Convention plans, the Sumitomo case and 100 years of Chinese exclusion

Vol. 94, No. 19, May 14, 1982. 12 pages. View this issue

Preparations for the 27th biennial JACL National Convention in Gardena, Aug. 10-13, led the front page, as information packets went out to every chapter. Topics on the agenda included a plan for redress, organizational development and the future of the JACL. The page also reported on the Supreme Court arguments in the Sumitomo discrimination case, with more detail on page 8, and carried a tribute appeal for Shig Wakamatsu, who was to be honored at the convention.

Inside, H.M. Lai marked the centennial of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and Jin Konomi continued a series on the emperor and the Japanese people. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Rep. Norman Mineta’s warning on rising racism at the Heart Mountain camp reunion. Ron Ikejiri reported on the Voting Rights Act, and John Tateishi remembered Dudley Yasuda.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• National Convention Packets Sent to All JACL Chapters, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Information packets for the 27th biennial JACL National Convention in Gardena, Aug. 10-13, have been mailed to all chapters, outlining registration packages and individual event tickets. Topics to be discussed include redress, organizational development, U.S.-Japan trade imbalance effects on Nikkei, and the future of JACL.
• JACL Urged to Build Partnership with Private Sector on Programs, page 1. At an April 27 White House briefing on Private Sector Initiatives, President Reagan urged organizations like JACL to build partnerships with the private sector amid rising costs and reduced government programs. JACL staff are developing a checklist and strategies for chapters to seek community partnerships and contributions, with Washington Representative Ron Ikejiri representing JACL at the event.
• After All This Man Has Given Us, Won’t You Give a Little Back to Him?, page 7. This tribute piece honors Shig Wakamatsu, a longtime JACL leader who helped start the Issei History Project and served on the Anti-Discrimination Committee that abolished over 500 discriminatory state laws. Readers are asked to contribute to a tribute fund for Wakamatsu to be honored at the 27th Biennial National JACL Convention in August.
• Tom Hayashi Law Scholarship Application Deadline July 15, page 8. Applications for the 1982 JACL/Thomas T. Hayashi memorial law scholarship, worth up to $2,100 over three years, are being accepted through the Washington JACL Office with a July 15 deadline. The scholarship, administered by the Eastern District Council, honors the late New York Nisei attorney and promotes the study of law for justice and equality.

National

• Japan’s Economy Will Outpace Europe & U.S., Forecaster Says, page 1. A new 10-year forecast predicts Japan’s exports will grow significantly through the 1980s even as domestic consumer demand dries up due to an aging society. The forecaster notes that Japan’s rapidly aging population will create higher social security payments and slower per capita income growth.
• Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Sumitomo Discrimination Case, page 1. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether a 1953 U.S.-Japan commercial treaty exempts Japanese firms like Sumitomo Shoji America from complying with the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s anti-discrimination provisions. The case centers on whether Japanese companies can reserve top executive positions for Japanese nationals, with attorneys for both sides and the government presenting differing views to the justices.
• Yakuza a Growing Problem in U.S., page 1. Two women filed a $3 million lawsuit against companies allegedly linked to the yakuza after claiming they were nearly forced into prostitution instead of entertainer jobs in Japan. Law enforcement officials say the yakuza are increasingly infiltrating drug trafficking, loan sharking, and black market trade in Los Angeles and beyond, with growing ties to the American mafia.
• Sumitomo Case Details, page 8. Further details on the Sumitomo Supreme Court case reveal the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in January 1980 that Sumitomo must comply with anti-discrimination law while allowing the company to argue necessity for preferences. Of the 12 women who originally filed suit against Sumitomo Shoji, only one remains with the firm.
• N.Y.’s AALDEF Denounces INS Sweeps, page 8. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund denounced nationwide INS sweeps of undocumented workers as racist and ineffective, saying raids have created a chilling effect on New York’s Chinatown community. AALDEF president Arthur Soong said the raids merely promote misconceptions linking undocumented aliens to high unemployment.
• Gallup Poll Shows Americans View Japan as ‘Trustworthy Ally’, page 10. A Gallup poll conducted for Japan’s Foreign Ministry found 53% of Americans consider Japan a trustworthy ally despite trade friction, up from 49% in 1980. The survey also found increased support for Japan to boost defense spending, with 45% favoring increased spending.
• Author Toland Faints During Talk on Book, page 10. Historian John Toland, 69, fainted after delivering a lecture on his new book ‘Infamy—Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath’ at the National Archives. He was revived and taken to a hospital for a checkup before returning home to Connecticut.
• Japan Emperor 81 Years Old, page 10. More than 46,000 well-wishers gathered at the Imperial Palace to celebrate Emperor Hirohito’s 81st birthday, with the emperor appearing with family members on a bullet-proof veranda. Hirohito’s 57-year reign is the longest in the history of the Chrysanthemum throne.
• American Indians Ask Japan for Aid, page 10. The National Tribal Chairmen’s Association is seeking up to $100 million in low-interest loans from Japanese corporations for reservation development projects, citing distrust of U.S. government and corporate efforts. Proposals range from a trailer park in Oklahoma to a $40 million electric generating project in Maine.
• Hawaii Still Favored by Japanese, page 10. Japanese tourists remain the top-spending visitors to Hawaii at $185 a day, well above American and Canadian tourists, according to the Hawaii Visitors Bureau. Hawaii also remains the top honeymoon destination for Japanese newlyweds traveling overseas.
• ‘Bullet’ Train Plan Gets Funding, page 12. Plans for a 160-mph high-speed passenger train system, potentially the first such service in the U.S., are moving forward with Japanese engineering involvement and funding from Japanese industrialist Ryoichi Sasakawa. A Florida panel is studying feasibility for a system linking Miami, Orlando and Tampa.

