JACL’s convention elects Floyd Shimomura and adopts redress guidelines

Vol. 95, No. 8, August 20, 1982. 8 pages. View this issue

Floyd Shimomura of Sacramento, 34, was elected National JACL President at the convention in Los Angeles, and the front page of the Pacific Citizen reported it as the first time a Sansei held the office. The same page covered the National Council’s approval of suggested guidelines for redress legislation and a $300,000 loan to the National Committee for Redress. Peter Imamura reported on the debate, and an inside story detailed the amendments and the argument over using the Endowment Fund. Harry Honda reported on the awards, including Minoru Yasui as JACLer of the Biennium, and the 1982/83 budget passed with dues increases.

Elsewhere in the eight pages: the California legislature’s compensation bill for state workers fired during World War II, Bill Hosokawa’s account of Mike Masaoka’s convention speech, and the announcement that Peter A. Imamura would become Pacific Citizen editor on October 1. Barry Saiki wrote on high school baseball in Japan.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Floyd Shimomura Becomes 1st Sansei JACL National President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Floyd Shimomura of Sacramento, 34, was elected National JACL President at the convention in Los Angeles, defeating George Kodama and Lily Okura. Charles Kubokawa won the VP Public Affairs seat vacated by Shimomura after a runoff against Gene Takamine.
• National Council Passes Budget, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National Council approved the 1982/83 fiscal year budgets, including dues increases for individual, family, and Fifty Club memberships over the next biennium. Outgoing Secretary-Treasurer Hank Sakai called the budgets ‘austere’ given inflation.
• Yasui Wins JACLer of Biennium; Kitano Named JA of Biennium, by Harry Honda, page 1. At the JACL National Convention in Los Angeles hosted by Gardena Valley JACL, Minoru Yasui was named Dr. Randolph Sakada Memorial JACLer of the Biennium for his work as redress committee chairman, and Dr. H.L. Kitano was named Japanese American of the Biennium for his humanities work. San Mateo JACL won Chapter of the Biennium, and former Ambassador James Hodgson received the Masaoka Distinguished Public Service Award.
• Convention Notes: Awards, Speakers and Tributes Mark JACL Gathering, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL convention featured numerous awards and tributes, including honors to Jane Ozawa, Pete Hironaka, and Shig Wakamatsu, plus keynote remarks from Ambassador Yoshio Okawara and a moving speech by Mike Masaoka. Over 950 delegates attended the four-day event hosted by Gardena Valley JACL, the first LA convention since 1954.
• Confab Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Alyssa Watanabe and Paul Nakasone were elected to lead the National Youth Council, while roughly 250 youths participated in convention activities including a dance and redress workshop. Veteran staffers and volunteers, including Judge Raymond Uno as parliamentarian, kept convention operations running smoothly.
• ‘JACL in Quest of Justice’ Presented to End 5-Year Wait, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Bill Hosokawa’s book ‘JACL in Quest for Justice’ was formally presented at a ceremony completing the five-year Masao & Chiz Satow Memorial Project at the Satow County Public Library in Gardena. Speakers including Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and national JACL leaders paid tribute to the late Mas Satow’s legacy.
• Imamura Named PC Editor Oct. 1, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Peter A. Imamura, Pacific Citizen news editor, was announced as the new PC editor effective October 1, while longtime editor Harry Honda transitions to general manager for operations. The announcement was made by PC Board chair Dr. Clifford Uyeda at the National Board meeting.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Guidelines Are Adopted; $300,000 Loan to Committee Won, by Peter Imamura, page 1. The JACL National Council approved suggested guidelines for redress legislation and a resolution establishing a $300,000 line-of-credit loan to the National Committee for Redress from the Endowment Fund. Delegates debated amendments on individual compensation language before passing the guidelines and loan resolution.
• IRC to Explore U.S.-Japan Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A resolution was adopted allocating $4,000 annually to JACL’s International Relations Committee to explore U.S.-Japan relations, while cautioning that JACL should not become a ‘front’ for Japan. Henry Tanaka of Cleveland requested itemization of expenses tied to the allocation.
• Calif. Legislature Passes Compensation Bill for Nisei, by Rafu Shimpo, page 1. The California legislature approved AB 2710, sponsored by Assemblyman Patrick Johnston, granting up to $5,000 compensation to 314 Japanese Americans fired from state jobs during WWII due to their ancestry. Johnston credited Senate passage to Sen. Ralph Dills and his aide Priscilla Ouchida for drafting the bill.
• 35 Years Ago in the Pacific Citizen, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This historical column recaps news items from the Pacific Citizen issue of August 23, 1947, including stories on Nisei beauty controversy, a fatal auto crash, Canadian evacuee protests, and postwar resettlement statistics. It also notes JACL’s 1947 staff conference recommendations on Issei membership and mail balloting.
• Redress Guidelines and Endowment Fund Loan Debate Detailed, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Delegates debated detailed redress guidelines covering compensation computation methods, congressional appropriations schedules, and foundation payment priorities based on age. A contentious debate also arose over using JACL Endowment Fund money for redress efforts, ultimately resulting in a $300,000 loan resolution with repayment through member pledges.

