Redress, Mike Masaoka’s recovery and a busy month for JACL chapters

Vol. 94, No. 5, February 5, 1982. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page opened with Ron Ikejiri’s Washington Wrap-Up column on Mike Masaoka, who was recovering from heart surgery while JACL’s Redress program stood at what Ikejiri called a critical juncture. Redress ran through the issue: Senator Slade Gorton’s proposal to pay redress through public land grants, John Tateishi’s account of the stalled CWRIC extension bill, and UCLA’s Amerasia Journal issue on the World War II incarceration. Sachi Seko wrote about packing a suitcase and remembering the camp luggage tagged with family numbers.

Chapter and district news filled the inside pages: Dr. Homer Yasui’s election to lead the Pacific Northwest District Council, the Central California district convention in Fresno with March Fong Eu, and the Salinas Valley chapter’s coming 50th anniversary. Harry Honda, Ron Wakabayashi, Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani and Dr. Clifford Uyeda wrote commentary, and page 8 carried news briefs.

What’s in this issue

National

• A Remarkable Man, by Ron Ikejiri, page 1. Ron Ikejiri reflects on Mike Masaoka’s recovery from heart surgery and recounts anecdotes from Washington figures praising Masaoka’s decades-long impact on JACL and immigration legislation. The column highlights three separate encounters where officials recalled Masaoka’s crucial role in passing the McCarran-Walter Act and breaking the Asia-Pacific Triangle restriction.
• Chol Soo Lee Retrial Set Mar. 1, page 1. A retrial for Chol Soo Lee concerning the 1973 Chinatown killing of Yip Yee Tak has been scheduled for March 1 after Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled he had been illegally incarcerated. A separate California Supreme Court decision on a second case involving a death penalty conviction is expected soon and may determine the outcome of the first case.
• Senator Proposes Public Lands as Form of Redress, page 1. U.S. Senator Slade Gorton proposed to the Seattle JACL that the federal government could pay redress to Japanese Americans through public land grants instead of cash. Community reaction was one of wary interest, with redress movement founder Henry Miyatake noting potential implementation problems based on precedents from Native American land allocations.
• Pat Okura Retires From NIMH, page 1. K. Patrick Okura retired from the National Institute of Mental Health after serving as executive assistant to the director and later as staff director for international programs. He will join Dr. Bertram S. Brown and Associates as executive vice president of a new psychiatric hospital consulting firm.
• Japan Automakers React to U.S. Safety Report on Small Cars, page 8. Japanese automakers pushed back against a U.S. insurance industry report claiming Japanese cars are less safe than American cars, with a Toyota spokesman calling comparisons between small and full-sized cars on the same safety standard unreasonable. The report listed numerous Japanese models including the Corolla, Civic, and RX-7 as rated worse than average for passenger safety.
• Hawaii JA Couple Victimized by Robber in Hilton Hotel, page 8. A Japanese American couple from Hawaii, Walter and Harriet Yamane, were robbed at gunpoint of over $6,000 in jewelry and cash at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel, the same location where a Japanese tourist had been shot during a previous robbery. Police suspect one man is responsible for a string of similar hotel robberies targeting tourists.
• Hawaii Hijacker Gets 20 Years, page 8. A 19-year-old Honolulu man who hijacked and robbed a busload of Japanese tourists last March was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. Paul Grinker pleaded guilty to 43 counts of first-degree robbery and 38 counts of kidnapping, as well as two other robberies.
• Mineta Briefed on D.C. Plane Crash, page 8. Rep. Norman Y. Mineta, who chairs the House aviation subcommittee, was briefed on the investigation into the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into the Potomac River that killed 78 people. National Safety Board officials told Mineta there was no distress call or mention of wing icing problems from the flight crew on the recovered flight recorder tapes.
• Hawaii Judge Gets Plate in Skull, page 8. Doctors implanted a plastic plate in Circuit Court Judge Harold Shintaku’s skull following a mysterious head injury he suffered months earlier, with surgeons saying he should be able to return to the bench within a year. Shintaku still faces drunken driving charges stemming from the night before his injury.

