Redress hearings in New York and a Buddhist temple fire reward

Vol. 93, No. 23, December 4, 1981. 12 pages. View this issue

The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians held a one-day hearing at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York on Nov. 23, and the front page carried several accounts of it. Witnesses included Jack Kiyoto Tono, a Heart Mountain draft resister, and Charles T. Nagao of Seabrook Farms, along with two church leaders who urged redress. Elsewhere in the issue, Edward J. Ennis wrote of the ACLU’s statement to the Commission, and the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations won the endorsement of the 100th/442nd Association of California.

The front page also reported a reward for information on the burning of an Oakland Buddhist temple, and Idaho State University’s choice of Dr. Kiyo Morimoto as alumnus of the year. Inside are columns by Ron Wakabayashi, Bill Marutani and Jin Konomi, Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki’s recollections of Manzanar and Tule Lake, and chapter news from Sacramento, San Jose and Contra Costa.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Church Offers Reward for Oakland Buddhist Temple Fire Investigation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A congregation is offering a reward of $3,000 to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of arsonists who burned a Buddhist temple. The temple was the only church to burn down in the city in more than three years.
• Idaho State Names High School Dropout as Alumnus of the Year, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Kiyo Morimoto, who quit high school to enlist in the Army and was the first Nisei to do so, was honored as Idaho State University’s alumnus of the year. He later earned degrees from Boston University and has taught at Harvard University since 1955.
• Doctor Says Hepatitis Frequent in Asians, page 3. A doctor identified as Tong discussed how Hepatitis B virus often goes undetected in the Asian population and can be transmitted from pregnant women to infants. The Liver Diagnostic Center in Pasadena is testing pregnant women for the virus and offers free blood tests.
• Reunion Offers Discount to Issei, page 3. The Heart Mountain Reunion Committee announced a discounted $30 registration fee for Issei aged 75 or older attending the first campwide reunion in April 1982 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Los Angeles. Regular registration is $45 with a deadline of Jan. 31, 1982.
• LTSC Seeking New Funding Sources, page 3. Little Tokyo Service Center faced a complete loss of funding in 1981 due to Reagan Administration budget cuts, but was partially re-funded after community protest. A support committee is now seeking ways to offset the remaining 50% reduction through fundraising efforts.
• Sacramento JACL Celebrates 50 Years of Community Service, page 6. The Sacramento JACL held a Golden Anniversary celebration at the Sacramento Convention Center with 400 attendees, honoring charter members and past pre-World War II chapter presidents. The chapter’s history traces back to its founding on Oct. 31, 1931, and includes service during the evacuation and postwar resettlement assistance.
• Eden Township Re-elects Nishida, page 6. Ichiro Nishida was re-elected to lead the Eden Township chapter, having previously served as president for four terms in 1971-72-73. Details of new officers and board members were also announced.
• Contra Costa JACL to Install Officers, page 6. The Contra Costa JACL announced its 1982 officer installation including Setigta as v.p., Ada Wada as recording secretary, and other new board members. Charles Kubokawa, past NCWNPDC governor, served as guest installing officer.
• Tanda Elected San Jose President, page 6. Wayne Tanda was elected president of the San Jose JACL Chapter at a recent meeting at California First Bank. The Asian American Youths group also elected Andy Uchida as its 1982 president.
• ‘Fukuyama Story’ Part of ADL Filmstrip Series, page 9. The Anti-Defamation League premiered ‘The Fukuyama Family,’ a filmstrip tracing three generations of a Japanese American family from immigration in 1905 through wartime internment to postwar success. The filmstrip is part of ADL’s 12-part ‘American Story’ series on ethnic Americanization.
• JACLers Decorate Governor’s Tree, page 9. Members of the Milwaukee JACL joined other ethnic groups traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, to decorate a Christmas tree with Japanese ornaments at the home of Gov. and Mrs. Lee S. Dreyfus. This marks the second year the Milwaukee JACL has participated in the International Institute tree decorating project.
• Fresno Constructs Shinzen Garden, page 9. A Japanese garden has been constructed in Fresno and is open to the public on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The garden project included fundraising efforts led by a campaign coordinator.
• Report on Mental Health Services Released, page 9. The Pacific Asian Mental Health Research Project released a report analyzing data from 50 community-based agencies providing mental health services to Pacific Asian American communities in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Interested parties can contact PAMHRP for more information.
• Radio Show to Focus on Asians, page 10. Western Public Radio will present ‘Crosscurrents,’ a magazine-style program focusing on Asian American current affairs, including segments on Korean, Filipino and Southeast Asian communities. The programs will air in December on KPFA-FM and in January on KQED-FM.
• East Bay Dec. 31 Party Plans Set, page 10. The Berkeley and Contra Costa JACL chapters will jointly sponsor a New Year’s Eve dance party at the El Cerrito Community Center featuring music by the Sentimental Journey band led by See Yoshida. Tickets are $12.50 per person and available through several chapter contacts.
• PC People: Awards, Business, Education, Flower-Gardens, Medicine, Music, Press, Sports, page 11. This roundup column highlights notable Japanese Americans including Yori Wada receiving a Humanitarian of the Year award, Wayne Horiuchi’s appointment at Union Pacific Railroad, and Dr. Robert Fujinami winning a $300,000 MS research scholarship. Also noted are conductor Seiji Ozawa’s Tokyo reunion with Herbert von Karajan and UOP football player Stan Shibata’s interception record.
• Nisei Retirement Group Plans Christmas Party, page 11. The Nisei and Retirement Program will hold a Christmas party on Dec. 20 at JACL Headquarters in San Francisco. Those wishing to contribute foods, handicrafts, or white elephant gifts are asked to contact designated coordinators.
• Pocatello JACL Holds Chow Mein Dinner Fundraiser, page 12. The annual Pocatello JACL chow mein dinner fundraiser was held Nov. 15 at the JACL Hall, co-chaired by Miyo Ota. The event served as a fundraiser for the chapter.