National

• Antitrust Suit Filed Against Japanese Paper Manufacturers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A $60 million antitrust suit was filed against 27 Japanese paper manufacturers and trading companies, accusing them of conspiring to depress American wood chip export prices. The suit, filed by North Coast Export Co. of Eureka, alleges price fixing, market division, and boycotting of American companies.
• Japan’s War Atrocities Become Subject of Best-Seller in Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A best-selling Japanese book, ‘Gluttony of the Devil’ by Seiichi Morimura, details a WWII germ warfare unit in Manchuria that killed thousands of Chinese, Koreans and Russians in biological experiments. The book broke decades of official silence about the 731st unit commanded by Lieut. Gen. Shiro Ishii.
• Mitsui Employees Plead Innocent, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three employees of Mitsui Trading Company pleaded innocent to charges of conspiring to dump cheap foreign steel on the American market. Mitsui Co. (USA) had already pleaded guilty and paid over $11 million in fines, but the three individuals were not included in that settlement.
• GM, Toyota Planning to Build Cars Together in Calif. Plants, by P.C. Staff, page 2. GM chairman Roger Smith confirmed that GM and Toyota are negotiating a joint venture to build small cars at GM’s vacant Fremont, California plant. GM is also separately supplying parts for Isuzu vehicles to be sold in the U.S.
• Taiwanese Newspapers Praise Defecting Tennis Star Hu Na, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chinese tennis star Hu Na’s attempted defection to the U.S. during a tournament in Santa Clara has captivated Taiwan, where newspapers portray her as a freedom fighter. Taiwanese officials expressed willingness to accept her, while some feared U.S. officials might bow to pressure from Beijing.
• Japan Court OKs Record Damages, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A Yokohama District Court ordered a defendant to pay ¥41,630,000 in damages to a now 22-year-old student who hit his head at the bottom of a swimming pool, surpassing a previous record damages figure. The case highlighted growing litigation trends in Japan.
• Three-Party Phone Systems Coming to Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone announced two new three-party calling systems will be ready by 1985, allowing conference calls and call-holding features. One system allows three-way conversations while another allows a caller to put one party on hold to call a third without the two others hearing each other.
• Record Number of Juvenile Delinquents Reported in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Japan’s National Police Agency reported a record 1,463,228 juvenile delinquents held or questioned in 1981, up 7.8% from the previous year, constituting over half of all reported suspects. Police classified delinquents into categories including violent offenders and motorcycle gang members.
• Americans Admire Japanese Clothing Designers, But Prices Too High, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Professor Frank Rizzo of the Parsons School of Design told an audience at Ueda College of Fashion that designers like Kenzo Miyake and Hanae Mori are too expensive for middle-class American women. He suggested Japanese-made fabrics be marketed toward middle-class consumers who view Japanese goods as comparable in quality to Italian or French products.

