Hirabayashi conviction reversed: the court finds government misconduct

Vol. 102, No. 6, February 14, 1986. 12 pages. View this issue

The front page carried the news from Seattle: U.S. District Court Judge Donald Voorhees reversed Gordon Hirabayashi’s conviction for violating the World War II exclusion orders, citing government concealment of evidence. He let stand the conviction for violating the military curfew. Attorney Rod Kawakami and Hirabayashi hailed the ruling. Nearby, the paper reported that Rep. Patricia Schroeder became the 121st co-sponsor of the redress bill H.R. 442, with a subcommittee hearing set for March 19. It also noted an Academy Award nomination for Stephen Okazaki’s documentary Unfinished Business, about the wartime incarceration (often called internment) and the Korematsu, Hirabayashi and Yasui cases.

Inside are protests over a broadcast remark about astronaut Ellison Onizuka and a memorial scholarship fund in his name. The paper also ran PSW District Council coverage of the debate over national office endorsements, columns by Bill Hosokawa and Clifford Uyeda, and chapter installation news. Reviews and notes of Asian American arts include the CBS mini-series Blood and Orchids.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Hirabayashi Verdict Reached: Court Finds Government Misconduct, page 1. U.S. District Court Judge Donald Voorhees reversed Gordon Hirabayashi’s conviction for violating WW2 exclusion orders, citing government concealment of evidence including Lt. Gen. DeWitt’s report showing a racial basis for the orders, though he let stand the curfew violation conviction. Attorney Rod Kawakami and Hirabayashi hailed the decision as the first time a court found government misconduct of this kind in the wartime cases.

National

• Remark on Onizuka Protested, page 1. Letters of protest were sent to Washington Post reporter Haynes Johnson after he referred to astronaut Ellison Onizuka’s Japanese ancestry as linked to wartime enemies during a PBS broadcast. Rep. Norman Mineta and JACL national director Ron Wakabayashi both wrote letters condemning the remark as perpetuating unfair suspicion of Japanese Americans.
• Colorado Rep Backs H.R. 442, page 1. Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.) became the 121st co-sponsor of redress bill H.R. 442, announced by Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui. JACL-LEC leaders noted growing committee support, with a subcommittee hearing scheduled for March 19 in Washington, D.C.
• Bill to Eliminate ‘Jap’ Proposed, page 3. Pacific Northwest District JACL’s ‘Operation Meiyo’ project gained support when Rep. Mike Lowry agreed to introduce a congressional resolution recognizing ‘Jpn’ as the official abbreviation for Japan/Japanese, aiming to reduce use of the offensive term ‘Jap.’ JACL leaders including Frank Sato and Ron Wakabayashi have supported the effort alongside columnist Bill Hosokawa and PC Board chair Clifford Uyeda.
• Onizuka Memorial Fund Set Up, page 3. Hawaii Newspaper Agency and Bank of Hawaii established a memorial scholarship fund to honor astronaut Ellison Onizuka, raising nearly $85,000 in its first three days. A steering committee chaired honorarily by Gov. George Ariyoshi will determine scholarship criteria.

Arts & Entertainment

• Film on Internment an Oscar Nominee, page 1. Stephen Okazaki’s documentary ‘Unfinished Business,’ about the WW2 internment and the Supreme Court cases of Korematsu, Hirabayashi, and Yasui, was nominated for an Academy Award for best feature documentary. The film has been broadcast on PBS and shown at community events nationwide.
• Film Festival Seeks Submissions, page 9. Asian CineVision is accepting entries for the ninth annual Asian American International Film Festival to be held in June in New York, featuring works by Asian filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad. The deadline for submission is March 12, open to 16mm or 35mm works by Asians or Asian Americans.
• Media Group Wins Arts Fund Award, page 9. Visual Communications, the Asian Pacific American media resource center in Little Tokyo, received a $2,000 grant from the Brody Arts Fund of the California Community Foundation. The award will partially fund a new video editing facility to complement the organization’s community video production workshop series.
• TV Drama Depicts Racial Injustice, page 12. The CBS mini-series ‘Blood and Orchids,’ set in 1937 Hawaii, depicts the wrongful accusation of four local youths for assault and rape and the resulting civil unrest, featuring Kris Kristofferson, Jane Alexander, Sean Young and Jose Ferrer. Producer Andrew Adelson emphasized hiring many local Hawaiian actors, including Russell Omori, Shaun Shimoda, Robert Andre, Warren Fabro, Haunani Minn and James Saito.

