JACL redress strategy, California elections and the Hayakawa remark

Vol. 90, No. 89, April 18, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

The JACL’s push for redress ran through this issue. The National Committee for Redress met in San Francisco to plan its campaign for the commission-approach bills, S.1647 and HR4599, and discussed JACL’s bottom-line position on monetary redress. On page 4, Clifford Uyeda wrote about the fundraising banquet at the Bonaventure Hotel, which drew more than 1,300 middle-income families, and about the redress campaign as a way to examine the World War II incarceration (often called internment). The front page also carried a roundup of April 8 California municipal elections, with mixed results for Japanese American candidates, including George Ige’s win as Monterey Park city treasurer.

The opinion pages took up Senator S.I. Hayakawa’s suggestion of interning Iranian nationals, with Bill Hosokawa and Robert T. Sato writing about it, and Misao Sakamoto answered Frank Chin on her husband’s wartime role. Other pages announced a Tule Lake pilgrimage for May 17-18, the Toyo Miyatake photo exhibit in Tokyo featuring scenes from Manzanar, and entry forms for the 29th annual Nisei Relays.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Nikkei Ups and Downs in Local California Elections Seen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A roundup of April 8 municipal elections across California shows mixed results for Japanese American candidates, including wins for a Spokane dentist seeking a Gardena council seat and incumbents in Oxnard and Carpinteria. George Ige won election as Monterey Park city treasurer while other Nikkei candidates fell short in races in Hemet, Delano, Fowler, and El Cerrito.
• Entry Forms for Nisei Relays, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Entry forms for the 29th annual PSWDC-JACL Nisei Relays, to be held June 1 at Santa Ana College, are being distributed with a May 19 deadline. Winners will qualify for the third JACL state track championships on June 15, with age-group divisions ranging from under 10 to 40 and up.
• Thomas Jefferson Awardees for Volunteerism Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shimeji Kanazawa and Yukito ‘Tree’ Kamemoto were among 10 Hawaii nominees for the national Thomas Jefferson Awards for public service volunteerism. Governor George Ariyoshi praised volunteers at the awards luncheon for contributing their time and energy where government often falls short.
• Hawaii Tourism Shows Decline from Mainland, page 2. Hawaii tourism statistics showed a 14.8% decline in visitors from the mainland compared to the previous January, while eastbound tourists from Japan increased significantly. A UH professor of Japanese history also discussed little-known archival evidence suggesting Japan had more extensive invasion plans for Hawaii than previously believed before the Battle of Midway foiled them.
• Walnut Grove Sets Reunion May 23-24, page 2. Sacramento-area Nisei are organizing what will be the first grand reunion of former Walnut Grove residents. Pedro Hamada is acting as chairman pro-tem for the planning committee.
• AAA/E Gathers, page 2. The Asian American Architects/Engineers group held a gathering at the Golden Palace Restaurant comprised of about 100 members. Projects discussed centered on a design theme for the organization.
• Japan JACL Chapter Organized, page 3. Barry Saiki announced the formation of a new JACL chapter in Japan, meeting monthly at the Sanno Hotel, with elected officers including Barry Saiki as president and Hiro Miura as treasurer. The chapter aims to help Sansei residents of Japan understand their culture and history while maintaining ties to JACL programs including addressing discriminatory naturalization laws and double taxation.
• New Age JACL Inaugural Apr. 19, page 6. The New Age JACL chapter will hold its inaugural dinner on April 19 at Del Conte’s Restaurant in Torrance. National executive director Karl Nobuyuki will serve as emcee for the event.
• Portland Hosts PNWDC Meeting, May 10 Festival Planned, page 7. Portland hosted the PNWDC meeting in March featuring National President Clifford Uyeda and associate director J.D. Hokoyama as guest speakers, with arrangements by Sho Dozono and Al Abe. A community celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week is planned for May 10 at Catlin Gabel School featuring a cultural fair, exhibition, and musical play.
• San Jose JACL Spring Awards Potluck Set, page 7. Gail Tagashira, Mercury-News columnist, will speak at the San Jose JACL spring awards potluck supper on April 26 honoring graduating high school seniors and scholarship recipients. Jackie Nakamura will also share impressions from her Presidential Classroom trip to Washington, D.C., describing her broadened outlook on government after meeting influential people and students nationwide.

Incarceration & Redress

• ‘Money’ Still Bottom Line for JACL Redress Push, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Committee for Redress met in San Francisco in early March to outline strategy for the legislative-educational campaign regarding S.1647 and HR4599, the commission-approach redress bills. The committee discussed JACL’s bottom-line position on monetary redress and planned efforts to increase congressional co-sponsors and community support ahead of hearings in the Senate and House.
• Trip to Tule Lake Slated May 17-18, page 2. A pilgrimage to the Tule Lake camp site is planned for May 17-18, with buses departing from San Francisco and Sacramento. The trip includes four meals and lodging ranging from $20-$35 depending on accommodations, organized by the Tule Lake Committee.