Incarceration & Redress

• CWRIC Holds One-Day Hearing in New York, page 1. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians held a hearing at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York on Nov. 23, nearly derailed by friction between New Yorkers and Commission staff but ultimately proceeding smoothly. New York Gov. Hugh Carey and Secretary of State Basil Paterson sent messages condemning the wartime incarceration and calling for fair redress.
• Church Leaders Urge Redress for Internees, page 1. Retired minister Dr. John Coventry Smith, a former missionary interned by Japan who returned on the exchange ship Gripsholm, testified that the wartime treatment of Japanese Americans was too unjust to be dismissed as a wartime mistake. Howard Sprague, a Chicago pastor during the war who helped evacuees resettle, recalled feeling ashamed of his country and submitted minutes of 1940s church meetings protesting the internment.
• WRA Camp Draft Resister Testifies, page 1. Jack Kiyoto Tono, one of 63 Heart Mountain inmates who resisted the wartime draft in 1944, testified before the CWRIC in New York about his arrest, trial, and conviction under the Selective Service Act. He described the pressure from JACL members to abandon his resistance and recounted the eventual general amnesty granted by President Truman in 1947.
• Burdens at Seabrook Farms Told, page 1. Charles T. Nagao, a longtime Seabrook, N.J. JACL leader, testified before the CWRIC about the personal humiliation and hardship he endured due to Executive Order 9066 while working at Seabrook Farms. At its peak, nearly 3,000 Japanese Americans lived and worked at the farm community, which has since dwindled to about 500.
• Barrow’s Testimony on WRA Reveals Internal Doubts About Evacuation, page 2. Leland Barrows, a top WRA administrative official, testified before the CWRIC that the agency believed in 1946 that while some selected evacuation might have been justified, a massive evacuation was never justified. He described wartime hysteria, false reports of sabotage, and the contrast with the lack of internment for German and Italian Americans.
• Seabrook Farms Letter Responds to James Oda, by James Oda, page 4. James Oda writes from Fontana, Ca., addressing JACL’s history during the loyalty oath period and defending Mike Masaoka’s actions, while criticizing dissident elements he feels undermine unity in the redress movement. He calls for the community to repudiate such divisive elements.
• Ennis: FDR and Civilian Authorities Blamed for Evacuation Decision, by Edward J. Ennis, page 5. Continuing his CWRIC statement, Ennis argues that civilian authorities including Stimson, Patterson and McCloy failed to exercise independent judgment and deferred to military demands for evacuation. He contends the government should accept responsibility for compensating the discriminatory burden placed on Japanese Americans during World War II.

