vintage Gardens where she resided for five years. She was known for her ceramic painting and for crocheting 800 hats for cancer patients during her time there.
• Midori Ogo Yoshii, page 15. Midori Ogo Yoshii, born in San Leandro, Calif. in 1928, passed away at her home on Feb. 25, 2013. She was remembered for her devotion to family, her Christian faith, and her enjoyment of cooking, sewing, gardening and golfing.
• Otoji Roger Shiozaki, 90, page 15. Roger Shiozaki, a native of Monterey, Calif., passed away on Feb. 8, 2013, just weeks after celebrating his 90th birthday on 12/12/12. He ran a successful barber business in Monterey for 56 years and was active in the JACL, VFW Post #1629 and El Estero Presbyterian Church.
• Dr. George Sato, WUSM 1947, page 15. Dr. George Sato, a beloved St. Louis pediatrician, passed away peacefully on Feb. 5, 2013, at age 90. A star athlete who was forced into the Gila River internment camp during WWII, he was later given the opportunity to complete his medical training at Washington University Medical School and went on to a distinguished career in pediatrics.

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