The 1980 New Year double issue: Hong Kong’s boat people and the redress campaign

Vol. 90, No. 75, January 4, 1980. 20 pages. View this issue

The front page of this New Year double issue carried Dr. Clifford Uyeda’s account of visiting the Shamshuipo refugee camp in Hong Kong, where he saw the conditions facing Indochinese boat people. Inside, the Pacific Citizen gave pages 9 through 12 to the JACL redress campaign, including statements from Senators Inouye, Matsunaga and Hayakawa, Representatives Mineta and Matsui, and community leaders such as Mike Masaoka, Bill Hosokawa, Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui. The section also reproduced the JACL National Committee for Redress position statement on the commission bills.

The issue also held a two-part chronology of 1979 news, an updated five-year roster of JACL chapter presidents, and JACL’s response to a federal ruling on the crackdown on Iranian students. Columns by Karl Nobuyuki, Harry Honda, Bill Marutani and Barry T. Saiki round out the commentary pages, and Ted Miyagishima’s travel piece from Manaus, Brazil closed the issue.

What’s in this issue

National

• City of Refugees: JACL Writer Visits Hong Kong Boat People Camps, by Clifford Uyeda, page 1. Dr. Clifford Uyeda, touring Hong Kong, gains special access to visit the Shamshuipo refugee camp housing Indochinese boat people after identifying himself as a Pacific Citizen correspondent. He documents the dire conditions facing the ‘boat people,’ with over 225,000 lost at sea since 1975, and Hong Kong’s overwhelming burden of absorbing hundreds of thousands of refugees with limited international resettlement support.
• JACL Commends Judge Green’s Ruling Against Iranian Student Crackdown, page 3. Washington JACL representative Ronald Ikejiri commended U.S. District Judge Joyce Hens Green for ruling the selective crackdown on Iranian students unconstitutional amid the Iran hostage crisis. JACL noted parallels to the WWII internment of Japanese Americans under Executive Order 9066 and expressed concern about erosion of constitutional protections during times of crisis.
• The Mas Yamasaki Case: Discrimination Battle Against Borden Co., page 6. Mas Yamasaki, a 36-year Borden Company employee, is fighting alleged age and race discrimination after being demoted from sales manager to salesperson without warning despite an exemplary service record and company bonuses. The Midwest District JACL and national JACL leadership have expressed strong support, with an EEOC and Ohio Civil Rights Commission decision expected by late January 1980.
• PC Chronology: February 1979 Through December 1979 News Roundup, page 13. A detailed month-by-month chronology covers major 1979 events affecting the Japanese American community, including Day of Remembrance observances, the Wendy Yoshimura legal case, JACL board votes on the redress commission approach, and the deaths of notable community figures like actor Jack Soo. The necrology section lists prominent Japanese Americans who died between December 1978 and December 1979.
• PC Chronology Continued: September Through December 1979, page 17. The chronology continues covering events including the House version of the redress commission bill co-authored by 112 congressional colleagues, Wendy Yoshimura’s release date setting, and the cancellation of the Seattle JACL pilgrimage to Minidoka. Also noted is Rev. Don Toriumi’s retirement after 40 years of ministry and the Carson mayor recall election.

Arts & Entertainment

• A Thing About Bamboo, by Jin Konomi, page 2. Columnist Jin Konomi reflects extensively on the cultural and practical significance of bamboo in traditional Japanese life, from household items and musical instruments to children’s toys like kites and model airplanes. He laments the decline of bamboo craftsmanship in modern Japan while reminiscing about his bamboo-filled childhood before immigrating to America.
• ‘As We Saw Them’: Pre-Meiji Insights, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa reviews Masao Miyoshi’s book ‘As We Saw Them,’ which provides rare bilingual insight into the 1860 Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States. The book details the mission’s communication struggles, cultural insensitivities on both sides, and the influence on figures like Fukuzawa Yukichi, founder of Keio University.