JACL

• District Considers Candidates for National Office, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 1. The PSW District Council endorsed Gene Takamine for another term as national secretary-treasurer and deferred endorsement for national president between candidates Harry Kajihara and Rose Ochi until March 16. The decision followed debate over endorsing candidates before the official filing date for national office.
• PSW District Council Debates Endorsements, Redress Accounting, page 6. At the PSW District Council meeting, Takamine and candidates Harry Kajihara and Rose Ochi made presentations for national office, with Kajihara emphasizing his LEC finance record and Ochi calling for community outreach and renewal. The council also extended a moratorium on forwarding chapter redress pledges to National until a full accounting is provided, and discussed the PSW trust fund’s community grants.
• Health Fair Receives Funding, by Lia Shigemura, page 6. Chevron USA awarded National JACL a grant for the fourth consecutive year to support the 1986 Minority Health Fair program, which provides free health screening and education to ethnic communities. Over 25 Minority Health Fairs have been sponsored by JACL chapters with assistance from the National Health Screening Council for Volunteer Organizations.
• Details of Forensic Contest Set, by Lia Shigemura, page 6. Five JACL districts will send representatives to the National JACL Speech and Forensic Competition at the Chicago convention in July, with district-wide competitions held in spring in two speech divisions. Chevron USA is funding major portions of the competition, open to JACL members ages 16-19.
• Meiji-mura Donor Thanked by JACL, page 7. JACL national president Frank Sato presented Kiyoko Motoda with a JACL Certificate of Appreciation for donating a Japanese Evangelical Church building to the Meiji-mura Museum in Japan. Motoda was also commended for 30 years of JACL Thousand Club membership and support of Seattle chapter projects.
• NCWNP District to Honor Tateishi, page 7. Friends of John Tateishi planned a dinner in his honor on March 22 at Hotel Meridien to recognize his eight years as National JACL redress chairman and director. Tateishi was instrumental in establishing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and in introducing redress legislation.
• Downtown Los Angeles Chapter Installs Officers, Hears Ochi, page 7. Rose Ochi announced her candidacy for national JACL president at the Downtown L.A. chapter’s installation dinner, emphasizing JACL’s civil rights record while cautioning about Gramm-Rudman budget impacts on redress and social programs. She installed the chapter’s new officers before her remarks.

Commentary

• White Beaches of Shirahama, page 4. The columnist recounts a return visit to the resort town of Shirahama, Japan, reflecting on changes since a brief overnight stop there in 1946 and describing a guided tour with Japanese tourists. The piece includes observations on local hucksters selling jewelry, a Polynesian-themed dance show, and a visit to a secluded Buddhist temple compound.
• Culture Clash, by Ed Suguro, page 4. A letter writer argues that Nisei who cling to traditional Japanese cultural values face obstacles in Western social, professional and leadership contexts. He lists values such as shyness, blind obedience, and self-effacement as harmful and argues JACL should preserve only artistic traditions, not these cultural values.
• Watch Your Language, by Kathryn Graves, page 4. A representative of U.S. English responds to the Pacific Citizen’s coverage of the ‘English Only’ campaign, clarifying that the proposed constitutional amendment would not prohibit use of other languages in unofficial contexts. She cites a resolution passed by the U.S. English board clarifying the organization’s position.
• Not So Fast, by E.J.T. Suyama, page 4. A letter writer references FDR’s remark about not mentioning rope in a house where a hanging occurred, suggesting the Constitution’s bicentennial celebration proposed by JACL President Sato be postponed. He wryly suggests waiting another hundred years instead.
• A Vote for the Two Bills, by Fred K. [surname illegible], page 4. A letter writer responds to a Pacific Citizen Board survey, urging caution before altering the paper’s basic format on pages four and five. He argues that reducing columns by Bill Marutani, Bill Hosokawa, Barry Saiki and Harry Honda would hurt the PC’s readership appeal among Nisei readers.
• Snappy Retorts, Vol. 2, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa shares additional humorous reader-submitted responses to the common experience of being complimented on English-speaking ability, continuing his ‘Speakee Englishie’ contest. He also reports on legislative developments including Sen. Alan Dixon’s co-sponsorship of S. 1053 and the reinstatement of the NCJAR lawsuit by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
• Assessing the PC, by Clifford Uyeda, page 5. Uyeda explains the Pacific Citizen Board’s periodic evaluation process and the decision to lift restrictions on a December survey at the request of the acting editor. He also discusses the nationwide open recruitment for a new PC editor as being in the publication’s best interests.
• One Critic’s Opinion, by John Saito, page 5. Saito recounts previewing the Lorimar TV production ‘Blood and Orchids’ and watching closely for offensive or demeaning portrayals of Asian/Pacific characters. He reports that the film handled sensitive scenes well and that audience reaction at the screening was uniformly positive.