Community

• Gardena JACL Queen Crowned, page 1. Deena Lynn Akemi Hard was crowned Gardena Valley JACL queen on May 1 at the Hyatt Airport Hotel, surrounded by her court of princesses. Deena will be Gardena’s candidate for the Nisei Week Festival queen title in August.
• Fresno County Supervisor Huey Campaigns for Second Term, page 1. Harry Huey, the first Asian American to serve as Chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, is campaigning for a second four-year term. An architect and racehorse owner, Huey says he is running on his record of cutting governmental red tape.
• SF Foundation Gives $10,000 to JA Library, page 1. The San Francisco Foundation awarded $10,000 to the Japanese American Library project at the Center for Japanese American Studies, which aims to be the first library to systematically collect Nikkei publications. The grant proposal was compiled by Karl Matsushita and former JACL National President Dr. Clifford Uyeda.
• ESGV Center Picks Nisei Week Candidate, page 1. Janet Midori Barnes, a 20-year-old Mt. San Antonio College student born in Okinawa, was selected to represent the San Gabriel Valley and East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center in the annual Nisei Week Queen Contest.
• Noguchi Out, Supervisors Move to Revamp Coroner’s Office, page 3. Following the demotion of Coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi, Los Angeles County supervisors voted to streamline the coroner’s office, authorizing additional funding and nine new employees. Noguchi is appealing his demotion to the Civil Service Commission, denying charges of mismanagement and unprofessional statements about celebrity deaths.
• Nikkei Support for Leo McCarthy Grows, page 3. Nikkei support is growing for Assembly Speaker Pro-tem Leo McCarthy’s candidacy for Lieutenant Governor, highlighted by a $125 reception planned for May 21 at the New Otani Hotel. Lynn Choy Uyeda and Henry Ota are among the community organizers involved.
• Merchants Protest Widening E. 1st St., page 3. The Little Tokyo Business Assn. board voted unanimously to protest a proposal to widen East 1st Street, arguing it would threaten the historic character of Little Tokyo. Board chair C. Taiyoshi said any redevelopment must preserve provisions for merchant storefronts and commercial usage.
• Asian American Fire Fighters Being Sought, page 3. The Los Angeles Fire Department is actively recruiting from the Asian American community during May, seeking applicants aged 18-30. Written examinations are scheduled for late June 1983.
• Nikkei Charged as ‘Slumlord’ in L.A., page 3. Robert K. Higa, chief officer of Haskell Hotels, Inc., was among four landlords charged by City Attorney Ira Reiner with 36 health and building code violations in downtown skid row hotels. Higa faces 11 counts including rodent infestation and exposed wiring, each carrying penalties of up to six months jail and a $500 fine.
• Sansei Opposes Cuts to Calif. Women’s Panel, page 3. Irene Hirano, chairperson of the California Commission on the Status of Women, called a proposal to virtually eliminate the commission’s funding ‘an affront’ amid the state’s budget crisis. The Legislative Analyst’s proposal would cut the commission’s budget from $420,000 to $10,000, eliminating staff and office support.
• Yu-Ai-Kai Sakura Benefit Set May 22, page 3. The third annual Yu-Ai-Kai Sakura benefit fashion show luncheon will be held May 22 at the Marriott Hotel in San Jose, featuring spring fashions from local retailers. The community group also published a bilingual book on prewar San Jose Japanese town history.
• West Valley Hangs Up Scrapbook as NC-WNDC Award Recipient, page 4. West Valley JACL, recipient of the 1981 NCWNDC Award for best chapter yearbook, is aiming for a repeat win under new historian Tom Miyamoto. The chapter continues its scrapbook tradition recognized by the district council.
• Fremont JACL Sets Graduation Luncheon, page 6. Fremont JACL will hold its Graduation Luncheon for high school seniors on May 23 at Lucia’s Restaurant, featuring guest speaker Judy Kadota of California First Bank. Reservations can be made through chapter contacts.
• San Francisco JACL Offers Scholarships, page 6. San Francisco JACL announced $1,000 scholarships for two deserving 1982 high school graduates of Japanese ancestry who are chapter members or children of members. Criteria include academic achievement, leadership, community involvement and financial need, with a submission deadline of May 28.
• Search for Past Yields Lesson in Joy, page 8. An elderly Japanese man, Isao Shimokawa, 80, was found disoriented at an Omaha bus depot and was helped by local JACL members the Takechi family, who discovered he had wandered from a Los Angeles senior apartment. The Takechis arranged his safe return home to Los Angeles, with the story highlighting community compassion and connection.
• ‘Inter-generational Issues’ Slated, page 8. West L.A. Sansei JACL will host a workshop on ‘Inter-generational Issues’ on May 15, featuring speakers discussing interracial dating, family obligations, and alcohol and drug abuse. The event will be held at WLA United Methodist Church.
• Videotapes on Japan Planned for Schools, page 10. TDK Electronics and the Japan Society previewed a videotape about Japan for American elementary classrooms, part of a planned 12-tape series. The project, supported by former Education Minister Michio Nagai, aims to distribute tapes to schools in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.
• West L.A. JACL Travel Meet Set May 14, page 12. West L.A. JACL will hold a special briefing for members traveling to Asia this summer, featuring color movies of the chapter’s 1981 autumn tour. Questions on travel logistics including visas and passports will be addressed.
• Marina JACLer to Lead Japan Tour, page 12. Quinn Okamoto, a UCLA senior and Marina JACL member, is organizing a 15-day Sansei tour to Japan departing Sept. 4, with stops in Tokyo, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara and Kurashiki. The tour costs $1,395 including airfare.