JACL

• IDC Elects Al Kubota as Governor, by Alice Kasai, page 3. The Intermountain District Council elected Al Kubota of Salt Lake City as governor for 1979-80, succeeding John Tameno, at its convention in Idaho Falls. Masa Tsukamoto of Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL was honored as Japanese American of the Biennium for his work on the Camp Minidoka historical marker dedication.
• ‘Japanese American of Biennium’ Rules Announced, page 3. National JACL announced revised guidelines for the Japanese American of the Biennium Award, to be presented at the 1980 convention, allowing up to three recipients across six categories including arts, business, education, medicine, politics and sports. Nominations are open to any JACL member through March 1, 1980, with the Gold Medallion presented at the convention’s Sayonara Banquet.
• PNWDC Elects Art Prof Richard Doi Governor, page 3. Dr. Richard T. Doi, associate professor of art at Central Washington University, was elected governor of the Pacific Northwest District Council for a two-year term. The Seattle meeting also covered redress legislation updates, Blue Shield insurance, and tributes to longtime volunteers Edna and Paul Ellis.
• From No. Cal-Western Nevada: Starting My 5th Year, by George Kondo, page 6. Regional director George Kondo reflects on four years serving the Northern California-Western Nevada district, praising chapters’ responsiveness to redress campaign fundraising. He notes 16 of 31 chapters have already responded to President Uyeda’s funding request for the redress campaign.
• ‘JACLer of Biennium’ Nominations Open, page 6. Nominations are open for the ‘JACLer of the Biennium’ award to be presented at the 1980 national convention, with district councils establishing regional deadlines by May 1. Ed Yamamoto of Columbia Basin JACL, the 1977-78 awardee, chairs the current search committee.
• JACL Chapter Presidents: Five-Year Roster Update, page 14. This feature presents an updated five-year roster of JACL chapter presidents across the country, continuing a tradition first compiled in 1955 and last published in the 1974 Holiday Issue. The comprehensive listing covers dozens of chapters from Arizona to Washington D.C., tracing leadership history back to chapter founding dates in some cases to the 1920s and 1930s.

Community

• Prison Furlough for Wendy Yoshimura Starts, page 3. Wendy Yoshimura was released to a work furlough program in late December after serving six months in prison, staying at a halfway house in Oakland. She resumed work at a juice bar in Berkeley and becomes eligible for parole next August.
• Pan Asian JACL Plans Karl-Yaki Tribute for Nobuyuki, page 6. Pan Asian JACL is organizing a Karl-yaki tribute event on January 26 honoring National JACL Executive Director Karl Nobuyuki, featuring longtime friends including Mas Fukai, Helen Kawagoe, Judge Robert Takasugi, and Paul Bannai. Tickets are $15 and available through the JACL office or Pan Asian JACL.

Obituaries

• Elizabeth Hunter, Champion of Nikkei Causes, Dies at 89, page 3. Elizabeth Hunter, who with her late husband Rev. Dr. Stanley Hunter championed Nikkei causes for many years before WW2, died December 14 in Springfield, Vermont. The couple visited Tanforan and Topaz during WW2 and assisted evacuees returning from the camps.

