Los Angeles pays and apologizes to Japanese American city workers fired in 1942

Vol. 99, No. 11, September 14, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue

The front page carried a Los Angeles ceremony on Sept. 5 at City Hall, where 22 recipients received $5,000 checks and city proclamations of apology. Mayor Fletcher Bowron had forced the city’s Japanese American employees to resign after Pearl Harbor, and 42 years later the city council and Mayor Tom Bradley provided payment to 30 former employees and survivors of others. Also on page one: the American Legion’s resolution calling the World War II internment an injustice and praising the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Ronald K. Inouye’s report on the Anchorage Senate hearing on redress bill S 2116.

Inside are the Denver dedication of a Go For Broke exhibit, Bill Marutani’s East Wind and Clifford Uyeda’s Cliff’s Corner, readers’ letters on the Senate redress hearing, and Harry Honda’s look back at Little Tokyo before the war. Chapter news covers scholarships in Denver, Chicago and Watsonville, and a Marin County benefit showing of the documentary Unfinished Business, about Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi and Min Yasui.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• City Workers Fired During WW2 Receive Payment, Apology, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Forty-two years after Los Angeles mayor Fletcher Bowron forced Japanese American city employees to resign following Pearl Harbor, the city council passed and Mayor Tom Bradley signed an ordinance providing $5,000 payments to 30 former employees and survivors of others who died. At a Sept. 5 City Hall ceremony, recipients including K. Patrick Okura and Mabel Ota received checks and apologies for the hardships caused by their wartime dismissal.
• Anchorage Testifiers Back Redress for Aleut and Nikkei Evacuees, by Ronald K. Inouye, page 1. Sen. Ted Stevens conducted a daylong Senate hearing in Anchorage on redress bill S 2116, with supporters greatly outnumbering opponents among about 100 attendees. Testimony covered both Aleut evacuees, nearly 900 of whom were relocated during WW2 with over a tenth dying from inadequate conditions, and Alaskan Nikkei internees, with some urging that unevacuated Native wives of interned Issei men be included as beneficiaries.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Vets’ Resolution Passed by American Legion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The American Legion’s national convention passed a resolution declaring the WW2 internment of Japanese Americans an injustice and praising the contributions of Nisei servicemen in the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service. The resolution, originated by Chicago Nisei Post 1183, survived a tabling motion before passing by voice vote, following a similar resolution passed earlier at the VFW convention.
• All-Chinese American Unit Different From 442nd, by Elizabeth Lu, East West, page 2. The 987th Signal Operations Company, the only all-Chinese American Army unit, is holding its first reunion in San Francisco after serving in China’s Yunnan province under Gen. Joseph Stillwell during WW2. Unlike the celebrated 442nd, the low-profile unit faced language barriers with Mandarin-speaking Chinese forces, encountered a bizarre spy scare in Missouri, and included members who later became notable, such as actor Wood Moy and Caesar’s Palace executive Hop Louie Woo.
• Dedication Held for 442nd Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. One of the ‘Go For Broke’ traveling photo exhibits depicting Nisei WW2 soldiers was dedicated at the First Interstate Bank Tower Building in Denver, with Gov. Richard Lamm, Mayor Federico Pena, and JACL redress chair Min Yasui among the speakers. Lamm praised the valor of the 442nd and noted that over 75 local Nisei from the Amache internment camp were killed in action.

