Redress checks, a new JACL-LEC director and a Mothers’ Day fete

Vol. 108, No. 15, April 21, 1989. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress filled the front page of this April 1989 issue. Harry K. Honda reported that ORA administrator Robert Bratt told the Go For Broke National Veterans Assn. that redress checks could go to the oldest survivors by August, and that eligibility rules for Nisei veterans would be published in the Federal Register by mid-May. The Pacific Citizen also covered a $250 million House subcommittee supplemental for H.R. 442, credited by Grant Ujifusa to Majority Whip Tony Coelho, and California’s Senate Joint Resolution 12 urging full redress funding. JoAnne Kagiwada was named to succeed Rita Takahashi as JACL-LEC executive director.

Inside are a plaque unveiled in Vancouver for the 8,000 Japanese Canadians held at the PNE grounds in 1942, and a University of the Pacific history institute on the Japanese American experience. The commentary page carries Cherry Kinoshita’s column on a proposed National JACL Fund and Bill Hosokawa’s remembrance of Satoshi Hoshi. The paper also noted the Downtown L.A. JACL Mothers of the Year luncheon.

What’s in this issue

National

• Redress Eligibility of Nisei Vets Aired With ORA Administrator, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. ORA director Robert Bratt told the Go For Broke National Veterans Assn. luncheon that his eight-person staff is preparing to issue redress checks to the oldest survivors by August, with eligibility rules to be pre-published in the Federal Register by mid-May. Bratt discussed numerous subgroups of potential recipients, including Nisei soldiers barred from the West Coast, and veterans were urged to submit voluntary information forms explaining their circumstances.
• Priority, Leadership of Majority Whip Coelho Cited for Adding $250 Million, page 1. A House Appropriations subcommittee approved a $250 million supplemental fund for H.R. 442 in fiscal 1989 due to the leadership priority of Majority Whip Tony Coelho, according to JACL-LEC strategy chair Grant Ujifusa. Ujifusa credited lobbying by Nikkei representatives Norm Mineta and Bob Matsui, along with local Nikkei supporters in the districts of key legislators Coelho, Tom Foley, and Leon Panetta, and urged continued letters of support to Congress members.
• Calif. Legislature Urges Maximum for Redress Bill, page 1. The California legislature gave final approval to Senate Joint Resolution 12, urging Congress to immediately provide the maximum $500 million annually for redress payments to eligible Japanese Americans interned during WWII. The resolution passed unanimously and was co-authored by several state senators and assemblymen.
• ‘Not Guilty’ Plea Entered by Police Officer, page 2. LAPD officer Stanley Yorikazu Tanabe pleaded not guilty to charges of lewd conduct by force and assault with intent to commit child molestation. Tanabe, a 6-year Metro Division veteran, was arrested after allegedly molesting a girl during a purported investigation at her home.
• Tenure Decision Expected by Mid-May, page 3. UCLA Chancellor Charles Young indicated in a letter to state legislators that a final decision on tenure for Professor Don Nakanishi would come by mid-May, after nearly three years of consideration. Nakanishi’s supporters claim he was denied promotion due to his research on Asian American admissions rates and his work in Asian American Studies.
• The Newsmakers, page 6. This roundup column profiles several notable Japanese Americans including Dr. Theodore Kuwana receiving a chemistry award, Allen Asakura retiring from the LA Dept. of Building and Safety, attorney Michael Kawachi joining a Chicago law firm’s Tokyo office, and composer Takashi Koshi seeing his teenage ballet composition premiere. Also mentioned are Nancy Asai’s college personnel appointment, Jade Hiramoto’s county youth commission appointment, George Nakano’s election to a city association presidency, and Peter Suzuki’s and Gayle Yamada’s professional achievements.

JACL

• Indianapolis Attorney Appointed Washington JACL-LEC Director, page 1. JoAnne Kagiwada, an Indianapolis attorney and former international human rights law lecturer, will become executive director of the JACL-LEC on May 1, replacing Rita Takahashi. Takahashi will remain at the Washington office temporarily to assist with the transition before returning to academia.

