New Year Special Double Issue: JACL leadership, redress and Shogun

Vol. 92, No. 1, January 2, 1981. 16 pages. View this issue

The New Year Special Double Issue opened 1981 with news from JACL and the redress effort. The front page reported that the National JACL Board meeting had been moved to Feb. 6-8 so members could appoint a national director from seven applicants, and that the Senate had named Sen. Edward W. Brooke and former Sen. Hugh B. Mitchell to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. It also noted that Leslie Kim Kawai was the 1981 Rose Queen. Columnists Harry Honda, Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani and Jin Konomi wrote on the holidays, a new U.S.-Japan quarterly, moral politics and the Shogun series.

Inside are two long histories: the Koryu Narrative on William Adams, and Seizo Oka’s biography of Kyutaro Abiko. Sumi Haru and Tom Lew covered Asian American film and performance, including the Gold Award for Hito Hata: Raise the Banner. The issue also carries chapter news, reader letters, and Mamoru Iga’s essay on race and the occupation of Japan.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• National JACL Board Meeting Rescheduled to Feb. 6-8, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Board meeting originally set for Jan. 23-25 has been rescheduled to Feb. 6-8 at National Headquarters in San Francisco, announced acting national director J.D. Hokoyama. The board is expected to appoint a new national director from seven applicants, including Hokoyama, John Tateishi, John Tani, Ron Wakabayashi, Ron Shibata, Anne Takemoto and Stanley Yamamoto.
• 1000 Club Directions, by Dr. Frank F. Sakamoto, page 10. National 1000 Club Chairman Dr. Frank Sakamoto discusses member feedback on proposed changes to the 1000 Club logo and the Century Life membership category, which provides a $100 annual dividend to maintain good standing. He urges chapters to host events promoting Century Club membership and recommends showing the film ‘The Pride and Shame’ about Japanese American WWII military service.

Incarceration & Redress

• Two Ex-Senators Appointed to Wartime Relocation Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. As Congress adjourned, the U.S. Senate selected two former colleagues, Sen. Edward W. Brooke and former Sen. Hugh B. Mitchell, to serve on the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. The appointments were made by Senate President Pro Tempore Warren Magnuson.
• Necrology: Deaths December 1979 – December 1980, by P.C. Staff, page 13. This annual necrology lists notable Japanese Americans who died in the past year, including JACL leaders, community pioneers, military veterans, and cultural figures. Entries include Charles Kamayatsu, Dr. Minoru Masuda, Toshio Mori, Ken Nakaoka, and others who made significant contributions to Japanese American community life.

National

• Pacific-Asian Experts on Aging Called to S.F. Parley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A panel of Asian American aging experts will participate in a national mini-conference, ‘Pacific-Asians: the Wisdom of Age,’ Jan. 15-16 at the San Franciscan Hotel to prepare delegates for the 1981 White House Conference on Aging. Speakers include Dr. Sharon Fujii, Dr. Sharon Moriwaki, K. Patrick Okura and others, with Jerome Waldie of the White House Conference also attending.
• Ex-Assemblyman Mori Picked to Head New Trade Office, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Gov. Edmund Brown appointed former Assemblyman S. Floyd Mori as director of the new Office of International Trade, headquartered in Los Angeles. Mori, who authored the legislation creating the office, said he intends to expand California’s trade relationships with Japan, Taiwan, Korea and other nations.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Hito Hata: Raise the Banner’ Wins Gold Award at Houston Int’l Film Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Visual Communications’ feature film ‘Hito Hata: Raise the Banner,’ which premiered in Los Angeles in October, won the Gold Award in the Theatrical Feature Films-Low Budget Category at the Houston International Film Festival. The film, the first dramatic feature written, produced and directed by Asians in America, will have a benefit showing Feb. 6-13 at the Kokusai Theater in Los Angeles.
• What’s Wrong With Charlie Chan?, by Sumi Haru, page 6. Sumi Haru writes about a meeting between AAPAA members and actor Sidney Poitier, who challenged Asian/Pacific American artists to form inter-cultural coalitions for better media representation. The piece also discusses AAPAA’s advocacy efforts against stereotypical roles like ‘Charlie Chan’ and envisions a futuristic scenario illustrating the limited and stereotyped portrayal of women and people of color in American television and film.
• ‘Chop Suey’ to Debut Asian Dance Group, by Tom Lew, page 7. Nobuko Joanne Miyamoto, founder of Great Leap, Inc., discusses the growth of Asian American performing arts and her company’s ninety-minute rock opera ‘Chop Suey,’ which explores the lives of Chinatown residents. The production will premiere as a benefit performance Feb. 13-14 at L.A. Trade Tech’s Grand Theater, with proceeds going to several Asian American community organizations.

