Redress research, Day of Remembrance plans and Tateishi’s resignation

Vol. 92, No. 7, February 20, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page carried news of the redress campaign. The Bay Area Attorneys for Redress, a group made up mostly of Sansei, began research on a legal brief for the U.S. Commission on Wartime Relocation arguing that the Evacuation of 1942 was unconstitutional. The National Coalition for Redress/Reparations announced Day of Remembrance events on Feb. 19, and John Tateishi announced his resignation as chairman of the National JACL Committee for Redress. Also on page 1, JACL commended Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander for reprimanding protestors at a Nissan groundbreaking.

Inside are Dr. James K. Tsujimura’s column on public education and compensation, Hiroshi Ito’s comparison of the Iran hostage crisis with the World War II incarceration, and Peter Imamura’s report on the Issei photo mural unveiled in Little Tokyo. Ad Thobieson profiled New Jersey fruit grower Tak Moriuchi, and chapter installation dinners from Lodi, Santa Barbara and Gilroy fill page 6.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Sansei Law Group to Question Constitutionality of Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Bay Area Attorneys for Redress (BAAR), composed primarily of Sansei, has begun research for a legal brief to be presented to the U.S. Commission on Wartime Relocation arguing the Evacuation of 1942 was unconstitutional as a bill of attainder and violated habeas corpus. The group is in close contact with John Tateishi of the JACL Redress legal campaign.
• ‘Day of Remembrance’ Services Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (NCRR) is marking Day of Remembrance events on Feb. 19 and surrounding days, including a procession in Los Angeles from E. 1st and Central to the Federal Building for a memorial service. Additional meetings are planned in National City and at New York’s Japanese American United Church.

National

• Tenn. Gov. Alexander Reprimands Protestors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL Acting National Director J.D. Hokoyama commended Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander for reprimanding demonstrators who disrupted a groundbreaking ceremony for Nissan’s Datsun Truck Assembly Plant and hurled racial epithets at Japanese officials. Alexander rebuked the protestors, who were mostly from outside the area, and Nissan said the incident would not change its plans to build the $300 million plant.
• U.S. Cuttings of Japanese Sakura Trees Arrive in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese park service representatives visited Washington in January to take 3,000 cuttings from Japanese flowering cherry trees to re-establish varieties no longer found in Japan. Botanist Roland Jefferson of the National Arboretum has been collecting lost Tidal Basin and Potomac Park cherry strains from other parts of the country.
• Ethnic Survey of U.S. Workers Hit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A union representing civilian workers at Pearl Harbor has criticized the government’s method of gathering ethnic statistics through voluntary self-identification, calling it flawed for Hawaii’s population. Union president Laurence Ah Nee said the Office of Personnel Management’s mainland-based minority designations fail to account for Hawaii’s unique cultural mix, where 70% of the population would be counted as a single ‘minority’ category.
• Tateishi Resigns as Redress Chair, by P.C. Staff, page 1. John Tateishi announced his resignation as chairman of the National JACL Committee for Redress, a post he held since fall 1978, citing personal considerations. He suggested someone be appointed who can harness the diverse factors of the redress campaign as it nears its final stages.
• Suzuki-Reagan Meeting Advanced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki plans to visit Washington to meet President Reagan in early April, a month earlier than originally scheduled. Officials speculated Suzuki wanted to meet the new president as soon as possible to polish his diplomatic standing.
• Compulsive Woman Gambler Convicted for Slaying Nikkei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Elaine Su-Yuan Wong, 30, was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for murdering Robert Sakane, 28, of Monterey Park during a five-hour siege at a Hawthorne apartment. Wong, an admitted compulsive gambler who had lost large sums at Gardena poker clubs, had gone to retrieve jewelry held as collateral for an unpaid loan.