Community

• Thanks for Your Kindness, by Sandi Kawasaki, page 6. The PSWDC Christmas Cheer Project distributed $14,400 to elderly and needy Japanese Americans during the holidays, and the article shares two thank-you letters from recipients expressing gratitude for the gifts. The author thanks PSWDC JACL members for their continued support of the program.
• Chicago Chapter to Show Film on Redress, page 7. Chicago Chapter’s Redress Committee will show a film on the Japanese American wartime experience on Feb. 28 at the JACL office, with former 442nd RCT officers speaking on redress bill H.R. 442. The event features Maj. Izan Kovac and Capt. Thomas Crowley.
• Fremont Chapter Installs Officers, page 7. Fremont JACL held its annual installation dinner where NCWNP regional director George Kondo installed a full slate of new officers led by president Ted Inouye. Newly elected Fremont Mayor Gus Morrison spoke in support of redress, and the chapter celebrated Masutaro Kitani’s 100th birthday.
• Florin Chapter Announces Scholarship Program, page 7. Florin Chapter’s 1986 scholarship program offers $300 and $200 awards for high school seniors planning further education, with applications due to scholarship chair Nellie Sakakihara by March 1. Top applicants will be referred to the National JACL Scholarship program.
• Olympia Chapter Hosts Tribute to Japan, page 7. Over 4,000 people attended the fourth annual ‘Tribute to Japan’ event at Evergreen State College, featuring Japanese arts, crafts, dance, food, and lectures on U.S.-Japan trade. The event was co-sponsored by the Seattle Japanese consulate and Evergreen State College.
• Livingston-Merced Chapter Installs Board, Hears Tateishi, page 7. The 1986 Livingston-Merced JACL board was installed at the Branding Iron Restaurant, with former redress director John Tateishi giving a speech on the progress of redress efforts. Buddy Iwata introduced Tateishi and past president Steven Kirihara emceed the event.
• San Diego Chapter Plans Membership Meeting, page 7. San Diego JACL will hold a general membership meeting featuring a Day of Remembrance ceremony co-sponsored with San Diego Redress and Reparations Committee. The agenda also includes a charter change to add a chapter executive director position and a presentation on the Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
• Greater L.A. Singles Chapter to Install Officers, page 7. Greater L.A. Singles chapter will hold a joint installation dinner-dance installing Karl Nobuyuki as president along with a full slate of new officers. Non-members are welcome to attend the event at the Hyatt at the Airport.
• Filipinos March Against Marcos, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 9. More than 100 demonstrators, mostly Filipino Americans, rallied in front of the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles to protest alleged election fraud by President Ferdinand Marcos and support opposition candidate Corazon Aquino. Speakers criticized decades of U.S. support for Marcos and called for a policy serving the long-term interests of both Filipinos and Americans.
• ‘Woman Warrior’ Honorees Named, page 9. Asian/Pacific Women’s Network will honor six recipients of the fifth annual Women Warrior Awards, including Yoko Ono, Kieu-Chinh, March Fong Eu, Maya Lin, Rita Walters, and Betty Kozasa. The award is named after Maxine Hong Kingston’s novel celebrating the legend of Fa Mu Lan.
• Mayor Appoints Asian Advisors, page 12. Chicago Mayor Harold Washington introduced five newly appointed members of his Advisory Committee on Asian American Affairs representing Korean, Cambodian, East Indian and Filipino communities. Attorney Paul Igasaki, the mayor’s Asian American liaison, emceed the reception attended by about 400 community leaders.
• UCB Library Gets Major Donations, page 12. The Asian American Studies Library at UC Berkeley received major contributions relating to Chinese American history, including photo collections from the Chinese Culture Center and rare books from historian Philip Choy. Historian Him Mark Lai joined the library staff as an archivist to process Chinese American archival materials.

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