Community

• Florin, Mayhew, Elk Grove, Taishoku Nikkei Plan Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A group of Florin Nisei met Dec. 12 at the home of Al and Mary Tsukamoto to plan a pre-Evacuation reunion for the Florin area, possibly for the weekend of Oct. 10 or 17. The reunion headquarters will likely be the new Florin Buddhist Church complex, and organizers are seeking former residents of Florin, Elk Grove, Mayhew and Taishoku who scattered after the 1942 evacuation.
• Chicago JACL Hears Matsui, Fetes Local Attire Designer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chicago JACL installed its 1981 board, led by incoming president John Tani, with Past National JACL President Shig Wakamatsu officiating. The chapter also held a fundraising drawing with prizes donated by Panam, The New Otani, and others to benefit the chapter’s redress committee fund.
• West Valley JACL to Hold Installation Dinner-Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The West Valley JACL will hold an installation dinner-dance Jan. 24 at Ruby King Restaurant in Los Altos, featuring guest speaker Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, author of ‘Farewell to Manzanar.’ Houston will discuss her new script ‘Picture Bride,’ and the Harbor Lites band will provide music for dancing.
• Old Hokubei Mainichi Newspaper Files Transferred to CFB Archives, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Hokubei Mainichi newspaper files dating from 1906 to November 1941 have been transferred to the Japanese American History Room at California First Bank in San Francisco for safekeeping. The Hokubei is retaining its postwar files from 1948 onward.
• Koreatown Redevelopment Planned in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Korean community has agreed to bear most of the cost of redeveloping an area of the Wilshire District known as Koreatown, pledging more than $200,000, according to L.A. City Councilman Dave Cunningham. The area, bounded by 8th St., Olympic Blvd., Vermont Ave. and Western Ave., was known among prewar Japanese residents as the Uptown area.
• Oyama’s Cosmetic Market Recalled at Berkeley Christmas Party, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Forty-three Issei women and two Issei men, most in their seventies and eighties, were honored at a Christmas party at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Guest speaker Joe Oyama, the West Wind columnist for the Pacific Citizen, recounted humorous stories about his father’s pre-WW2 cosmetics business, including a customer who used the ‘Beauty Cream’ as shoe polish.
• Dayton JACL ’81 Japan Flight Confirmed for Oct. 11-31, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Dayton JACL chapter has confirmed its charter flight to Japan for Oct. 11-31, 1981, with Frank Sakamoto coordinating the trip. The delegation will also visit Oiso, Dayton’s sister city, bringing greetings from Mayor James McGee to Mayor Yoshito Toyota.

