Vol. 101, No. 16, October 18, 1985. 8 pages. View this issue
Redress filled much of this eight-page issue. The front page reported that Rep. Charles “Chip” Pashayan became the first California Republican to co-sponsor redress bill HR 442. Grayce Uyehara’s column reported on the grassroots lobbying effort, and Grant Ujifusa laid out a legislative strategy paper for the Legislative Education Committee. Page 3 followed the coram nobis cases of Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui, who, along with Fred Korematsu, had challenged their wartime convictions. The front page also carried the story of Iowa Agriculture Secretary Robert Lounsberry, who apologized for referring to the Japanese with a racial slur, and the recall of three Honolulu councilmen.
Other pages include Bill Marutani on Asian Americans in management and Bill Hosokawa on a matsutake mushroom shortage. There are reports on a USC alumni awards dinner, tensions facing Vietnamese fishermen in the Bay Area, and a population study of Asian Americans. The JACL National Scholarship Program announced its 1986 applications, with a March 1, 1986 deadline.
What’s in this issue
National
- ‘Slant Eyes’ Remark Causes Stir in Iowa, page 1. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Robert Lounsberry apologized after being accused of referring to the Japanese as ‘slant eyes’ during a Blue Ribbon Committee meeting, a comment he initially denied making. Witnesses contradicted his denial, and he eventually issued a statement apologizing for the remark he ‘allegedly made’ while citing his WW2 combat experience as context.
- Councilmen Ousted After Party Switch, page 1. Honolulu voters recalled three city councilmen—George Akahane, Rudy Pacarro and Toraki Matsumoto—who had switched from Democrat to Republican mid-term, enabling a GOP takeover that ousted Patsy Mink as council chair. Sen. Daniel Inouye and other Democrats led the successful recall campaign despite President Reagan’s televised appeal urging voters to oppose it.
- N.Y. Man Convicted of Subway Murder, page 2. John Cardinale, a former Peace Corps volunteer, was found guilty of second-degree murder for pushing Ly Yung Cheung in front of an oncoming subway train in 1984, reportedly believing he was being pursued by Asian demons. His insanity defense was rejected by the jury, and he faces 25 years to life in prison.
- Governors Favor Native Hawaiian Inclusion in Federal Programs, page 2. The Western Governors’ Association unanimously adopted a resolution, introduced by Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi, calling on Congress to include Native Hawaiians in all federal programs available to other Native Americans. A similar resolution was previously approved by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Anchorage, Alaska.
- More Anti-Vietnamese Violence Feared, by Ed Iwata, page 7. Vietnamese fishermen in the Bay Area are threatening to arm themselves after a shooting incident near Bolinas Bay, the latest in a series of attacks and racial harassment targeting Vietnamese fishermen using gill nets. Authorities have struggled to investigate due to jurisdictional confusion, while fishermen say they intend to continue fishing despite the danger.
- Asians Fastest-Growing Group, Study Says, page 7. A Population Reference Bureau study projects Asian Americans will number nearly 10 million by 2000, growing from 1.5% to almost 4% of the U.S. population. The composition will shift as Filipino, Vietnamese, and Korean populations grow faster than the historically dominant Japanese and Chinese American communities.
- U.S., Japan Leaders to Debate on Television, page 8. KCET and the Pacific Basin Institute are co-producing a televised panel debate between Japanese and American business and government leaders focusing on trade tensions, to air nationally in November. Participants include author David Halberstam, Rep. Ralph Regula, and Toyota Motor Sales president Yukiyasu Togo, alongside a taped interview with former Japanese foreign minister Kiichi Miyazawa.
Incarceration & Redress
- HR 442 Gets 1st Calif. GOP Backer, page 1. Rep. Charles ‘Chip’ Pashayan became the first California Republican to co-sponsor redress bill HR 442, joining five other new co-sponsors including Reps. Boucher, Evans, McGrath, Hoyer, and Robinson. JACL leaders Mineta and Matsui praised Pashayan’s decision as a significant breakthrough that could encourage other California Republicans to support redress.
- Hirabayashi, Yasui Cases Enter New Phase, page 3. The coram nobis cases of Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui advanced with final legal papers filed in Hirabayashi’s Seattle case and a 9th Circuit ruling keeping Yasui’s Portland case alive by ordering a determination on his appeal deadline. Both men, along with Fred Korematsu, had challenged their WW2 convictions, claiming the government presented false information to justify internment as a military necessity.
- The LEC Legislative Strategy Paper, by Grant Ujifusa, page 5. Ujifusa lays out a detailed strategic plan for passing redress legislation, identifying key votes needed on House and Senate committees, the importance of White House neutrality, and the need for coalition-building with other civil rights groups. He emphasizes that a fulltime LEC Director in Washington is essential to coordinate lobbying efforts and that grassroots letter-writing and personal visits to members of Congress are critical to success.
