Redress bills die with the 98th Congress, and Manzanar is nominated

Vol. 99, No. 15, October 12, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen reported that redress bills HR 4110 and S 2116 died as the 98th Congress ended, after gaining 106 House and 20 Senate co-sponsors. Plans were already underway to reintroduce them in the next session. The front page also covered the conviction of James Pierman for voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of Thong Hy Huynh, and the National Park Service’s nomination of Manzanar as a National Historic Landmark. Letters on redress came from Gus Y. Nikaitani and George K. Oga, and J.K. Yamamoto wrote about redress opponent Lillian Baker.

Also inside: Bill Hosokawa’s column on Frank Yamaguchi, a retired farmer who was evacuated to Poston and won a Democratic nomination for county commissioner in Colorado. Harry Honda’s Little Tokyo Life series turned to Hollywood and the Issei who lived and worked there. Groundbreaking for the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California in San Francisco’s Nihonmachi rounded out the issue, along with letters on JACL election and committee practices.

What’s in this issue

National

• Redress Bills Backed by 106 Reps, 20 Senators, by P.C. Staff, page 1. As the 98th Congress ends, redress bills HR 4110 and S 2116 die without passage, though they gained 106 House and 20 Senate co-sponsors. Plans are already underway to reintroduce the bills in the next session, with hearings having been held in Washington, Los Angeles, and Anchorage.
• Pierman Convicted of Manslaughter, page 1. James ‘Jay’ Pierman, 18, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the stabbing death of Thong Hy Huynh at Davis High School in May 1983. The trial focused on whether the stabbing was deliberate rather than on racial motivation, though many in the Asian American community believed race played a role.
• Redress Bill Author Faces Tough Race, page 2. California Assemblyman Patrick Johnston, author of successful monetary redress legislation for Japanese American state employees fired in 1942, faces a tough re-election challenge from Doug Wilhoit, who has heavy Republican Party funding. Johnston’s legislation compensated nearly 300 Japanese Americans and has been endorsed by Congressman Robert Matsui.
• Filmstrip Premieres to Focus on Three Communities’ Experiences, page 6. The Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, and JACL will co-sponsor a filmstrip premiere in Chicago focusing on Black American, Japanese American, and Jewish American experiences, followed by a panel discussion. ADL has produced nine other filmstrips on cultural diversity to be shown in future programs.

Incarceration & Redress

• Manzanar Considered as National Historic Landmark, page 1. The National Park Service has completed a study of Manzanar and is nominating it for possible designation as a National Historic Landmark. The Manzanar Committee is urging former internees to send letters of support for the nomination before the Oct. 22 advisory board meeting.

