Redress funding stripped from House bill; UCLA grants Don Nakanishi tenure

Vol. 108, No. 21, June 2, 1989. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page carried news on redress: the House of Representatives approved a $3.7 billion emergency spending bill after $250 million earmarked for Japanese American redress payments was stripped from it. Rep. Robert Matsui called the action “very disappointing” and said supporters would now focus on the 1990 appropriations process. Also on page one, George Johnston reported that UCLA granted tenure to Professor Don Nakanishi after a three-year struggle. Inside, the entire Hawaii State House signed a letter urging full redress funding, and the Office of Redress Administration reported responses from 27 foreign countries.

The commentary pages included Bill Hosokawa on Japanese tourism in Hawaii, Hank Tanaka on JACL Long Range Planning workshops, and Assemblywoman Jackie Speier on a resolution about how schools teach the World War II internment. Other items covered a planned rededication of the Japanese cemetery tied to Tule Lake, a cross burning at Meiji Gakuin High School in Tennessee, and the Pacific Southwest Nisei Relays.

What’s in this issue

National

• House Strips $250 Million for Redress from Emergency Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House of Representatives approved a $3.7 billion emergency spending bill that had been stripped of $250 million earmarked for Japanese American redress payments. Rep. Robert Matsui expressed disappointment, blaming the White House and Congressional Republicans, and said supporters would now focus on the 1990 appropriations process.
• UCLA Grants Don Nakanishi Tenure After Three-Year Battle, by George Johnston, page 1. After a three-year struggle marked by procedural irregularities, UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young granted tenure to Professor Don Nakanishi following multiple grievances and reviews. The case drew widespread community support, with JACL and others praising the decision as a victory for Asian Pacific Americans and other minorities on campus.
• Deukmejian Signs Bill to Ban Guns, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Gov. George Deukmejian signed legislation banning the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons, the type used by Patrick Purdy to kill five children at a Stockton schoolyard. The law, effective Jan. 1, will prohibit about 60 types of military-style weapons and establish a registration system for current owners.
• Entire Hawaii State House Legislators Urge Pres. Bush for Full Redress Payment, by P.C. Staff, page 2. All 51 members of the Hawaii State House of Representatives signed a letter requesting the Bush Administration fully fund federal reparations for interned Japanese Americans at $500 million per year. The resolution was initiated by Rep. Roland Kotani and co-introduced by other legislators of Okinawan ancestry.
• Hawaii Urges Moving U.S. Bases in Okinawa, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Both houses of the Hawaii State Legislature adopted resolutions urging the U.S. Department of Defense to consider relocating some military bases on Okinawa. The measures were introduced by legislators of Okinawan ancestry in both the House and Senate.
• ORA Finds Redress Responses from 27 Foreign Countries, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Office of Redress Administration reported that eligible individuals have sent information from 27 foreign countries across six continents, with Japan and Canada representing the largest numbers of foreign responses. The ORA also announced it was closing its toll-free telephone lines due to reduced call volume, while continuing to process eligibility verification by mail.

Community

• Husband Held for Murder of Wife, Claims Self-Defense, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Russell Stone, 28, was arrested in Stockton for the death of his wife, optometrist Deborah Saiki-Stone, after confessing to a fight that began over a suspected affair. He claimed self-defense, saying she attacked him with a knife before he stabbed her and disposed of his bloody clothes before going to work.
• Cross Burned at Tennessee Meiji Gakuin High, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Community leaders in Sweetwater, Tenn., apologized after a cross-burning incident at the entrance of newly opened Meiji Gakuin High School. Police officials visited the school to apologize on behalf of the city, which expressed pride in hosting the nation’s only Japanese high school.
• Councilman Apologizes to Vietnamese Community, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Westminster City Councilman Frank Fry Jr. apologized after telling Vietnamese veterans upset over a denied parade permit to ‘go back to South Vietnam.’ The comment had angered parade organizer Arthur Suheski, who had threatened a recall drive and demonstrations against Fry.
• San Mateo Scholarship Winners Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Mateo Japanese American Citizens League Scholarship Committee announced Miles Shintaro Okino and Amy Haruko Sueyoshi as the 1989 Tomodachi/JACL scholarship recipients. Two other students, Kevin Kato and Ellen Moriwaki, also received JACL awards funded by the Tomodachi Club’s annual Holiday Boutique.
• Japanese Medical Team to Check U.S. Hibakusha, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Japanese medical team from Hiroshima, led by Dr. Katsumi Hirata, will make its seventh visit to examine atomic bomb survivors at Washington Medical Center in Culver City. The team will also visit Seattle and Honolulu as part of the outreach.
• 500,000 Filipinos Estimated in Southland, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Filipinos are now believed to be the largest Asian ethnic group in Southern California, with an estimated 500,000 residents according to the Los Angeles Times. About 155,000 live in Los Angeles County alone, per a United Way survey.
• Cal State-LA Japanese Study Center to Coordinate Statewide Language Project, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese Studies Center at Cal State Los Angeles will headquarter a new statewide project, ‘Teaching Japanese for Communication,’ funded by California education agencies. Dr. Eri F. Yasuhara will direct the $99,000 project, which includes workshops for Japanese teachers and new curriculum development.
• New Mexico JACL’s O-Matsuri on June 25, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Several thousand people are expected at Minato Square in Albuquerque for the ninth annual New Mexico JACL O-Matsuri, featuring music, dance, martial arts, food and crafts. The festival’s theme will highlight the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and its redress provisions.
• Aging & Retirement Symposium Draws 200 to Florin JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Florin JACL held a symposium on retirement and aging on May 4 that drew over 200 attendees. Panelists included Dr. Kenneth Ozawa, financial planner Jean Kushida, attorney Curtis Namba, CPA Ralph Sugimoto, and others discussing nursing care and financial planning.
• AIDS Information to Asians Initiated, by P.C. Staff, page 7. AAPCHO, a national network of community health organizations, initiated articles providing basic AIDS information for non-English speaking Asian-Pacific Islander communities through ethnic press outlets. The project is coordinated by Dahlia Aspillera, Ed.D., with centers located in several major U.S. cities.