Commentary

• President’s Corner: Iranian Crisis, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. National JACL President Clifford Uyeda reflects on learning about the Iranian hostage crisis while touring China, drawing parallels between anti-Iranian sentiment and the WWII treatment of Japanese Americans. He notes JACL’s position calling for hostage release while cautioning against unconstitutional harassment of Iranians in the US.
• Down to Earth: An American Testimonial, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 4. National JACL Executive Director Karl Nobuyuki proposes a major ‘American Testimonial’ event to celebrate the 1980 JACL golden anniversary, honoring the five Nikkei members of Congress, the Japanese American experience, and future civil rights challenges. He argues JACL deserves credit for overturning discriminatory laws despite criticisms of being elitist or disconnected from the community.
• Ye Editor’s Desk: Just Before Christmas, by Harry Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda describes the installation of new phototypesetting equipment (Linoterm System) at the PC office and a family trip to Point Reyes and Golden Gate areas where he observed gray whales migrating. He also reports on visits with Mine Kido and Peter and Kiyo Matsuki, longtime San Francisco contacts.
• Short Notes: Letter on China Girl Controversy, by Noriko Bridges, page 4. A reader letter responds to a Mr. Lee’s mischaracterization of her complaint about being called ‘China Girl,’ clarifying her concern was about a new generation of racists being created by television rather than any anti-Chinese sentiment. She argues Lee set up a false scenario to lecture her rather than reading her original letter’s full content.
• 35 Years Ago in the Pacific Citizen, page 5. A historical retrospective column reprints news items from January 1945 Pacific Citizen issues, covering topics like the revocation of exclusion orders, Army announcements welcoming Nikkei return, and opposition from anti-evacuee groups in Washington State. The column also includes 1979 Holiday Issue boxscore statistics for chapter subscriptions and donations.
• Nisei in Japan: An Invitation to Tea, by Barry T. Saiki, page 5. Barry Saiki describes the Japanese tradition of tea invitations, contrasting casual tea service with the elaborate formal tea ceremony rooted in Zen Buddhist contemplation. He details the ritual’s steps from garden purification to the final ceremonial drinking of tea, noting its continued cultural importance despite postwar declines in formal practice.
• East Wind: Can’t Win for Losing, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani examines the Nisei cultural tendency toward perfectionism that may discourage some from running for political office after a loss, fearing the stigma of being labeled a ‘loser.’ He encourages Nisei candidates who have lost elections to try again, invoking the cultural concept of doryoku (diligent persistence).
• From Headquarters: Very Late Thoughts on Evacuation, by Lorrie Inagaki, page 6. A reflection on the author’s family removal to Poston, Arizona during WWII, questioning the inconsistency of relocating West Coast Japanese Americans to Arkansas while allowing others to remain in closer states like New Mexico and Texas. The piece critiques wartime propaganda phrases like ‘military necessity’ and ‘for your protection’ used to justify the forced removal.

Incarceration & Redress

• JACL’s Redress Campaign: Our Day in Court Has Arrived, page 9. A comprehensive feature details JACL’s decade-long redress campaign, tracing the history from Executive Order 9066 through the introduction of Senate Bill 1647 and HR 3499 in 1979 to establish a presidential commission investigating the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans. The piece emphasizes the bills’ bipartisan congressional support and calls for continued JACL chapter and community engagement to secure passage.
• Congressional and Community Leaders Speak Out on Redress, page 10. This feature compiles statements from Senators Inouye, Matsunaga, and Hayakawa, and Representatives Mineta and Matsui supporting the commission bill to investigate the WWII internment of Japanese Americans. Each leader emphasizes the need for a factual review of Executive Order 9066’s impact nearly 40 years after its issuance.
• Community Leaders Mukaeda, Masaoka, Hosokawa, Hirabayashi, Yasui Endorse Redress Commission, page 11. Prominent Japanese American figures including Katsuma Mukaeda, Mike Masaoka, Bill Hosokawa, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Minoru Yasui offer personal statements supporting the JACL redress commission campaign. Hosokawa notes his initial opposition to the original $25,000-per-evacuee redress plan but supports the more realistic Commission approach embodied in S 1647 and HR 5499.
• Position Statement of JACL National Committee for Redress, page 12. The National Committee for Redress outlines the official JACL position supporting enactment of S 1647 and HR 5499 to establish a congressional fact-finding commission investigating the WWII eviction and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans. The statement details the constitutional violations suffered, including suspension of seven of ten Bill of Rights articles, and estimates over $400 million in property losses alone.

In-Depth

• JACL Tourist in South America: Amazon’s Boomtown, by Ted Miyagishima, page 20. San Jose JACL member Ted Miyagishima describes visiting Manaus, Brazil, the boomtown hub of the Amazon located near the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Salimoes rivers. He notes the city’s history as a center for crude rubber export and its current status as a free-port zone with bustling shops selling goods from Japan and the United States, including a notable Japanese immigrant community.

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