Community

• CCDC Hears March Fong Eu, by Thomas Toyama, Fowler JACL, page 1. Nearly 280 people attended the 1981 Central California JACL District Council convention in Fresno, featuring California Secretary of State March Fong Eu as speaker. The convention included chapter officer installations, a panel on strengthening JACL, and discussions on membership services and cultural heritage programs.
• Nisei Farmers Get Japan Award, page 1. The Agricultural Society of Japan honored eight Japanese American farmers in Los Angeles for their contributions to agriculture. The farmers, representing various California communities, received medals from the Japanese Consul General.
• Homer Yasui Takes Reins of PNWDC, page 1. Dr. Homer Yasui was unanimously elected governor of the Pacific Northwest District JACL Council, succeeding Dr. Richard Doi. The meeting highlighted successful projects including a Japanese-language videotape program for Issei audiences and Spokane’s campaign to establish an Asian American Studies department at Washington State University.
• Chung Leads Gang Services Team, page 1. Tommy Chung, a Pan Asian JACLer and Executive Director of Community Youth Gang Services, announced the hiring of six new street teams to curb gang violence in Los Angeles. The teams will be trained in mediation and intervention and will patrol high-homicide areas following an $860,000 city council grant.
• Foothill JCC to Be Dedicated Feb. 6, page 1. The Japanese Cultural Center on the Foothill College campus in Los Altos, California, will be dedicated with a Shinto ceremony. The $175,000 center was funded through community donations and a matching pledge from a student, with landscaping provided by local nursery associations.
• Indonesians Held as Slaves by L.A., Beverly Hills Residents, page 3. Thirty illegal aliens from Indonesia allegedly sold into indentured servitude were taken into protective custody by federal agents in a joint FBI and INS operation. The 11-month investigation uncovered a smuggling operation in which victims’ documents were confiscated and they were sold as domestic workers; separately, INS agents raided a Little Tokyo restaurant and detained seven Japanese nationals.
• Sansei Policeman Cited for Heroism, page 3. LAPD Officer Steven Takeshita received a Police Medal for heroism from Chief Daryl F. Gates for helping rescue an injured helicopter pilot from wreckage after an emergency landing in 1980. The ceremony was held at the Police Academy in Los Angeles.
• Little Tokyo Beauty Shop Hit by Thieves, page 3. Five young men are being sought for a burglary at De Panache beauty salon in Little Tokyo’s Japanese Village Plaza, where a diversion tactic was used to steal a customer’s wallet. No suspects have been arrested despite response from LAPD’s Asian Task Force.
• Community Media Workshop Slated, page 3. The Asian American Journalists Association and Pasadena City College will hold a Community Media Conference to help community groups work more effectively with the news media. Topics will include getting stories placed, assembling press packets, and crafting newsletters.
• Fukai Won’t Seek Gardena Mayor’s Chair, page 3. Gardena City Councilman Mas Fukai announced he will not run for mayor in the April municipal election, instead seeking re-election to a third council term. His decision quelled rumors he would seek the seat being vacated by Mayor Ed Russ.
• Careers Week Slated at CSU Northridge, page 3. CSU Northridge’s School of Communication and Professional Studies will hold a three-day Careers Week featuring panels on minorities and media, health services, and business and industry. The event will offer career information on thousands of academic majors.
• LACC Offers Asian Psychology Class, page 3. Los Angeles City College will offer a spring semester class on the Psychology of the Asian American taught by Dr. Judy Chiu. Topics will include cultural conflicts, family roles, and dating and marriage patterns.
• Amerasia Journal Focuses on Redress, page 3. The winter issue of UCLA’s Amerasia Journal features the Japanese American WWII incarceration as its topic, including fifteen testimonies from West Coast CWRIC hearings. The issue also includes a poem by Janice Mirikitani and an article on census confidentiality by Raymond Okamura.
• Japan-Based ‘Beef Bowl’ Chain May Rival U.S. Fast-Food Stops, page 3. Yoshinoya Beef Bowl, a Japan-based fast food chain serving gyudon, is expanding rapidly in Southern California and may challenge American chains like McDonald’s. The chain already has over 270 locations in Japan and a dozen in Southern California with 50 more planned.
• Salinas JACL to Fete 50th, page 6. The Salinas Valley JACL Chapter will celebrate its 50th Anniversary alongside its 1982 officer installation at the Salinas Community Center. The event is scheduled for Saturday, February 20.
• Seattle JACL Holds Communication Class, page 6. Seattle JACL members participated in a chapter-sponsored seminar on effective Asian American communication styles taught by Dr. Joanne Yamauchi of American University. Participants were videotaped and received individual evaluations emphasizing bicultural communication skills.
• Calif. Justice to Keynote AABA Dinner, page 6. California Supreme Court Justice Allen E. Broussard will be the keynote speaker at the Asian American Bar Association’s installation dinner in Oakland. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley is also scheduled to attend the cocktail hour.

