The CWRIC hearings in Washington and the redress debate

Vol. 93, No. 5, July 31, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen reported on the second Washington hearing of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC), where Japanese American organizations, including JACL, testified in support of monetary redress. Rep. Dan Lungren warned there was no support in Congress for it, and the exchange with Min Yasui was sharp. Retired Gen. Mark W. Clark praised the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team in a statement to the commission, and former Justice Abe Fortas recalled his 1944 visit to the Jerome camp. Raymond Y. Okamura’s JACL paper on accurate terminology for the World War II incarceration (often called internment) ran on pages 2 and 5.

Elsewhere in the issue: Los Angeles and Carson council resolutions on redress, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s return to film scenes that recalled Manzanar, columns by Ron Wakabayashi, Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani, and a story on Rev. Willis Castro, the first non-Asian minister to head a Buddhist Churches of America temple.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• ‘No Support’ for Monetary Redress in Congress, Warns Lungren to JA Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At the second Washington hearing of the CWRIC, Japanese American organizations including JACL, NCRR and NCJAR testified in support of monetary redress, with figures ranging up to $3.5-4 billion in losses. Rep. Dan Lungren warned there was no support in Congress for monetary redress, sparking a sharp exchange with Min Yasui, while Lillian Baker testified against any reparations.
• Jerome Camp Children Sing ‘America, the Beautiful’, by Bill Yoshino, page 1. Former Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas testified before the CWRIC that the evacuation and incarceration was ‘a sad and humiliating story’ rooted in racial prejudice, recalling his 1944 visit to Jerome, Arkansas. Fortas said the government failed to provide adequate rehabilitation for returnees after the camps closed, calling it a source of national dishonor.
• L.A. Apologizes for the Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The City of Los Angeles formally extended apologies and regrets to Japanese Americans who suffered due to the 1942 government actions. The City Council unanimously approved this amendment to an earlier resolution supporting the CWRIC on July 21.
• JACL Testimony to CWRIC: Euphemistic and Accurate Terminology, by Raymond Y. Okamura, page 2. This continuing paper prepared for the National JACL Committee for Redress examines how the U.S. government’s euphemistic language about the internment accomplished goals like sidetracking legal challenges and deceiving victims into cooperation. Okamura analyzes newspaper coverage, court decisions like Korematsu, and the psychological effects of euphemisms on both internees and camp staff.
• City of Carson Commends CWRIC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Carson City Council commended the CWRIC and recommended to Congress that adequate monetary redress be awarded to those who suffered from the 1942 government actions. The resolution was unanimously passed July 20.
• Euphemistic and Accurate Terminology (Continued), by Raymond Y. Okamura, page 5. This continuation of Okamura’s CWRIC testimony paper examines how book titles since the 1960s have increasingly used terms like ‘concentration camp’ while still relying on euphemistic language within the text. He argues the CWRIC report must set a new standard for accurate, truthful terminology regarding the WWII incarceration.

Military & Veterans

• Clark Lauds 100th/442nd; Asks CWRIC for Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Retired Army Gen. Mark W. Clark, who commanded the 100th Battalion and 442nd RCT in Europe, submitted a statement to the CWRIC praising the Nisei units’ gallantry and urging the commission to recommend appropriate remedies for Evacuation victims. Clark called the units an inspiration and said they helped eliminate discriminatory practices against Japanese Americans.
• Nisei in Japan: Akasaka Guesthouse History, by Barry Saiki, page 8. Saiki describes the history of the Akasaka Detached Palace, formerly the Imperial Family’s summer palace, which was renovated in the 1970s to become the Akasaka State Guesthouse (Geihinkan) for housing visiting dignitaries. He details the elaborate welcome ceremony protocol used for approximately 60 dignitaries hosted there since 1974, including Gerald Ford and Queen Elizabeth.