Community

• Asian Women Writers’ Project Soliciting Works, page 2. Asian Women United of California received a federal grant to publish an anthology of writings on Asian American women, to begin January 1985. The project is soliciting historical and contemporary essays, creative writing, oral history, and photographs from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Pilipino, Southeast Asian, and East Asian American women.
• Roster of Asian American Politicians Now Available, page 2. UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center has published a national listing of over 600 Asian Pacific American elected officials, appointees, judges, and school board members. The roster also includes political party representatives and 1980 census highlights for the Asian Pacific American population.
• Texans Rededicate Issei-Built Garden, page 3. San Antonio’s Japanese Tea Garden, built by Issei Kimi Eizo Jingu in 1918 and renamed Chinese Sunken Gardens after WW2 evacuation, was rededicated with its original name during Japan Week celebrations. The ceremony also honored Jingu’s son Jimmy, a 442nd veteran, with the 442nd being recognized as honorary Texans.
• Matsui to Speak at Leadership Forum, page 3. Rep. Robert T. Matsui will be the featured speaker at a forum sponsored by Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) in Los Angeles. Matsui serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and several subcommittees dealing with national policy issues.
• Gardena JCI Seeking Records of Its Past, page 3. The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute is seeking old photographs and historical data for a written history to be presented at a November dinner honoring six pioneer organizers. Proceeds from the testimonial will benefit the JCI endowment fund.
• Nikkei Methodists Mark 100th Anniversary, by By Helen Chang, page 3. Japanese American United Methodists celebrated their church’s centennial in San Francisco, marking 100 years since the appointment of the first immigrant Japanese American Methodist minister. Delegates discussed social justice, leadership development, and strengthening youth ministries, while debating the church’s role as a catalyst for change versus a maintenance institution.
• Chapter Pulse: Contra Costa, New York, Riverside, Sonoma County, Selanoco, Ventura County, Berkeley, page 6. Multiple JACL chapters report on upcoming events including a redress dinner with the film ‘Nisei Soldier’ in Contra Costa, a corporate forum in New York, the Sendai Festival in Riverside, a 50th anniversary celebration in Sonoma County, a fall potluck in Selanoco featuring Tritia Toyota, and Ventura County and Berkeley chapter activities. Berkeley’s JACL Drop-In Center celebrated its first anniversary with tai chi exercises and other senior programs.
• Short Story Contest, page 9. The Institute for Japanese American Literature in Kyoto is seeking submissions for its second annual short story contest open to persons of Japanese ancestry. This year’s winning story, ‘Beauty Queen’ by Mary Reiko Osaka, will be published in the Kyoto Review, with honorable mentions going to several other writers.
• Stockton’s Fujii Honored for Work as Store Artist, page 9. Dick S. Fujii, a longtime active Stockton JACL member, was honored with a testimonial dinner after 28 years as display director for Montgomery Ward in Stockton. The company dedicated a room in his honor and asked him to continue as a consultant after his retirement.
• People: Stage, Film, Law, and Education Notes, page 11. This roundup covers Patti Yasutake’s acclaimed dual role performance in ‘Top Girls’ at South Coast Repertory, attorney Dale Minami’s State Bar pro bono service award, and Dr. Nadine Ishitani Hata’s appointment as dean at El Camino College. Also noted are a student’s ITT scholarship and Dr. M. ‘Jack’ Fujimoto’s election to the UCLA Alumni Association board.
• Arigato, Rafu, page 11. Pacific Citizen thanks the Rafu Shimpo and Kashu Mainichi staffs for lending production equipment and typesetting assistance after PC’s own processor equipment failed. The paper acknowledges getting by with help from their community newspaper colleagues.
• New Center to Become Focus of Activity, page 12. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, marking the final step in a 20-year redevelopment plan for San Francisco’s Nihonmachi. The new center will house a multi-purpose community hall, gymnasium, Issei memorial floor, and offices for numerous community organizations including Go For Broke and the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations.
• Fresno Reunion Exceeds Organizers’ Expectations, page 12. A total of 426 registered delegates from 17 states and Tokyo attended a two-day Nihonmachi reunion in Fresno featuring a city tour, picnic, banquet, and church service. The event was co-chaired by Morito Nakamoto and Michio Toshiyuki.

Arts & Entertainment

• Art Workshop Planned, page 3. Watercolorist Henry Fukuhara will teach a three-day watercolor workshop at a Garden City, N.Y. church for beginners and advanced students. Fukuhara has exhibited widely and will demonstrate a complete painting during the sessions.
• Bookshelf: Catch Up, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. The column reviews several University of Hawaii Press books, including Ronald Takaki’s ‘Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaii,’ Ron Ronck’s ‘Hawaii Almanac,’ and books on Honolulu’s Japanese Americans and Hawaii’s statehood quest. The reviewer highlights John J. Stephan’s ‘Hawaii Under the Sun’ about Japan’s WW2 conquest plans as a particularly notable addition to Japanese American history scholarship.
• ‘James Imahara: Son of Immigrants’ Book Review, page 9. A new book recounts the personal story of James Imahara, a charter member of Florin JACL who was evacuated to Arkansas in 1942 and later settled in Louisiana running a nursery business. The book is one of few first-person Nisei histories published, encouraged by his daughter to document his experiences and survival.