Commentary

• The Holidays, by Harry Honda, page 4. In his From the Editor’s Desk column, Harry Honda reflects on the holiday season, including attending a Debutante Ball, Midnight Mass, a family memorial service in San Diego, and visiting San Diego’s new Seaport Village. He also describes an unusually smooth experience viewing the Tournament of Roses parade on New Year’s Day.
• Letters to the Editor, by Patsy S. Saiki, James Oda, Fred Hirasuna, Mack Yamaguchi, page 4. Several readers write in response to ongoing controversies, including the Shogun TV series criticism, the Weglyn plagiarism controversy involving JACL’s Redress Committee, and calls for unity within JACL. Writers urge forgiveness and reconciliation while praising contributors like Kats Kunitsugu and acknowledging Michi Weglyn’s contributions to Years of Infamy.
• Mabel Sheldon’s Tremendous Wealth Glistens, by Sachi Seko, page 4. In her From Happy Valley column, Sachi Seko writes about her former Gila camp teacher Mabel Sheldon, who spent 37 years as a missionary in India after the war and established a scholarship endowment fund for Indian children. The column reflects on Sheldon’s life of personal renunciation and its lasting influence on her former students.
• A New U.S.-Japan Quarterly Unfolds, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. In his From the Frying Pan column, Bill Hosokawa describes a unique new quarterly newspaper, ‘U.S.-Japan News Views,’ edited and published by Ranko Iwamoto in New York, which features two front pages reflecting American and Japanese perspectives. The paper includes insights into cultural differences in communication styles between Americans and Japanese.
• Beware of False Prophets, by Bill Marutani, page 5. In his East Wind column, Bill Marutani criticizes the ‘moral majority’ movement for hypocritically invoking Christianity while promoting violence, intolerance, and support for foreign dictatorial regimes. He argues that true morality requires decency and love, and warns against imposing any one religious viewpoint through government institutions like public schools.
• Shogun and History, by Jin Konomi, page 5. In his Moshi-Moshi column, Jin Konomi critiques the historical accuracy of James Clavell’s novel and TV series ‘Shogun,’ comparing it unfavorably to historical fiction classics like Ivanhoe and Ben Hur. He argues that the depicted balance of power between Osaka and Yedo and characters like Mariko bear little resemblance to actual Japanese history of 1600.
• L.A. County Bias, by John Saito, page 10. In his From Pacific Southwest column, John Saito discusses the case of Dr. F. Carole Fujita, a pharmacist with L.A. County Harbor General Hospital who won a Civil Service Commission ruling that she faced racial and sexual discrimination in being denied a promotion. Despite the ruling, the county has appealed, and a fundraising luncheon is being organized to help offset Fujita’s legal costs.
• Nisei Syndrome?, by Ed Kawahara, page 10. In his Chiaroscuro column for chapter presidents, West Valley JACL’s Ed Kawahara reflects on difficulty recruiting members willing to take on leadership roles within the chapter, with many preferring to help without assuming responsibility. He questions whether this reluctance stems from Nisei cultural upbringing and wonders if it explains a broader perception that Nisei are good workers but not leaders.
• Rape and Race Prejudice, by Mamoru Iga, page 15. Professor Mamoru Iga challenges Nakajima’s assertion that American GIs’ alleged high rape rate during the occupation of Japan reflects American race prejudice, arguing instead that Japanese cultural attitudes toward sex, economic hardship, and women’s lack of self-assertion were primary factors. Iga contends that Japanese social structures emphasizing selflessness and avoidance of legal recourse contributed more to the underreporting and dynamics of sexual victimization than American racism.
• Shogun and History (continued), by Jin Konomi, page 16. Konomi continues his critique of ‘Shogun,’ comparing it to classic historical novels like Ivanhoe and Ben Hur, arguing that while fiction can be imaginative, the historical details must be authentic to achieve literary merit. He concludes that Shogun fails this test and suggests the TV series may be returning to screens in an abridged version.

In-Depth

• Saga of (the Real) William Adams: Negotiations at the Shogun’s Court, page 8. This installment of the Koryu Narrative continues the historical account of William Adams, the English pilot who became an advisor to Shogun Ieyasu, detailing Captain John Saris’s 1613 diplomatic mission to Japan to establish trade relations. The piece describes the cultural clashes between Saris and Adams over protocol, gifts, and the location of the English trading post.
• The Koryu Narrative: Saga of Will Adams Continues, page 9. This chapter chronicles Will Adams’s later years in Japan, including his voyages to Siam and Okinawa, his conflicts with English trader Richard Wickham, and the deteriorating relations between foreigners and the Tokugawa shogunate after Ieyasu’s death in 1616. The narrative details increasing restrictions placed on English and Dutch traders as Hidetada consolidated power.
• Biography of Kyutaro Abiko: Issei Pioneer with a Dream, by Seizo Oka, page 11. This installment of the Abiko biography covers his legal battle defending ‘treaty trader’ status for Japanese American News reporters, and chronicles the devastating 1931 Nichi Bei Strike that shut down the newspaper for three months amid labor disputes. The strike led to lasting changes in San Francisco’s Japanese language newspaper landscape, including the founding of competing papers.
• Kyutaro Abiko: From Fire to Evacuation to Finis, by Seizo Oka, page 13. This concluding installment describes a 1939 fire that destroyed the Japanese American News building and archives, a second labor strike in 1938, and the eventual incarceration and death of Abiko’s widow Yonako during WWII. The biography closes with Abiko’s own vision for Buddhist Churches in America, delivered in a speech reflecting on interfaith relations and Nisei identity.
• Oda Nobunaga: Unifier of Japan, by Robert Kono, page 15. In his Random Musings column, Robert Kono profiles Oda Nobunaga, one of the three great unifiers of Japan, detailing his military campaigns against rival warlords and Buddhist sects in the 16th century. The piece chronicles Nobunaga’s rise to power, his alliance with Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his eventual assassination by a treacherous general in 1582.

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