Community
- S. Korean Gov’t Control of TV Shows Alleged, page 2. The Korean American Free Press Committee filed an FCC complaint alleging that Korean-language programs on KSCI-TV are controlled by the South Korean government through Korean Television Enterprises. The complaint asks the FCC to review the station’s license and requests a Justice Dept. investigation into whether KSCI is knowingly relinquishing control to a foreign government agent.
- USC Alumni Honored for Achievements, page 3. About 600 people attended USC’s Asian Pacific American Support Group’s first annual awards dinner, honoring architects Gin Wong and Toshikazu Terasawa, Olympic diving champion Dr. Sammy Lee, and posthumously Fukui Mortuary president Soichi Fukui. Scholarships were also awarded to several USC students including Michael Lew and Mel Ilomin.
- JACCC Gets Donation, page 3. The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center received a $50,000 grant from Yaohan USA, presented by company president Kazuo Wada. Chairman Katsu Wada also presented a commemorative plaque to Koshiro Torii of the JACCC.
- Tamura Scholarship Fundraiser Planned, page 3. A kickoff fundraiser for a memorial scholarship honoring the late Justice Stephen K. Tamura will be held Nov. 23 in Irvine, California. Tamura, a 442nd veteran, became the first Japanese American appointed an appellate judge in the continental U.S. in 1966 and served until his 1981 retirement.
- Hayashi Memorial Scholarship Given, page 6. Thomas Fleming of Alameda, a UC Berkeley graduate now at Yale Law School, was named the 1986 recipient of the JACL/EDC Thomas T. Hayashi Memorial Law Scholarship. The award honors attorney and civil rights advocate Thomas Hayashi, who was interned at Tule Lake during WW2 and later became a prominent international corporate lawyer.
- Scout Completes Food Drive for Kimochi, page 6. Boy Scout Henry Isakari of Berkeley organized a year-long canned food drive as an Eagle Scout project, collecting over 500 items worth $520 for Kimochi Home’s senior programs. He worked with churches, organizations like Contra Costa JACL, and local restaurants to gather donations.
- Anti-Asian Violence Subject of Conference, page 6. The fifth National Asian Pacific American Law Students Association conference, to be held at Boston College Law School, will address increasing violence against Asian Americans nationwide. Speakers from legal and community organizations including the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund will discuss strategies for response.
Commentary
- They’re Happier As Is, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani critiques a Wall Street Journal article citing reasons for the scarcity of Asian Americans in management, including a claim that they would be ‘happier’ remaining in technical fields. He argues that Asian cultures clearly can manage businesses successfully, citing Hyundai, Sony, Toyota and Honda, and urges Asian Americans to assertively pursue advancement rather than relying on merit alone.
- Grassroots Lobbying, by Grayce Uyehara, page 4. Uyehara provides an update on redress lobbying efforts, noting new H.R. 442 co-sponsor Rep. Henry Hyde and Sen. Charles Mathias’s retirement announcement affecting Senate strategy. She details grassroots lobbying plans including New York coordinator Dr. Mary Koide’s efforts in Buffalo and Washington Representative Tim Gojio’s meeting with Delaware Lt. Gov. S.B. Woo.
- Incomplete Reporting, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. Uyeda writes to clarify that the idea for freezing 1986 staff salary was proposed by the National Director, not the Board, correcting a prior PC article. He notes his comment was in response to a suggestion that National Board members pay their own travel expenses to meetings.
- Salons and Slurs, by Rochelle Wandzura, page 4. A letter writer questions the defense offered by owners of a West Hollywood hair salon with an offensive acronym name, asking what name they would have chosen if their initials had spelled something innocuous. The letter implies skepticism about claims the offensive name was unintentional.
- The Great Matsutake Shortage, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes a severe matsutake mushroom crop failure in the Rocky Mountains this year, attributed to drought conditions that left the usual hunting grounds barren. He notes the disappointment of mushroom hunters and the frustrated customers of local dealers who normally ship the delicacy nationwide.
JACL
- JACL Scholarship Forms Available, page 6. Applications for the 1986 JACL National Scholarship Program, offering over 45 awards totaling about $60,000, are now available from chapters and National Headquarters. The deadline for all applications is March 1, 1986.
Obituaries
- Kaei Kay Kamiya, page 6. Kaei Kay Kamiya, 77, a Hawaii-born Nisei who worked as a prewar gakuen teacher and postwar Los Angeles businessman, died Oct. 7. He is survived by his wife Waseko, son Eiichi, three daughters, and eight grandchildren.
Arts & Entertainment
- Yokohama, California Being Reprinted, page 7. University of Washington Press has published a new edition of the late Toshio Mori’s Yokohama, California, originally published in 1949 as the first short story collection by a Japanese American. The new edition includes an introduction by poet Lawson Inada, with Mori’s stories depicting Japanese American community life in the fictional town during the 1930s and ’40s.
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