Commentary

• More on Endorsements, by Tom Nakao Jr., page 4. A letter writer argues that JACL officers who make personal political endorsements using their titles should resign their posts first, to avoid undue influence on convention delegates. He proposes rules requiring officers to forgo their titles when making such endorsements.
• Question on Nominations Process, by George Ogawa, page 4. A letter writer questions JACL’s unusual nominating committee process, which differs from Robert’s Rules by having the president appoint the committee chair and district representatives. He proposes a study to consider bylaw changes to this process.
• Kudos to Regional Director, by Ford H. Kuramoto, D.S.W., page 4. A letter writer praises John Saito, director of the Pacific Southwest District JACL office, for his assistance in a successful employment discrimination case against the LA County Dept. of Mental Health. He commends Saito’s professionalism and commitment to fair employment practices.
• Civil Rights—Now or When Convenient?, by Yosh Nakashima, page 4. A letter writer argues that JACL has moved away from its founding purpose of civil and human rights protection, criticizing a resurgence of exclusionary practices within Japanese American communities. He calls for civil and human rights advocacy to remain JACL’s primary concern.
• On ‘Giri’, by Jin Konomi, page 4. The columnist challenges interpretations of the Japanese concept of ‘giri’ by Ruth Benedict and S.I. Hayakawa, arguing both misunderstand it as relating to loyalty to oneself or one’s name. He explains giri as a mundane, quid pro quo social obligation rather than a noble moral concept.
• Demands on Members, by Fred Y. Hirasuna, page 4. A letter writer criticizes JACL’s $200 limit on national committee expenditures, arguing it discourages participation from members who cannot afford travel and other costs. He calls for a review of JACL’s travel reimbursement policy to not be limited to staff and national officers.
• No Applesauce with This Politician: Frank Yamaguchi, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Frank Yamaguchi, a retired farmer who was evacuated to Poston during WW2, won the Democratic nomination for Weld County, Colorado commissioner with a low-key, honesty-based campaign. The column details his farming background and his unconventional, promise-free approach to politics as he faces an incumbent Republican in November.
• Assumptions, by John Tateishi, page 5. John Tateishi responds to Kay Uno Kaneko’s criticism of his convention article theme ‘Redress: A Matter of Honor,’ clarifying that he assumed readers would understand justice and honor are intertwined in the redress issue. He notes he will not make such assumptions in the future.
• Redress Opinions, by Gus Y. Nikaitani, page 5. A letter writer argues that redress efforts must continue until cash settlements are paid to each injured party, citing past cases where monetary penalties served as deterrents. He opposes proposals to put redress awards into a trust administered by committee, favoring direct payments to individuals.
• Redress Opinions: A Response to Hayakawa, by George K. Oga, page 5. A letter writer describes the psychological effects of incarceration on Nisei, including shame and social stigmatization, and criticizes S.I. Hayakawa’s negative comments about Sansei and redress opponents’ testimony. He argues the incarceration violated multiple constitutional amendments and that redress through compensation is the accepted judicial remedy for such grievances.
• Lillian Baker Strikes Again, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 7. The columnist details the long history of redress opponent Lillian Baker’s activities, including her disruptive testimony at commission and Senate hearings and her letter attacking the Manzanar Historical Landmark nomination. He argues Baker’s rhetoric, though based on misinformation, reaches wide audiences and must be countered rather than ignored.
• Hawaiian Punch, by John Saito, page 7. The columnist expresses frustration over increasing violence and abusive language directed at Asian Pacifics seeking redress, recounting an incident at Honolulu Airport where a security officer confronted a resistant haole man. He suggests a similarly blunt response may be needed against racists.
• Rule of Law Not Always Good, by Robert F. Sanchez, page 10. This reprinted Miami Herald editorial uses the film ‘The Karate Kid’ as a springboard to discuss the WW2 internment of Japanese Americans and the dangers of legally sanctioned injustice. The author compares the internment to Nazi Germany’s legalized persecution of Jews and warns against current erosions of civil liberties in America.
• Moshi Moshi: On Giri (continued), by Jin Konomi, page 12. Continuing his column on the concept of giri, the author explains it as an intraclass social obligation rather than a transcendent moral principle, contrasting it with kabuki dramas that dramatize rare instances of giri as moral compulsion. He recommends Kenkyusha’s dictionary for further understanding of the term’s usage.

JACL

• Mountain Plains DC to Hear Domenici, page 6. Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico will address the Mountain Plains JACL District Council meeting in Albuquerque. Domenici is chairman of the Senate budget committee and may become the next Senate majority leader.
• Presidential Classroom Seeking Applicants for 1985 Program, by David Nakayama, page 7. National JACL headquarters announces that Presidential Classroom in Washington, D.C. is accepting applications for its 1985 senior high school program, which brings top students for a week of intensive study of federal government. The youth director encourages chapters to sponsor students and lists several chapters already offering scholarships, including Contra Costa, Philadelphia, San Jose, Seabrook, and West Valley.

Military & Veterans

• Former Vietnam War POW, Now Naval Station Commander, to Speak, page 7. Capt. Gordon Nakagawa, commanding officer of Point Mugu Naval Air Station and a former Vietnam POW who also spent part of WW2 in Tule Lake, will be guest speaker at the 44th annual Goodwill Dinner in Auburn. Nakagawa may become the first Japanese American to attain the rank of admiral.

In-Depth

• Little Tokyo Life (No. 37): Hollywood, by Harry Honda, page 9. This installment traces the history of Hollywood from its 1900s origins through its development as the film industry capital, and details the Issei community that lived and worked there from the 1910s through the 1930s. The piece describes Japanese-owned businesses including flower growers, produce stands, chop suey houses, and nurseries that served the non-Japanese market before WW2.

Obituaries

• Melvin Nonaka, Honolulu Fire Chief, Dies, page 11. Melvin Nonaka, 49, chief of the Honolulu Fire Dept., died at age 18… [note: article states he died Sept. 18 as chief]. An ex-marine who joined the department in 1957, he rose through the ranks to become chief in 1981.

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