Chol Soo Lee’s ruling and the Lowry redress bill, 1980

Vol. 90, No. 88, April 11, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page carried the news that the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento had unanimously upheld a judge’s order wiping out Chol Soo Lee’s 1974 San Francisco Chinatown murder conviction. K.W. Lee reported on the ruling, which also ended the death penalty hanging over Lee in a separate prison case. Inside, the paper followed redress: 15 more members of Congress joined the Lowry bill as cosponsors, Clifford Uyeda described the Senate hearing on S. 1647, and John Tateishi criticized Senator Hayakawa’s proposal to intern Iranian nationals. Letters from Henry S. Sakai and S. Stephen Nakashima added reader views.

Also on page 1, a Gonzaga University forum in Spokane drew about 250 people to discuss the wartime incarceration (often called internment), and three Defense Language Institute buildings in Monterey will be named for Nisei soldiers. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Joe Oyama and Sachi Seko fill the commentary pages, with reviews of two plays about Nisei and Vietnam War stories on pages 5 and 8.

What’s in this issue

National

• Chol Soo Lee Near Personal Freedom, by K.W. Lee, page 1. The 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento unanimously upheld a judge’s release order overturning Chol Soo Lee’s 1974 San Francisco Chinatown murder conviction, also nullifying the death penalty from a related prison killing case. Defense attorney Leonard Weinglass and supporters celebrated the ruling as a major turning point, while the prosecution had not yet decided whether to appeal or seek retrial.’
• 18 Cosponsor Lowry Redress Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. In the past month, 15 members of Congress joined as cosponsors of the Lowry redress bill addressing the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans. Representatives and senators from various states voiced support for strong action to ensure such constitutional violations are never repeated.

Community

• Spokane Forum Generates Education, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A forum titled ‘Japanese America: Contemporary Perspectives on the Internment’ drew about 250 attendees to Gonzaga University, featuring panelists including Frank Conklin, Gordon Hirabayashi, Frank Chin, Dr. Louis Kurahara and Sam Nakagawa. The event, second in a series, included discussion of literature, personal wartime experiences, and psychological trauma, with support from multiple community organizations.
• Working with Troubled People ‘Cure’ for Heart Victim, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Al Kushihashi, 62, a full-time volunteer at Senior Support Services in Denver, was honored with one of KBTV Channel 9’s nine ‘Who Cares’ awards for his volunteer work helping the aging and poor. Having survived heart surgery five years prior, Kushihashi says he volunteers seven days a week because he feels he’s not supposed to be alive.
• Helen Kim Settles Sex Discrimination Case Over Her Job of 20 Years as L.A. City Employee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The City of Los Angeles admitted to 21 years of sex discrimination against Helen Kim, a Korean American civil engineering draftsman, and approved a $20,000 settlement. Kim, who was never promoted despite trying, said she was ‘before her time’ as a woman in a technical field dominated by men who believed ‘a woman’s place is in the home.’
• Demo Chairman Resigns Assemblyman Mori Staff, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Warren resigned from the staff of Assemblyman Floyd Mori amid internal office problems and his tough re-election campaign against Supervisor Charles Santana. The resignation is seen as a blow to Mori, who faces criticism over use of a state-leased recreational van and campaign funds.
• Arizona JACL Issei Pioneer Dinner Set, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Arizona JACL will hold its Issei Pioneer dinner on April 20 at the JACL Building, with entertainment provided by JAYS and food catered from Yum’s. The chapter also announced scholarship awards to be presented May 3 at The Pointe Resort, with a $200 donation from former credit union manager Herbert Jensen.
• West Los Angeles JACL Auxiliary Plans Wine-Tasting Benefit, by P.C. Staff, page 6. WLA JACL Auxiliary president Veronica Ohara announced an annual benefit wine-tasting party at Yamato Restaurant in Century City on April 27, featuring California vintners coordinated by Wine Master Joseph Minervini. Proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes and West LA JACL Scholarship Funds.

Military & Veterans

• DLI Buildings to Be Named for Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three buildings at the Defense Language Institute complex in Monterey will be named for the late Frank Hachiya, Terry Mizutari and George Nakamura, all MIS graduates killed in action during World War II. A special ceremony and banquet will be held May 9, announced by chairman Shig Kihara.