In-Depth

• Moriuchi Changed from Vegetables to Fruit, by Ad Thobieson, page 1. Apple and peach grower Tak Moriuchi, principal stockholder of Tak Moriuchi Inc. in New Jersey, recounts his family’s forced internment during WWII after being uprooted from their Livingston, Calif. vegetable farm. After release from camp, Moriuchi relocated to New Jersey where he built a successful fruit growing operation now run with his son Fred, investing in modern packing technology.
• The Monumental Issei, by Peter Imamura, page 3. A massive 20-foot ceramic ‘Senzo’ photo mural depicting Issei history was unveiled at Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo, featuring images from railroad work to the Evacuation of 1942 and Manzanar. The small ceremony included speeches by Rep. Norman Mineta, Councilman Gilbert Lindsay, David Hyun, and actor George Takei, along with 88-year-old Issei midwife Ai Hanafusa.
• Moriuchi Changed from Vegetables to Fruit (continued), by Ad Thobieson, page 5. The continuation details Tak Moriuchi’s son Fred’s role as vice president of the family fruit business, including a new packing plant built in 1977 and an electronic weight sizer added in 1980 to improve efficiency. The Moriuchis are noted as staunch Philadelphia JACLers who provide endowment scholarships in the National JACL undergraduate program.

Community

• Coalition Unites Bay Area Seniors, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ten Bay Area Japanese American senior centers have formed a joint coalition for the first time since the inception of Japanese community senior services, and will celebrate with a joint New Year party. The coalition includes groups from San Mateo, San Jose, Berkeley, El Cerrito and other areas, along with support from several college Asian American studies programs.
• Kitamura Explains U.S.-Japan Ties, by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 2. Consul General Hiroshi Kitamura addressed the San Francisco JACL Chapter installation dinner, discussing Japan’s support for the U.S. including economic sanctions against Iran and restricted trade with Russia despite Japan’s heavy dependence on foreign oil. He emphasized Japan’s constitutional limits on military power and its growing economic aid to Asian nations.
• ‘Cub’ Daijogo Installed Lodi JACL Head, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Kazito ‘Cub’ Daijogo was installed at the recent Lodi JACL dinner held at the New Yorker Restaurant, with Henry Kondo serving as guest speaker and installing officer. Members were honored for their work on the local JACL building.
• Santa Barbara Re-elects Mike Hide, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Santa Barbara JACL installation dinner at Montecito Country Club featured keynote speaker Ron Wakabayashi discussing Redress, with Mike Hide re-elected as chairman. Other officers installed include Vice Chairman John Suzuki, Treasurer Ikey Kakimoto, and Secretary Jane Uyesaka.
• Gilroy JACL Honors Shig Yamane, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Shig Yamane was honored for his community service and leadership at the Gilroy JACL installation dinner, with James Ogawa installed as new president. Yamane, born and raised in Gilroy, was evacuated during WWII to Marysville Assembly Center and Tule Lake before returning after the war to serve as JACL chapter president multiple times.
• Arizona to Host Its First BCA Gen’l Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 6. For the first time in its 82-year history, the Buddhist Churches of America will hold its annual general meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, Feb. 18-22 at the Hyatt Regency. Approximately 500 ministers, delegates, and their wives representing 60 churches nationwide will attend, led by Bishop Kenryu T. Tsuji.
• Camellia Festival in Sac’to Mar. 7-14, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Sacramento’s Camellia Festival continues with support from the Sacramento JACL Auxiliary, featuring floral and cultural displays and a luncheon-parade on March 14. National JACL vice president for public affairs Floyd Shimomura will be the special luncheon guest.

Obituaries

• Bro. Theophane Succumbs, Was 78, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Brother Theophane of Maryknoll died Feb. 12 of kidney infection after a half-century of mission work, much of it with Issei and Nisei in Los Angeles. He organized youth and Scouting activities, helped evacuees resettle from camps in the mid-1940s, and later worked to rebuild Maryknoll School in Los Angeles.