JACL

• San Jose JACL Pledges $50,000 to Issei Memorial Building Fund, page 1. The San Jose JACL pledged $50,000 toward renovating the 56-year-old Issei Memorial Building on North 5th Street. The campaign has already raised over $6,000 through solicitation efforts.

Military & Veterans

• NCRR’s Redress Goals Endorsed by 100th/442nd Veterans, page 1. The 100th/442nd Association of California voted Nov. 4 to endorse the efforts of the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations. President Jim Kawaminami sent a letter to NCRR’s Roy Nakano expressing the veterans’ approval.
• A Kibei GI’s Comment on ‘Heroic Struggles of Japanese Americans’, by Koichi Shibuya, page 3. Koichi Shibuya recommends James Oda’s book about Kibei contributions to MIS and the Pacific War effort, noting that U.S. Army Chief of Staff credited Nisei intelligence soldiers with shortening the Pacific War by two years. Shibuya served with Oda in the MIS and the U.S. Occupation Force in Japan.
• Captured Zero Fighter Tested Over Washington During WWII, page 8. A captured Japanese Zero fighter plane, recovered from the Aleutians after an emergency landing in 1942, was secretly tested by U.S. test pilot Adm. Noel Gayler in mock dogfights near Washington, D.C. The testing revealed the Zero’s weaknesses, leading to development of the Grumman F6F Hellcat which eventually overcame the Zero in 1944.

National

• Hayakawa Drops to Fourth in Calif. Poll; Campaign Funds Running Low, page 1. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa fell to fourth place among Republican candidates in a Field Institute poll, trailing Barry Goldwater Jr., Pete Wilson, and Pete McCloskey. His campaign funds have dwindled to under $10,000 and he released his campaign manager to cut expenses.
• Doctor Says Hawaii Nisei Judge Was Not Beaten Up, page 1. A police department medical expert testified that Judge Harold Shintaku’s head injuries were likely caused by falls rather than a beating, supporting police closing their investigation. Police theorized Shintaku may have fallen while attempting to hang himself, noting a mark around his neck.
• Crime Victim Seeks Revenge, page 3. Kazuyoshi Miura, a Japanese tourist shot in a Los Angeles robbery along with his wife Kazumi, vowed to avenge the attack if she did not survive her critical injuries. In a separate incident, Shizuka Okamura was shot and robbed at a San Francisco hotel.