Commentary

• CWRIC Extension, by John Tateishi, page 2. John Tateishi reviews the legislative history of the CWRIC extension bill, HR5021, detailing its passage through House committees and the floor, followed by its stalling in the Senate. He expresses confidence the Senate will eventually approve the extension once Congress reconvenes.
• Same Event, But a Difference, by Harry Honda, page 4. Harry Honda recounts attending multiple JACL chapter installation dinners, highlighting a speech by newscaster Tritia Toyota about declining public empathy for minorities amid economic stagnation. He also notes Toyota’s credit to her Portland Jr. JACL days for launching her career, and mentions a new restaurant opened by Marina JACLers.
• Common Ground, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. Ron Wakabayashi examines how U.S.-Japan economic tensions and trade disputes affect the perception and treatment of Japanese Americans, who face suspicion of ethnic loyalty despite having no control over Japan’s policies. He argues JACL’s role is to protect Japanese American welfare while calling for mutual education between Japanese nationals and local Nikkei communities.
• Packing a Suitcase in February, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Sachi Seko reflects on packing an emergency hospital bag, which triggers memories of packing suitcases 40 years earlier for the family’s forced evacuation to incarceration camps. She recalls the humiliation of marking luggage with family numbers instead of names, and muses on how the trauma persists despite the passage of time.
• Japanese Seem to Lack Two Enzymes for Guzzling, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa discusses a Kyodo news report explaining that many Japanese lack enzymes needed to break down alcohol efficiently, causing stronger reactions to drinking. He humorously relates this to his own lifelong aversion to alcohol and notes the social and political implications in Japan where heavy drinkers without visible effects are seen as having ‘strength.’
• Yudan-Sube-Karazu, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani urges Japanese Americans to participate actively in the 1982 elections through voting, volunteering, and financial contributions, emphasizing that democracy requires active participation to be heard. He stresses the importance of primary elections and warns against complacency, using the phrase ‘yudan sube-karazu’ (don’t let your guard down).
• Commanders, by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, page 6. Dr. Clifford Uyeda contrasts the accountability of military commanders, citing General Westmoreland’s deception of President Johnson about Vietnam War enemy strength and secret herbicide spraying, with General Yamashita’s execution for Manila atrocities despite having lost control of his troops. He criticizes the double standard in which Westmoreland faced no consequences while Yamashita was hanged.

JACL

• Additions to the 1981 1000 Club Honor Roll, page 2. JACL Headquarters announced corrections and additions to the 1981 1000 Club Honor Roll following a re-check of contributions made by December 31. The list details new Century Life, Corporate, and Life Members across numerous chapters.
• PNWDC Meeting Continued, page 6. The Pacific Northwest District Council discussed the significance of the new Asian American Studies department at Washington State University and addressed a Seattle JACL request for a breakdown of redress committee finances. Endowment committee member Tomio Moriguchi noted the fund should be performing better than $25,000 given current money market conditions, with any use of the endowment requiring approval from three-fourths of JACL chapters.

Obituaries

• Deaths, page 6. Obituary notices report the deaths of Ryosuke John Funakoshi, 102, a naturalized citizen from Fukuoka-ken; Kikuyo Munemori, sister of WW2 Medal of Honor winner Sadao S. Munemori; and Saburo Yonehiro, 90, a WWI veteran who was later incarcerated at Tule Lake and Amache during WW2. Each notice lists surviving family members.

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.