Commentary

• Dudley Yasuda, by John Tateishi, page 2. In this Redress Phase column, the author reflects on his friendship with Dudley Yasuda, a fellow Japanese American instructor at City College of San Francisco who was shot and killed by an assassin. The piece explores their shared teaching styles and the author’s regret for never fully explaining to Yasuda, who was from Hawaii, the significance of the WWII internment experience.
• OCA’s First Decade, by Min Yasui, page 2. The column profiles Austin Tao, national president of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a ten-year-old organization founded in 1973 that now has 23 chapters nationwide. Yasui discusses OCA’s mission for justice, a recent national board meeting in Denver, and the potential for coalition-building between OCA, JACL, and other Asian American groups on redress and civil rights issues.
• Voting Rights Act, by Ron Ikejiri, page 4. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of a bipartisan compromise on the Voting Rights Act, worked out by Sens. Dole, Kennedy and Mathias, allowing election results to be used as evidence of discrimination while disclaiming proportional representation rights. JACL joined other civil rights groups in supporting the bill, with several chapter leaders writing to their senators urging passage.
• Heritage Week, by Raymond Okamura, page 4. A letter to the editor notes that President Reagan’s Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week proclamation explicitly referenced ‘exclusion and incarceration and discrimination,’ marking a rare instance of a high government official acknowledging Japanese Americans were incarcerated rather than merely ‘evacuated’ or ‘relocated.’ The full text of Proclamation 4927 is included.
• Unaccustomed as I Am to Being Observed, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Responding to a prior Guest’s Corner piece by Dr. Arthur Sasahara, the author reflects on their friendship formed through their shared Gila River internment camp experience and their mutual late friend Oscar Inouye. She reflects on the nature of friendship and resilience forged in the camps, noting laughter prevailed even in the darkest circumstances.
• Rep. Mineta’s Sobering Reunion Message, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa criticizes the Japanese American press for failing to adequately cover Rep. Norman Mineta’s speech at the Heart Mountain camp reunion, where Mineta warned of rising racism tied to U.S.-Japan trade tensions. The column quotes extensively from Mineta’s address about increasing bigotry against Japanese Americans amid auto industry competition fears, and his call for citizens to confront racism openly.
• When ‘to Be, or Not to Be’, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani recounts his past opposition to a proposal asking Nisei to wear kimonos and geta in a parade organized by an outside agency, arguing it misrepresented Japanese Americans according to others’ stereotypes. He contrasts this with Asian/Pacific Heritage Week parades controlled by the community itself, emphasizing the principle of ethnic self-determination.
• Drug Abuse, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. Responding to Judge Marutani’s prior column on drug abuse, Wakabayashi argues the issue should be viewed on a continuum rather than through stereotypes, noting that societal responses to drug use are often influenced by who is using the drugs. He calls for informed, non-judgmental guidance rather than stereotype-driven reactions to help people make decisions about drug use.
• The Magic of Reno, by George Kondo, page 6. The Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District Council’s 1982 quarterly meeting was held in Reno, hosted by the Reno Chapter, with high attendance expected. The agenda included National Convention delegate assignments, chapter awards, a proposed self-insured health program, and support for National JACL office candidates.

Arts & Entertainment

• EWP to Present ‘Yose’ Style Shows in L.A., page 3. East West Players will present ‘Komedi Ikki’ (Comedy Uprising), a theater piece in traditional Japanese yose style featuring storytelling, magic, pantomime and manzai. The show will tour multiple Los Angeles-area venues throughout June.
• Jazz/Rock Performer Osamu Kitajima to Perform in Pasadena, page 3. Musician and composer Osamu Kitajima will perform his blend of traditional Japanese music with American jazz and rock on May 15 at Sexson Auditorium on the Pasadena City College campus.
• Occidental College to Stage ‘Fast Lane’, page 3. Lane Nishikawa’s “Life in the Fast Lane, Requiem for a Sansei Poet” will be performed at Occidental College’s Thorne Hall on May 16. Ticket information was provided for the event.

Obituaries

• Yuri Imazaki, 70, San Francisco, page 6. Yuri Imazaki, wife of Hokubei Mainichi president Howard Imazaki, died April 24 following a lengthy illness. She is survived by her husband, sons, daughters, and siblings across multiple states and countries.
• George Nishi, 63, Hanford, page 6. George Nishi, a 442nd veteran of Co. K who served as acting first sergeant during the rescue of the ‘Lost Battalion,’ died April 23. He was a Kings County grand juror in 1968 and is survived by his wife, children, and siblings.
• We Will Miss ‘Kap’, by Warren Y. Nagano, page 8. Orange County JACL President Warren Nagano pays tribute to the late Justice Stephen Tamura, remembering his humility despite his academic and judicial achievements including being named Justice of the Year by the Orange County Bar Association. Tamura was known simply as ‘Kap’ to friends despite his accomplishments.

In-Depth

• The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: A Centennial, by H.M. Lai, page 9. This in-depth historical feature marks the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, tracing the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment in California from the Gold Rush era through decades of discriminatory laws and violence. The piece connects this history to the broader pattern of racism against Asian Americans, including the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, and warns against repeating such injustices.
• Emperor and the Japanese People, by Jin Konomi, page 10. In this third installment, Konomi examines the Meiji Restoration’s creation of emperor worship as state ideology and discusses a little-known document, the Hyorin, whose authors proposed radical democratic alternatives including an elected monarchy and strong bill of rights. The piece argues Japanese citizens were not naturally inclined toward emperor worship, referencing David Bergamini’s ‘Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy’ regarding the emperor’s role in WWII.

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