In-Depth

• Nisei in Japan Column: A Life Between Two Countries, by Barry Saiki, page 3. The column describes a Nisei who came to Japan in 1946 as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army, receiving his education from UC and spending his military career moving between Japan and the U.S. He combated racial discrimination during WWII and continued his connection to both countries throughout his life.

Commentary

• Fund Raising, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. National JACL President Clifford Uyeda reflects on the large fundraising banquet held at the Bonaventure Hotel for the JACL National Committee for Redress, attended by over 1,300 middle-income families. He emphasizes that the redress campaign serves as a vehicle to remind Americans of the value of civil and human rights through full inquiry into WWII incarceration history.
• Sexism in AJA Roots, page 4. A letter writer argues that sexism has no place in JACL and discusses proposed changes to the national constitution and by-laws to be addressed at the upcoming convention, including the exclusion of gender-specific language from organizational objectives. The writer also questions the roles women played historically and notes curious sexist attitudes reflected in older generational photos.
• Misao Sakamoto’s Reply, by Misao Sakamoto (Mrs. James Y. Sakamoto), page 4. Misao Sakamoto responds to Frank Chin’s portrayal of JACL leaders during a Seattle conference, defending her husband Jimmie Sakamoto’s actions during the WWII evacuation period. She details how Jimmie Sakamoto resisted evacuation, supported the Issei community, and made difficult decisions under historical context of violence and discrimination against Japanese Americans at the time.
• Hayakawa Hassle, by Robert T. Sato, page 4. A letter writer expresses disappointment in Senator S.I. Hayakawa, once admired for his work on language and semantics, for his comments suggesting internment of Iranian nationals. The writer argues Hayakawa has become an embarrassment to Japanese Americans and should step down from his Senate seat.
• Interning Iranians a Political Boner, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa discusses the fallout from Senator Hayakawa’s suggestion to intern Iranian nationals, noting the comment was universally condemned regardless of Hayakawa’s ethnic background. He reflects on how this criticism represents progress in American political discourse, where a senator can be judged on ideas alone rather than ethnicity.
• Are Asian Americans Disadvantaged?, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani examines a study on the Small Business Administration’s treatment of Asian American businesses, noting it took JACL and other organizations lobbying efforts in 1979 to get Asian Pacific Americans certified as ‘socially disadvantaged’ for SBA benefits. He cites historical discriminatory laws against Asian Americans and current statistics showing most Asian American businesses remain small sole proprietorships with low revenues.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Demoted for ‘Flaunting His Minority Status’, page 6. Former MDC Governor Masaru Yamasaki is engaged in a legal struggle with the Borden Company after being demoted despite years of exemplary service and sales awards, with the company citing that he ‘flaunted’ his minority status. The Midwest District Council JACL Human Rights Committee has supported his case before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, with national JACL legal director Lorne Inagaki assisting in the matter.
• U.S.-Japan Veterans of Iwojima to Meet, page 8. American and Japanese war veterans of the Battle of Iwojima will hold a reunion in Washington on June 11, commemorated by a Senate resolution introduced April 5 to proclaim it a national historical event. The island still contains remains of about 70% of the 20,000 Japanese soldiers killed there, and was returned to Japanese control in 1968 after serving as a U.S. airbase.

JACL

• After Redress, What?, by Dr. Kaz Mayeda, page 6. Midwest District Governor Kaz Mayeda argues JACL must plan for its future beyond the redress campaign, noting the aging Nisei population and rising Sansei leadership. He calls for the organization to become more active in civil rights and to openly discuss priorities for the organization’s direction in 1990 and beyond.
• Support Your Nat’l Staff, by Bill Ryba, page 6. Immediate past MDC Governor Bill Ryba warns against JACL staff cutbacks following Karl Nobuyuki’s report on the organization’s precarious finances. He argues that reducing staff is not a solution and calls for JACL to broaden its financial base beyond membership dues so that programs determine the budget rather than the reverse.

Arts & Entertainment

• Toyo Miyatake Photo Exhibit in Japan Highlights Manzanar, page 8. The Toyo Miyatake Photo Exhibition opened at the Mitsukoshi Department Store gallery in Tokyo, featuring 150 pictures selected by his son Archie from thousands documenting Japanese American life, including scenes from inside Manzanar camp taken with a smuggled homemade camera. Archie and his wife Take were overwhelmed by support from Japanese photographers and received praise from U.S. Ambassador Mike Mansfield calling the photographs a shared heritage.

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