Community

• San Jose Redress Workshop Scheduled, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Jose JACL announced a redress forum and practice session for witnesses on Aug. 9 at Wesley United Methodist Church. Associate CWRIC director Dr. Tom Taketa and Dr. Clifford Uyeda will report on the Washington and upcoming Los Angeles redress hearings.
• JCI Sr. Housing Site Dedicated, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute held groundbreaking ceremonies July 5 for its senior citizens housing project after overcoming several obstacles. Gardena Mayor Pro Tem Paul James Armory and other city officials attended the ceremony at the site adjacent to JCI Gardens.
• 3rd Clavell Award Winner Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ruth L. Hirayama of Monterey Park won the third American Japanese National Literary Award, a $1,000 short story prize funded by author James Clavell, for her story ‘Photo Bride.’ The announcement was made during the Miss California Sansei Pageant on July 18 at the Beverly Hilton.
• Kitayama Denies Illegal Acts Before Labor Board, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Union City Mayor Tom Kitayama denied before a state examiner that he illegally fired three nursery workers for union activities following a 1979 union representation election. Kitayama faces a recall election Aug. 4, with disgruntled workers and the UFW spearheading the effort to oust him.
• NCWNPDC 3rd Quarterly Meeting Set, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Third Quarterly NCWNPDC Meeting will be held Aug. 16 at the Holiday Inn in Emeryville with registration from 9-10 a.m. Those interested can contact Dr. Yosh Nakashima for more information.
• Contra Costa JACL Meeting Set Fall Calendar, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Contra Costa JACL board set its summer and fall activities at its July 10 meeting, including redress hearings in San Francisco, a fund-raiser at Japan Center Theater, a benefit book sale, a barbecue dinner honoring past chapter presidents, and a casino night benefit for seniors.
• Fremont JACLer Wins Park & Rec Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Ted Inouye, Fremont JACL president and member of the Calif. Association of Park and Recreation Commissioners, was named the outstanding park and recreation commissioner in the state. He has served with the Fremont commission for 10 years.
• Philadelphia JACL Plans for Super Sunday, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Philadelphia JACL board decided to hold a one-day food sale effort as part of Super Sunday fundraising, with specific details being mapped out over the summer. The committee plans to use the previous day to prepare foods for the sale.
• 1st Non-Asian to Head a BCA Church, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Rev. Willis Castro is being assigned to Enmanji Buddhist Temple in Sebastopol, California on Sept. 1, becoming the first non-Asian minister to head a Buddhist Churches of America temple in the organization’s history. Castro, born in 1947 in Santa Clara, graduated from San Jose State and received his MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley.
• S.F.’s Nihonmachi Gets Better Street Lights, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Street lighting in San Francisco’s Nihonmachi area is being improved with installation of high pressure sodium lights at 56 locations, as reported at the San Francisco JACL board meeting. The San Francisco JACL and Nihonmachi Merchants Association spearheaded the project, with costs borne by the city under Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
• Sharon Kiyomi Inouye Continues Family Medical Tradition, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Sharon Kiyomi Inouye received her M.D. degree from UC San Francisco School of Medicine, representing the third generation in her family to earn an M.D. from the same institution. She graduated with top honors including the Academic Excellence Award and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, and is currently a UCSF Internal Medicine resident.
• Korean Artist Assn. to Exhibit Works, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 13th annual exhibition by the Korean Artists Association will be held at the Korean Cultural Service on Wilshire Blvd. from July 20 through Aug. 14. The exhibition is open to the public with information available by phone.
• Fresno Library Gets 3,000 Japanese Books, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Over 3,000 Japanese books and magazines arrived at the Fresno County Public Library courtesy of the Kokusai Tosho Kyoroku Center in Tokyo. Eight volunteers are currently cataloging the materials, which will be added to local library collections in August.

Arts & Entertainment

• Manzanar Memories Overwhelm Author on Return, page 2. Author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston describes returning to film scenes at Tule Lake which closely resembled Manzanar, triggering vivid memories of camp life including dust, heat, and a man playing piano. Cast members who were actual former internees, including one named Lazo, shared personal recollections of camp life and the fear felt during filming of a riot scene.
• Pan Asian Repertory to Premiere Sakamoto Play, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre will premiere ‘Yellow is My Favorite Color’ by Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship recipient Ed Sakamoto on Aug. 6 in New York. The play will be staged at Soho Rep on Mercer St.