JACL

• JACL Recognized With Ernest Pon Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL National President Cressey Nakagawa and National Director Bill Yoshino displayed the Ernest Pon Award for Outstanding Community Service, presented by the National Association for Ethnic Studies for JACL’s redress role. The award was delivered to the JACL National Board meeting by Vice President Cherry Kinoshita.

Incarceration & Redress

• Sacramentans to Rededicate Tule Lake’s Japanese Cemetery in Klamath Falls, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A rededication ceremony is planned for Sept. 10 at Linkville Cemetery in Klamath Falls, Ore., where Japanese Americans from the nearby Tule Lake WRA Center are buried. Charter buses from Sacramento will visit Tule Lake and the cemetery, with plans to dedicate a bronze plaque honoring eleven internees buried there.
• Heart Mountain Reunion Event Deadlines Stressed, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Organizers announced deadlines for events tied to the Heart Mountain Reunion, including a golf tournament at the Wilshire course. The notice stresses registration deadlines for attendees planning to participate in reunion activities.

Commentary

• Frivolous Lawsuits: Delaying Justice, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial criticizes a lawsuit filed by Arthur D. Jacobs and the American War Veterans Relief Society seeking to block Japanese American redress payments. The piece argues the suit is a frivolous abuse of the judicial system that will cause costly delays and deny justice to aging survivors.
• Regional Priorities: Differences & Similarities, by Hank Tanaka, page 4. A report on JACL Long Range Planning workshops held in Dayton, Ohio and Reno, Nev., comparing organizational priorities identified by Midwest and California JACL members. Top goals included attracting younger members, leadership development, and civil rights advocacy, with results to be used by a national committee crafting a strategic plan for the 1990s.
• Tourist Yen Helps Alleviate Backlash, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa’s column examines the economic impact of Japanese tourism on Hawaii, noting that Japanese visitors accounted for 43% of visitor industry receipts despite being 22% of arrivals. He discusses both the economic benefits and the risks of Hawaii’s heavy dependence on the Japanese economy.
• Seeing Firsthand the Government at Work, by Kana Norimoto, page 4. A Fresno JACL student recounts her experience attending the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans in Washington, D.C., including seminars with political figures and visits to Capitol Hill and national monuments. She describes meeting Vice President Dan Quayle and reflects on the impact the Vietnam War Memorial and other sights had on her.
• Civil and Human Rights in Japan: A Critical Response, page 5. A detailed rebuttal challenges a JACL resolution on civil and human rights in Japan, arguing several of its factual claims about Japanese immigration, naturalization, and discrimination policies are incorrect or misleading. The author urges JACL to build a stronger record on minority issues domestically before taking positions on Japan’s internal policies.
• The Truth About the WWII Japanese American Internment Experience, by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, page 5. California Assemblywoman Jackie Speier describes her introduction of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 37, which urges schools to teach that the WWII internment was a violation of human rights rather than a military necessity. The resolution passed the Assembly by voice vote and will next go to the Senate.

Sports

• 1989 PSW Nisei Relays to Run July 23 as Tie-in with 5th PANA Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The 38th annual Pacific Southwest JACL Nisei Relays will be held July 23 at Rancho Santiago College to coincide with the 5th Pan American Nikkei Association convention in Little Tokyo. Organizers hope the event will let Latin American Nikkei youth meet Southern California youth, with entry deadline set for July 3.

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