Commentary

• ‘J.A.P. Handbook’ Irks Reader, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A forthcoming humor book, ‘The Official J.A.P. (Jewish American Princesses and Princes) Handbook,’ drew objection from San Francisco’s Sharon Kato for its use of terms like ‘Jap-dom’ and ‘Jappy.’ Kato planned to write a letter of protest to the publisher and hoped other Nikkei would join her.
• Speed Limit: 55 / Lifestyle, Too?, by Sachi Seko, page 4. In this personal essay, columnist Sachi Seko reflects on turning 55 and the process of aging, using the metaphor of pruning an overgrown plum tree to discuss letting go of material possessions. She contrasts her mindset at 50, focused on ‘gathering,’ with her current approach of discarding clutter and needing less.
• The Convention Opener: Mike Masaoka, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Columnist Bill Hosokawa recounts Mike Masaoka’s powerful return to public speaking at the JACL convention’s redress workshop, where Masaoka defended JACL’s wartime leadership decisions against revisionist criticism. Masaoka argued there was no negotiating with the government in 1942, only a desperate effort to avert disaster amid confusion and hysteria.
• ‘Hentaisei’: Commentary II, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Columnist Bill Marutani responds to a reader’s critique of his earlier column on homosexuality, discussing the Japanese term ‘hentaisei’ and its cultural implications among Nisei. He maintains opposition to persecution of homosexuals while expressing continued reservations about equating ‘gay rights’ with civil rights.

Community

• Nikkei Couple Launch Their Own Small Publishing Business, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Shiro and Mei Nakano of Sonoma County JACL, along with partner Adam David Miller, launched Mina Press, a small publishing company in Berkeley focused on quality literary works overlooked by major publishers. The press plans to publish works including Mei Nakano’s children’s fable and poetry by lesser-known writers.
• Cal Japanese Alumni Starting Student Loan Plan for Nikkei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California Japanese Alumni Association announced a new student loan program for Nikkei students attending University of California campuses, funded by proceeds from the historic Japanese Student dormitory Euclid Hall. Loans will be based on financial need with below-commercial interest rates accruing after completion of studies.
• Olivers’ Sportsmanship Awards Dinner Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 22nd annual Olivers ‘Sportsmanship’ award dinner honoring an outstanding Sansei prep athlete will be held Sept. 11 at Paul’s Kitchen Restaurant in Monterey Park. The event honors the memory of Nellie G. Oliver, a prewar kindergarten teacher who supported Nisei youth in sports during the 1920s and 1930s.
• JACCC Appoints Director of Administration, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Patrick L. Ogawa, former executive director of the Asian American Drug Abuse Program, was appointed director of administration for the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. He will oversee JACCC’s financial operations and tenant relations as the center expands with a new theater and plaza.
• ‘Hito Hata’ Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Two benefit screenings of the film ‘Hito Hata: Raise the Banner’ for the National Coalition of Redress/Reparations will be held at the San Francisco Buddhist Church on Aug. 28. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and children.
• PC People, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Clarence K. Hiura of Eagle Rock was elected President of the California State Pharmacy Board in July, having served on multiple board committees since his appointment. Pacific Asian American Women Writers-West also elected new officers including Emma Gee as chair and Sue Embrey as vice president.

Sports

• August Fever in Japan Pits 3,400 High School Teams with Baseball, by Barry Saiki, page 8. The annual National Senior High School Baseball Tournament at Koshien Stadium draws over 3,400 competing teams and massive national attention via television, with crowds of 55,000 attending daily. The tournament, now in its 64th year, has produced many future professional stars including Sadaharu Oh, and remains a powerful symbol of prefectural pride across Japan.

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.