Commentary

• Restatement, by Dr. James K. Tsujimura, page 4. National JACL President James Tsujimura addresses questions about whether educating the public about internment and seeking monetary compensation for Redress are contradictory goals. He argues both are essential: public education combats lingering misconceptions about Japanese American loyalty, while monetary compensation from Congress is necessary to ensure government takes future injustices seriously.
• Letterbox: Century Life No. 1, by Dr. Frank F. Sakamoto, page 4. A letter clarifies that Ed Yamamoto of Columbia Basin, not a Portland JACLer, was actually the first Century Life Member, having donated $1,000 in 1974. The letter notes Yamamoto borrowed the funds from the JACL Credit Union to generate interest for the union.
• Letterbox: Check the Library, page 4. A reader seeks help locating an old Pacific Citizen article from the mid-60s to early-70s about a Japanese soldier’s flag from WWII Burma that was returned to the soldier’s family. The reader plans to visit Japan and wants to reconnect with the family but has lost their address.
• From Happy Valley: Cooking: An Art of Survival, by Sachi Seko, page 4. The columnist describes her husband’s enrollment, along with friend Ken Takeno, in a community education oriental cooking class taught by Doris Matsuura in Salt Lake City. She reflects on the cultural shift away from traditional gender roles in cooking as a practical survival skill for their generation.
• Kitamura Explains U.S.-Japan Ties (continued), by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 4. Continuing coverage of Consul General Kitamura’s speech detailing Japan’s increased military cost-sharing with the U.S. from 1976-1979 and the trade imbalance between the two nations. Kitamura noted Japan’s export reliance is actually lower than Britain or West Germany’s, and stressed American businesses are becoming more export-conscious toward Japan.
• U.S.-Japan Ties in Reagan’s Eyes, page 5. A column examines the Heritage Foundation’s ‘Mandate for Leadership’ report, a 1,100-page blueprint for Reagan administration policy, focusing on its recommendations for increased U.S. military presence in the Pacific and pressure on Japan to raise defense spending. The piece notes Japanese Americans lack significant political clout but have more allies and know-how than 40 years ago to influence such policy discussions.
• East Wind: The Thrashing of Our Children, by Bill Marutani, page 5. The columnist laments declining school discipline, rising drug use, and violence against teachers compared to stricter enforcement in earlier decades. He argues society must provide schools the resolve and support needed to address these problems, including financial backing, rather than simply debating causes.
• From Pacific Southwest: International Relations, by John Saito, page 6. The columnist reflects on relationships between established Asian Americans and newly arrived Asian immigrants, noting that Asian Americans have sometimes labeled newcomers as ‘FOB’s,’ creating distance. He discusses the Pacific Southwest District’s developing ties with Nikkei communities south of the border.
• Chiaroscuro: Parallels: 1942-1981, by Hiroshi Ito, page 6. Marin County JACL’s Hiroshi Ito draws parallels between the Iran hostage crisis and the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, noting the hostages endured 444 days while Japanese Americans were incarcerated for over 1000 days. He stresses the importance of upcoming Commission on Wartime Relocation hearings to tell the Japanese American story while public awareness of captivity experiences remains fresh.

JACL

• Arizona Chapter Visited, by Dr. Frank Sakamoto, page 6. National 1000 Club Chair Frank Sakamoto visited the Arizona JACL chapter, screening the film ‘The Pride and the Shame’ and meeting with members who raised concerns about JACL’s value and whether National Headquarters should be based in Washington, D.C. for more effective legislative advocacy. Sakamoto pledged to bring these questions back to the National JACL Board.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Amerasia Journal’ Issue Covers Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Winter issue of the Amerasia Journal, available from UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center, highlights Hawaii’s Polynesian/Asian heritage, history, and society. The 150-page publication includes articles on ethnicity, race, class and labor among Hawaiians, Pilipinos, Japanese and Chinese in Hawaii, plus book reviews and an annual bibliography.

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