Incarceration & Redress

• Japanese Canadians Unveil Plaque at 1942 Camp Entrance, page 2. A plaque was unveiled at the Hastings and Renfrew entrance to Vancouver’s PNE grounds, commemorating the 8,000 Japanese Canadians confined in livestock barns there in 1942 before being dispersed to internment camps. Federal minister Thomas Siddon and other officials spoke, with Rev. Canon Gordon Nakayama recalling his ministry to the uprooted and praising Canada’s 1988 redress settlement.

Community

• Councilman Fry’s Remarks Anger Orange County Vietnamese Leaders, page 2. Westminster City Councilman Frank Fry Jr. sparked a recall drive after telling South Vietnamese veterans seeking a parade permit to “go back to South Vietnam” if they wanted to be South Vietnamese. The veterans’ group plans to mobilize the Vietnamese community in an anti-Fry campaign after the council denied their parade permit.
• University of Pacific History Institute Focusing on Japanese Americans, page 2. The 42nd Annual California History Institute at University of the Pacific’s Stockton campus will focus on “The Japanese American Experience,” featuring speakers including Dr. Yuji Ichioka, Mary Tsukamoto, and Loni Ding. The conference will cover topics from early immigration through redress and includes an exhibit from the Holt-Atherton Center’s Japanese American collections.
• Downtown L.A. Mothers’ Day Fete April 30, page 2. The 27th annual Downtown L.A. JACL Mothers of the Year luncheon will honor four mothers: Matsuye Mori, Miyo Sayano, Hatsuye Yamaguchi, and Dr. Mary Sakaguchi Oda. Brief biographies of each honoree’s life and family were included.
• JACCC to Honor AT&T at May 17 Award Fete for Significant Nikkei Support, page 3. AT&T will receive the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s 1989 Pacific Pioneer Award for its support of arts and social services in the Nikkei community, including funding for Bunraku puppet theatre and the Asian American Dance Company. A second Pacific Pioneer Award will be conferred posthumously to former Japanese ambassador Nobuhiko Ushiba, to be accepted by his widow Fujiko Ushiba.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Urashima Taro’ Ballet Set to Koshi’s Music, page 3. Ballet Hawaii presented “Urashima Taro,” a newly commissioned ballet set to music by Sansei composer Takashi Koshi, at the St. Louis Center for the Arts in Honolulu. The piece is based on the Japanese fairy tale of a fisherman, a turtle, and a princess.

Commentary

• The U.S., Japan and AJAs, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial discusses the growing demand at universities for courses on understanding Japan, reflecting Japan’s importance to America’s future despite ongoing tensions between the two countries. It notes that Japanese Americans have shown little interest in Japan historically, but that Japan is now becoming part of the American mainstream.
• Examining Past Necessary, by Eiji Suyama, page 4. A letter to the editor argues that examining historical issues such as Emperor Hirohito’s wartime role and JACL’s 1942 activities remains important and relevant, countering columnist Bill Hosokawa’s suggestion that such reappraisals may be moot. The writer cites Japanese scholarly sources showing the emperor’s responsibility remains a sensitive, ongoing topic.
• Interesting Issue, by Ralph M. Lake, page 4. A brief letter to the editor thanks the Pacific Citizen for an interesting issue, noting a coincidental connection to a TV story about an Okinawan WWII student nurse. The writer praises the publication overall.
• JACL’s Proposed ‘Mega-Fund’, by Cherry Kinoshita, page 4. This column details a proposed “National JACL Fund” aimed at raising $20 million over ten years to create sustainable income for JACL operations beyond membership dues, inspired partly by Shig Wakamatsu’s “Issei Heritage Foundation” concept. The plan includes percentage allocations for national programs and district rebates, and author Cherry Kinoshita invites member feedback on the proposal and its name.
• Missing Friend Now Missed, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa reflects on the death of Satoshi Hoshi, a childhood friend from Seattle who was raised by Jimmie Sakamoto’s family after his parents died and went on to a distinguished career as a legal researcher for the UN International Court of Justice. Hosokawa expresses regret at never learning more about Hoshi’s life and the loneliness he sensed in him as a youth.

Obituaries

• Oregon Orchardist Yasui, 74, Succumbs, page 6. Ray “Chop” Yasui, a prominent Hood River, Oregon orchardist and civic leader, died at age 74 after a lengthy illness. He served on the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, helped found the Hood River-Tsuruta Sister City affiliation, and was recently named to Oregon State University’s Agricultural Hall of Fame.

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