Commentary

• ACLU’s Statement to CWRIC, by Edward J. Ennis, page 2. Edward J. Ennis recounts the ACLU’s early and continuous opposition to the Japanese American evacuation, including its legal involvement in the Hirabayashi, Korematsu, and Endo Supreme Court cases. He argues that the mass evacuation was the greatest deprivation of civil liberties by government since slavery and that substantial monetary redress is warranted.
• Musubi: Thoughtfulness, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. Wakabayashi reflects on the Nikkei custom of sharing food thoughtfully so everyone receives a portion, drawing a parallel to the need for JACL to reduce the burden and anxiety of organizational participation. He notes that limited national finances constrain new programs much like a room with too few pieces of manju to share.
• Redress a la MDC, page 4. A writer reflects on attending the Fall Midwest District Conference of JACL, recalling three and a half years spent in camp, particularly at Tule Lake, as a high school youth. The writer expresses strong support for a nationwide redress program while maintaining a positive outlook on the camp experience.
• On Redress: Portland Comment, page 4. A Portland JACL Newsletter commentary critiques the lack of media coverage and public attendance at CWRIC hearings in Seattle, arguing more publicity was needed to educate the American public, including about the lesser-known internment of Aleutian Islanders. The piece urges the Nikkei community to stay organized and push for substantial redress rather than back off momentum.
• From Happy Valley: Beauty That Withered, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Sachi Seko recalls a family friend from her mother’s pre-war circle of young women who worked as domestics in white households, remembering her as the most beautiful and favored by the children. Years later, after the war, the woman’s fortune and beauty had faded, and the author reflects on loss, change, and the passage of time.
• East Wind: The Problems of Self-Identity, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani examines his difficulty understanding the self-identity crisis some Sansei describe, noting that as a Nisei he endured discrimination but never wished to be hakujin. He suggests that Nisei may have experienced a similar identity crisis with scars not yet acknowledged, and advises Sansei not to let such struggles defeat them.
• ‘Yakuza’—Some Unpleasant Implications, page 5. A columnist discusses Senate testimony from LAPD Lt. Richard W. Wright describing Yakuza involvement in narcotics, gun smuggling, prostitution and extortion in the Japanese American business community. The piece questions Wright’s claim of a lack of police rapport with ‘Japanese national groups’ and worries about implications for innocent bystanders.
• The 61st American Assembly: Ethnic Groups in U.S., by Floyd D. Shimomura, page 10. Floyd Shimomura reports on the ‘Sixty First American Assembly’ conference on ethnic groups in the United States, covering discussions on immigration, bilingual education, urban politics, and the courts’ role in protecting minority rights. He describes forming a bond with fellow Asian American attendees and argues for continued civil rights protections for Asians given the long history of discrimination.
• Japanese Wives of Americans Since 1965 Quizzed, by Kazuhiko Nagoya, page 10. Research by Chizuko Takase of Izumi Junior College reveals that most American husbands of Japanese women do little housework, and that despite disagreements between couples over child-rearing, there is very low delinquency among their children. Takase’s study surveyed 100 Japanese women married to Americans living in the San Francisco area.
• Moshi Moshi: Yoji Oki and Crow Flight, by Jin Konomi, page 12. Jin Konomi reflects on the Haworth Golf Club controversy where new Japanese owners doubled membership fees, drawing a comparison to the 1930s Japanese American golf clubs Yoji Oki and Crow Flight that formed because Japanese golfers were barred from playing during normal hours. He criticizes both the ethnic resentment of excluded Haworth members and the ironic behavior of the new Japanese owners, hoping for a day when such incidents are viewed without ethnic implications.

In-Depth

• WWII ‘Internment’ Still Haunts MD, page 7. Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki of Lafayette, Ca., shared her personal history as a physician who set up medical facilities at Manzanar and later worked at Tule Lake, in an interview with American Medical News. She testified at CWRIC hearings because these painful memories are too important to forget, though she said she would donate any individual redress money to others.
• Anthropologist to Study Fowler Nikkei Community, page 8. Anthropologist Akemi Kikumura received a $2,000 grant from the California Council for the Humanities to study Japanese American history and culture in Fowler, Ca. Kikumura is also the author of the new book ‘Through the Harsh Winters, The Life of a Japanese Immigrant Woman.’

Sports

• 30 Selanoco JACLers and Friends in Golf Meet, page 12. Thirty-five members and guests participated in the first annual Selanoco JACL golf tournament at Prado Golf Course in Chino. Prizes were donated by several sponsors and winners were listed in multiple divisions.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.