Commentary

• The Promise of the Future, by Peter Imamura, page 3. Two new Asian American organizations were formed in July: the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA), aimed at developing professional networks for Asian American journalists, and the Asian Pacific American Round Table (APART), formed to combat anti-Asian discrimination. The column discusses recent incidents of anti-Asian sentiment that prompted APART’s creation and expresses hope these groups can help remedy community issues.
• In Between, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi reflects on his identity between Nisei and Sansei generations, shaped by the civil rights, anti-war and hippie movements rather than Depression-era and camp experiences. After hearing mock hearing testimony and visiting the ‘Go For Broke’ exhibit multiple times, he gained new appreciation and understanding for the Nisei generation’s wartime experience.
• We’re Not Number Two on the JACL Agenda, by Paul Tsuneishi, page 4. The author discusses the JACL National Board designating the senior citizens issue as second priority after redress, affecting support for hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors). He describes efforts by the JACL liaison committee and Nikkei community groups to raise funds and support for legislation like Congressman Danielson’s bill H.R. 1022 on behalf of atomic bomb survivors.
• Friends and Foes, by Sachi Seko, page 4. The author reflects on the death of her friend Larry, a corporate executive who quietly advocated for and mentored black employees during the 1960s civil rights era in Utah, discovering discriminatory testing practices and starting a private night school. She recalls Larry and his wife Mildred’s compassionate gesture of staying with a deceased coworker’s body so he would not be alone, drawing parallels to remembering friends during the current Redress hearings.
• Know Your Enemy, WW2 Version, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa discusses newly obtained clippings about Nisei GIs who portrayed Japanese soldiers for training purposes at Fort Meade during WWII, detailing how training plays addressed soldiers’ prejudice toward Nisei in uniform. The clippings reveal the Army’s Mobile Intelligence Training Unit was discontinued in mid-September 1945, shortly after Japan’s surrender.
• Early Years, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani recounts a chance reunion with childhood friend Florence ‘Tosh’ Andow at a 503rd parachute regiment reunion, reminiscing about growing up in a Japanese American lumbering community in Washington State. He reflects on other boyhood friends and acquaintances, including one killed in WWII and various Issei and Nisei figures from his youth.

National

• 274 Asians Apply for NYPD Exam, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The New York Police Department received 31,562 applications for its first Civil Service exam in two years, with 274 Asian American applicants among them. The NYPD had conducted tutoring classes and rewritten the exam to eliminate sexist or ethnically biased questions.
• Haig Gets Quite a Shock When He Misplaces Spark, by From Washington Post, page 4. At a White House state dinner honoring Japanese Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki, Secretary of State Alexander Haig mistakenly assumed Sen. Spark Matsunaga was part of the Japanese delegation due to his Japanese ancestry. Matsunaga played along with a fake Japanese accent before revealing the mix-up, to Haig’s embarrassment.
• Labor Department Ruling Reverses UFW Exemption Policy, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A new Labor Department ruling reverses a Carter administration policy that had exempted the United Farm Workers from farm labor contractor registration requirements. The ruling was sought by the Nisei Farmers League, whose lawsuit alleging unequal enforcement will now be dropped.
• Bureau of Standards Engineer Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Tamami Kusumoto, a mechanical engineer with the National Bureau of Standards, received the Silver Medal, the second-highest honor conferred upon a Dept. of Commerce employee, at recent ceremonies at NBS headquarters.
• 11 Asian Americans to Enter Yale Univ. in Fall, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Yale University announced that 11 Asian American students from Los Angeles area high schools will begin their freshman studies in the Fall. The students come from various high schools including Alhambra, Crossroads, North Hollywood, Lincoln, Los Angeles, Banning, Long Beach Millikan, and others.
• Minority Students in Calif. Now 40 Pct., by P.C. Staff, page 8. Of the 4 million public school students counted in fall 1979, minorities made up 40%, up from 36.5% in 1977, according to the State Board of Education’s Bureau of Intergroup Relations. Asian enrollment came to 5.7% (91,200 students), while Latinos numbered 23.4% and blacks 10%.

Obituaries

• Noted Xylophonist Yoichi Hiraoka Succumbs July 11, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Yoichi Hiraoka, a renowned xylophonist who began his 55-year career with daily recitals on NBC Radio in New York in the 1930s, died at his home. He played with major world symphony orchestras, composed ‘Nippon Rhapsody,’ and was decorated by the Japanese government; he is survived by his wife Shizuko and other family members.

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