Racial violence hearings, the Kimura plea and a museum dinner honoring Miyamura

Vol. 101, No. 18, November 1, 1985. 8 pages. View this issue

Racial violence and the Fumiko Kimura case led the November 1, 1985 issue. More than 15 individuals and organizations testified at a California Attorney General’s commission hearing on racial, ethnic, religious and minority violence, and JACL’s Ron Wakabayashi presented an 18-page report on anti-Asian violence. Katie Kaori Hayashi reported that Kimura pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and a follow-up story on page 7 gave the reaction of her supporters. The front page also covered a Japanese American National Museum dinner for Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura, emceed by George Takei.

Inside are columns by Bill Marutani on Go For Broke, Inc., Bob Shimabukuro, Bill Hosokawa and Gene Takamine, who wrote about redress lobbying. Christine Bepp wrote about her grandfather’s photographs of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and his time at Heart Mountain. The arts pages cover the East West Players’ 20th season, a review of the film Mishima, and a Un’ichi Hiratsuka retrospective in Little Tokyo.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Miyamura Saluted at Museum Dinner, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. Hiroshi ‘Hershey’ Miyamura, the only living Japanese American Medal of Honor recipient, was honored at the Japanese American National Museum’s ‘Raise the Roof’ fundraiser attended by more than 400 people. Speakers including State Sen. Art Torres and Consul General Taizo Watanabe praised Miyamura’s heroism and the museum’s mission, and the $150-a-plate dinner emceed by George Takei raised over $70,000.
• Issei Naturalized in 1956 to Be Honored, page 2. A ‘Three Decades of Citizenship’ luncheon will be held Nov. 24 in Los Angeles honoring Japanese American citizens naturalized in 1956 under the Walter-McCarran Act. Honorees include Rev. Thomas Machida, Mamoru Eto, and Sam Ishihara, and Katsuma Mukaeda recalled the JACL’s lobbying effort that led to the act’s passage.
• Conference to Focus on Southeast Asians, page 2. The Long Beach chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews will host a conference on the 30,000 Southeast Asians, mostly Cambodian refugees, living in Long Beach. The event aims to address barriers in language, culture, education, economics and justice between longtime residents and new arrivals.
• Abstracts on Heart Diseases Needed, page 2. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is sponsoring a two-day forum in June 1986 addressing cardiovascular risk factors among minority populations including Asians and Pacific Islanders. Organizers are seeking abstracts of scientific papers on prevention, detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease by Nov. 15.
• Forum to Examine Problems of Asian Immigrant Women, page 2. An educational forum on ‘Cultural Barriers of Asian Immigrant Women’ will be held Nov. 2 in Los Angeles, co-sponsored by Pacific Southwest District JACL Women’s Concerns Committee and Asian Pacific Women’s Network. Speakers will address topics including mail-order brides, the ‘Year of the Dragon’ protests, and the Fumiko Kimura case.
• New Nikkei Helpline to Be Discussed, page 3. The Nikkei Helpline Committee will hold a general information meeting Nov. 12 about a planned 24-hour toll-free helpline service for the community. The line, 1-800-NIKKEI-1, would provide referral services for crises including family issues, drug abuse, and suicide, and more volunteers are needed.

National

• Asians Call for Steps Against Violence, page 1. More than 15 individuals and organizations testified before California’s Attorney General’s Commission on Racial, Ethnic, Religious and Minority Violence, calling for stronger protection against racial violence. JACL’s Ron Wakabayashi presented an 18-page report citing causes of anti-Asian violence and recommended a statewide commission and other measures.
• Kimura Pleads No Contest in Killings, by Katie Kaori Hayashi, page 1. Fumiko Kimura, who drowned her two children in a parent-child suicide attempt in January, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in Santa Monica Superior Court, facing up to 13 years in prison. The Fumiko Kimura Fair Trial Committee had collected over 11,000 petition signatures and raised more than $6,000 for her psychiatric evaluation.
• Kimura’s Supporters React to Plea, page 7. Following Fumiko Kimura’s no-contest plea, social workers and committee members including Sumiko Ono and Rev. Ren Kimura expressed relief and hope for a lenient sentence. Defense attorney Gerald Klausner said plea bargaining spared Kimura the ordeal of a jury trial.

Arts & Entertainment

• East West Players Open 20th Season, page 3. East West Players celebrates its 20th season with productions including ‘Christmas in Camp II,’ a new play by Wakako Yamauchi called ‘The Memento,’ and a restaging of ‘Rashomon.’ The season also includes works in progress by Jon Shirota and Philip Kan Gotanda.
• The Mishima Mystique, by Jane Kaihatsu, page 5. A review of Paul Schrader’s film ‘Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,’ which presents a theatrical rather than analytical portrait of controversial Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. The reviewer praises the visually stunning production design by Eiko Ishioka but finds the film lacking in emotional cohesiveness.
• Hiratsuka: A Retrospective, by Ed Mitoma, page 6. The article profiles 90-year-old Japanese woodblock artist Un’ichi Hiratsuka, who moved to the U.S. in 1962 and adapted traditional ukiyo-e techniques to American landscapes. A retrospective exhibition of his works is on display at the Doizaki Gallery in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo until Nov. 24.

Commentary

• G.F.B., by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani praises Go For Broke, Inc., a small but dedicated organization of AJA veterans that has mounted major educational exhibits on Nisei soldiers, including at the Presidio and the Cannon House Office Building. He highlights the group’s advocacy on redress and human dignity issues and its ambitious plans, including a proposed Smithsonian exhibit.
• Sex and the Nikkei, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. Columnist Bob Shimabukuro reflects on the absence of discussion about sex and romance among Nisei and in Asian American literature and media, contrasting stereotypes of Asian men with his own family memories. He shares humorous anecdotes about his parents’ and relatives’ reticence about romance and sex, including his father’s euphemistic explanation of reproduction.
• She’s My Shero, by Patti Adachi, page 4. A letter writer responds to a July 12 PC article on ‘Sheroes of Herstory,’ arguing that routinely using male-gendered language for humanity and the divine is as ludicrous as it would be to flip the genders. She suggests envisioning God as female is equally absurd as envisioning God as male.
• Volunteers and Staff, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi clarifies that Clifford Uyeda’s earlier comments defended volunteers rather than attacking staff, and that Uyeda has been a strong supporter of JACL staff. He explains that a National Board ad hoc committee’s cost-reduction package for redress funding included staff salary freezes affecting all areas of the organization.
• Are All Stereotypes Slurs?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Columnist Bill Hosokawa muses on a figure of a happy black boy he saw at a restaurant, questioning whether all racial stereotypes and caricatures are inherently offensive. He compares this to the different connotations of ethnic terms like ‘Jap’ versus ‘Swede’ or ‘Turk,’ noting the complexity of what is considered a slur.
• A New Wind, by Gene Takamine, page 5. JACL National Secretary-Treasurer Gene Takamine writes about Grayce Uyehara’s capable leadership of the redress lobbying effort and urges JACL members to support the cause financially. He argues that the organization’s credibility depends on continued commitment to redress.

In-Depth

• Jiichan, the Photographer, by Christine Bepp, page 5. Christine Bepp recounts how a phone call from photographer S. William Jarrett led to the rediscovery of her grandfather Kiroku Bepp’s glass-plate photographs of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The article details Kiroku Bepp’s life as an Issei photographer in San Francisco, his internment at Heart Mountain, and his legacy as reflected in his own writings on life and philosophy.

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