Community

• County Pays $25,000 for Bias, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ventura County paid $25,000 to settle a federal lawsuit by former employee Yilian Tchu, who alleged he was discharged in 1981 because of his race and national ancestry under the guise of budgetary reasons. White auditors with less seniority were kept on while non-Asians were hired to replace him, and Tchu received back pay in the settlement.
• JA Church Celebrates 70th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Gardena Valley Baptist Church, founded in 1914 as a mission headed by Rev. Haruye Shibata, celebrated its 70th anniversary with a worship service and luncheon. The church grew from a Bible class of 20 in 1914 to over 600 members today, aided by the late Dr. Ralph Mayberry, who helped rebuild the Japanese community after WW2.
• Time Capsule on Display, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Little Tokyo Centennial’s time capsule, to be filled with community contributions and reopened in 100 years, is on display at Joseph’s Men’s Wear in Los Angeles. Committee chair Frank Omatsu suggested items reflecting 1980s lifestyle and historic material be submitted once details are announced.
• Denver Nikkei Community Awards 32 Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Approximately 400 people attended the 29th annual Japanese American Community Graduation Program in Aurora, Colorado, honoring 90 high school graduates with 32 scholarships ranging from $200 to $750. The program grew from a single scholarship established in 1956 in memory of former Mile-Hi JACL president Harry Sakata.
• Chicago Chapter Awards Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seven Chicago high school seniors received a total of $5,500 in scholarships at a June luncheon, with winners including Mary Shimizu, Kevin Matsushita, and Robert Asakura. Two scholarships were not awarded this year due to a lack of qualified applicants, and Pat Yuzawa Rubin chaired the scholarship committee.
• Marin County Chapter Sets Benefit Film Showing, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A benefit showing of Steven Okazaki’s documentary ‘Unfinished Business,’ examining the cases of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Min Yasui, is scheduled for Sept. 22 at Marin County Day School. The one-hour film covers the three men’s WW2 defiance of military curfew and internment orders.
• Sonoma County Chapter Plans Movie Night, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Sonoma County chapter will screen two Japanese films with English subtitles at its semi-annual benefit movie night at Memorial Hall. The films are ‘This Is Noriko,’ about a girl born without arms, and the comedy-drama ‘Ojyu Hosho.’
• Contra Costa Chapter Collects Eyeglasses for Charity, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Contra Costa JACL is collecting old prescription eyeglasses to send to the Nikkei Lions Club of San Francisco, which forwards them to the Lions Eye Foundation’s project Hope to help the needy in Third World countries. Metal frames will be sent to a reclaimer who pays a small sum to benefit the chapter’s finances.
• Watsonville Chapter Awards Three Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Watsonville chapter awarded three local scholarships: Kip Mihara received $500 to pursue medicine at UC Berkeley, while Janice Sakata and Francine Tomosawa each received $250 for studies at Pomona College and Pacific Union College respectively. Dr. Conrad Hamako chaired the scholarship committee.

National

• Radio Host Apologizes, Quits, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sacramento radio talk-show host Morton Downey resigned from station KFBK after repeatedly using the word “Chinaman” in an ethnic joke and shouting at a city councilman who called to complain. Following his resignation, the station and the councilman received a flood of calls expressing anti-Asian sentiment.
• TV News Graphic Corrected, by P.C. Staff, page 2. KTTV in Los Angeles mistakenly showed a Japanese flag behind barbed wire while reporting on compensation for Japanese American former city employees. After complaints from a viewer and JACL regional director John Saito, the station corrected the graphic the next day to show an American flag instead.
• LDP Sends Officials to Dallas, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party sent higher-ranking officials to observe the Republican national convention in Dallas than it had sent to the Democratic convention, according to the New York Times. This apparent tilt toward the Republicans has caused unhappiness among some LDP members.
• ABC Responds to Olympic ‘Jap’ Protest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. After wrestler Randy Lewis referred to his Japanese opponent as a “Jap” in a nationally broadcast Olympics interview, JACL’s John Saito sent a protest telegram to ABC president Roone Arledge, receiving a response that offered regrets but disclaimed responsibility for Lewis’s remarks. Saito disputed ABC’s claim that his was the only complaint received and planned to raise the incident with the Americans Committed to the Olympic Spirit coalition.
• U.S.-Japan Workshop Panelists Stress Understanding, by Yasumasa Kuroda, page 7. At the JACL convention in Honolulu, Minister William Clark Jr. and Minister Michihiko Kunihiro gave keynote addresses on U.S.-Japan relations, with Clark emphasizing improved bilateral ties and defense cooperation, and Kunihiro discussing inevitable frictions in the growing partnership. JACL panelists David Nikaido, Floyd Shimomura, and Dick Yamashita commented on the organization’s role in fostering better relations, with the workshop drawing over 100 attendees but notably no women on the panel.