Commentary

• For One George Shima, There Were…, by Joe Oyama, page 2. This West Wind column recounts a lecture by historian Yuji Ichioka on Issei farmers’ struggles with California’s Alien Land Act and discriminatory leasing laws in the 1920s. Ichioka emphasized that Japanese immigrant history is largely a working-class history, noting that for every success story like farming magnate George Shima, there were a thousand ordinary Issei laborers.
• Letter: Put the Onus on the Commission to Come Up with a Fair and Just Decision, by Henry S. Sakai, page 4. A letter to the editor objects to JACL leaders’ statements suggesting Japanese Americans ‘don’t need the money’ from redress, arguing that individuals whose rights were violated should decide how any redress funds are used. The writer urges JACL not to appear apologetic about the redress campaign and to let the Commission determine a fair settlement.
• Letter: Reluctant? No!, by S. Stephen Nakashima, page 4. A letter clarifies that the writer was not a reluctant presenter of Senator Hayakawa at a testimonial dinner, despite disagreeing with Hayakawa’s stance on interning Iranians. The writer explains his respect for Hayakawa’s accomplishments while maintaining he will continue to challenge the senator on the Iranian internment proposal.
• A Noncomplying Nemesis, by Sachi Seko, page 4. From Happy Valley column reviews Senator S.I. Hayakawa’s book ‘Through the Communication Barrier,’ a collection of essays on language and communication. The reviewer praises the book’s wit and clarity, including a touching essay about Hayakawa’s son born with Down’s Syndrome.
• ‘Gaijin’ Psyche: Us and Them, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. From the Frying Pan column discusses an essay by Dr. Toru Yano on the Japanese concept of gaijin (outsider) and the cultural duality between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ worlds. Hosokawa questions how much this psychology affected Issei assimilation and continues to influence Japanese American clannishness and cultural identity today.
• The 3 R’s, by John J. Saito, page 6. From Pacific Southwest column uses a food metaphor to discuss the difficulty of promoting Restitution, Reparations and Redress to the Japanese American community. The writer praises John Tateishi and his wife Carol for their sacrifices in leading the redress campaign.
• Dry and Wet in Japan, by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 7. A column explores the Japanese cultural concepts of ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ personality types in response to Bill Hosokawa’s earlier column on the topic. The writer argues that Bushido, the way of the Samurai, may represent a synthesis of both dry decisiveness and wet sensitivity.
• The Tree, by Jin Konomi, page 8. Moshi Moshi column describes Usuzumi no Sakura, an ancient cherry tree in Neo, Gifu Prefecture, said to be 1,449 years old and designated a National Living Natural Monument. The essay reflects on the tree’s historical endurance and the crowds who travel to see its spring blossoms.

JACL

• Matsui Supports Mukai for High Post, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Robert T. Matsui urged President Carter to appoint Gerry Mukai, a Salt Lake JACLer and former Intermountain District governor, as Director of the Community Services Administration. Matsui cited his profound professional respect for Mukai’s reputation as a capable and effective administrator.
• Some S.F. ‘Don’ts’, by Steve Doi, page 6. A humorous guide offers advice to attendees of the National JACL Convention in San Francisco, covering weather, dining, parking, transportation and local customs. The piece highlights convenient hotel locations and encourages early reservations for the event.
• IDC Secretary Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chiyoko Morita of Salt Lake received recognition and a token of appreciation from Intermountain District Governor Al Kubota for her decade of service as IDC secretary. The brief item accompanies a photo of the presentation.

Incarceration & Redress

• Senate Hearing, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. President’s Corner column describes the Senate committee hearing on S. 1647, a bill to establish a Presidential commission investigating the WWII eviction and incarceration of Japanese Americans. Senator Henry Jackson presided, and testimonies largely favored the bill, with questions raised about subpoena power and why a new commission was needed rather than an existing one.
• U.S. Iranians, by John Tateishi, page 4. Redress Phase 2 column criticizes Senator Hayakawa’s proposed legislation to intern Iranian nationals, comparing it to the unjust internment of Japanese Americans in WWII. JACL vowed to vigorously fight such legislation, calling it a violation of the same principles the Redress campaign seeks to uphold.

Arts & Entertainment

• Miyake’s ‘What the Enemy Looks Like’, by Kats Kunitsugu, page 5. A theater review of Perry Miyake Jr.’s play about the Japanese American experience in the Vietnam War, staged at East West Players. The reviewer finds the play an honest but incomplete effort, suggesting the Nisei father and mother characters could have been developed with more depth to explore generational contrasts.
• UOP Speech Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Three winners were announced in the Fourth Japanese Speech Contest for language program students at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Sarah Nakada, Walter Chang and Barbara Schwartz won in their respective skill categories, in a competition sponsored by the Dept. of Modern Language and Literature and the Japanese Speaking Society of America.
• Gotanda’s ‘Fisherman’ Play Premiered at Okada House, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Stanford Asian American Theatre Project and Okada House presented the premiere of Philip Gotanda’s play ‘Song for a Nisei Fisherman’ at the Okada House cafeteria. The play, directed with music and story elements, was staged over several days with admission charged.

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