Commentary

• Learning While Earning, by Bill Marutani, page 4. In his East Wind column, Bill Marutani recounts the history of S. John Nitta, who founded the unique chick-sexing industry in Lansdale, Pennsylvania in 1937 after learning the trade in Nagoya, Japan, eventually building the American Chick Sexing School and the Amchick business. Marutani reflects on what he learned about careful legal craftsmanship while serving as Nitta’s lawyer.
• Plight of Koreans in Japan, by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, page 4. In his Cliff’s Corner column, Clifford Uyeda discusses the JACL National Council’s resolution expressing concern for Korean residents in Japan who face discrimination and insecure legal status despite generations of residence. He traces the historical intertwining of Japanese and Korean heritage and highlights notable Japanese figures of Korean ancestry, from ancient nobility to modern entertainers and athletes like Rikidozan and Isao Harimoto.
• These Soldiers Not Just Fading Away, by Keeping Track, page 5. The columnist reflects on the Denver dedication of the ‘Go For Broke’ exhibit, noting how reporter John Coit’s description of aging Nisei veterans as ‘old soldiers’ captures the passage of four decades since WW2. The column honors the sacrifice of Nisei volunteers and draftees who demonstrated loyalty through their service despite facing hostility and betrayal from their own country.
• More Comments on Senate Redress Hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Los Angeles Times and Pasadena Star-News published letters responding to coverage of the Aug. 16 Senate redress hearing, including from L.R. Kado and Douglas Campbell rebutting retired Col. Frederick Weiner’s comments questioning Japanese American loyalty, and from Ruth Schuetz opposing reparations. The letters debate whether internees’ constitutional rights were violated absent any criminal charges or trials.
• Readers Get Mad as Sam Plays It Again, by Chiyeko Hedani, Thomas Okazaki, Yoshio Nakashima, page 6. Letters to the editor criticize S.I. Hayakawa’s public remarks about the camp experience and respond to a previous article featuring critical comments about internment, with readers calling out individuals they view as traitors to the Japanese American community. A separate letter from Yoshio Nakashima addresses the propriety of personal endorsements during JACL convention nomination speeches, defending delegates’ right to free speech and informed voting.
• ‘Japan Experts’, by Barry Saiki, page 12. In his Nisei in Japan column, Barry Saiki argues that no foreigner can truly claim to be a complete ‘Japan expert’ despite years of experience, citing numerous accomplished Nisei journalists and businesspeople in Japan. He reflects on how understanding Japanese culture requires long-term immersion and osmosis rather than brief research visits.

In-Depth

• Wrong Side of the Tracks, by Harry Honda, page 10. In this installment of Little Tokyo Life, Harry Honda reprints a 1942 Larry Tajiri column recalling pre-war Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, including the 1933 earthquake, gambling halls, and bootleggers, before the community was uprooted by wartime evacuation. Honda adds feedback from readers and a note from K. Patrick Okura about Nisei actress Lily Arikawa’s Hollywood career.

JACL

• The Thousand Club Kiss, by Dr. Frank F. Sakamoto, page 10. At the JACL national convention in Honolulu, Ellen Kubo and Mitzie Baba’s ‘Thousand Club Kiss’ promotion successfully recruited numerous new Life Members for the JACL Thousand Club by offering kisses on both cheeks to those who contributed $500. The author lists many who joined, including Tom Shimasaki, who gave $1,000 to become a Mike Masaoka Fellow.

Obituaries

• Theresa Takayoshi, Washington Coalition for Redress Member, Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Seattle resident Theresa Takayoshi, 66, died Aug. 23; born to a Japanese father and Irish mother, she was interned with her Nisei husband during WW2 at Puyallup and Minidoka. A member of Washington Coalition for Redress, she testified before the CWRIC in 1981 and was interviewed in John Tateishi’s book ‘And Justice for All.’
• Rev. Kanmo Unno, BCA Minister Emeritus, Passes Away, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Rev. Unno, Buddhist Churches of America minister emeritus, died in Los Angeles Sept. 1 after beginning his ministry in 1934 and serving temples across California before retiring in 1970. He is survived by his wife Hana and sons Rev. Dr. Taitetsu and Rev. Dr. Tetsuo Unno.
• Alice Nagata Matsui, Mother of Rep. Robert Matsui, Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Alice Nagata Matsui, 64, of Sacramento, mother of Congressman Robert Matsui, died Sept. 4 following a heart attack after recently retiring from the State Franchise Tax Board. She is survived by her husband Yasuji, daughter Barbara, and other family members.
• Mine Kido, Widow of Wartime JACL President, Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Mine Kido, 78, of San Francisco, widow of wartime National JACL president Saburo Kido, died suddenly Sept. 7 at her home. Born in Riverside and interned at Poston during WW2, she was a lifetime JACL member who served on the Pacific Citizen staff in the 1930s and 1960s and remained active in senior citizen community work, ceramics, bonsai and arts after returning to San Francisco in 1972.

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