Redress hearings begin, and the words used for the incarceration

Vol. 93, No. 4, July 24, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen reported on the first public hearing of the CWRIC in Washington, where chair Joan Bernstein opened by calling the evacuation “a sad chapter in American history” and former Assistant Attorney General James H. Rowe testified about how President Roosevelt weighed the decision. Redress ran through the front page: hearing dates were set for Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Raymond Y. Okamura’s report for the JACL Committee for Redress argued that words like “evacuation” and “relocation” masked the forced imprisonment ordered under Executive Order 9066. Peter Imamura continued his series on how Los Angeles vernacular papers covered the weeks before 1942, and Paul Bannai was named keynote speaker for the EDC/MDC JACL convention in St. Louis.

Inside are columns by Bill Hosokawa on photographer Frank Matsura, Bill Marutani on judging Nisei leaders in hindsight, and Ron Wakabayashi, plus Harry Honda’s review of a Manzanar pilgrimage book. Community pages carry Nisei Week plans in Little Tokyo and scholarship awards given by the JACL New York Chapter.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Euphemistic and Accurate Terminology, by Raymond Y. Okamura, page 1. Okamura’s report prepared for the JACL Committee for Redress compares the euphemistic language used by Nazi Germany to describe the Holocaust with similar propagandistic terms used by the U.S. government to describe the evacuation and incarceration of Japanese Americans. The piece argues that words like ‘evacuation’ and ‘relocation’ masked the true nature of forced imprisonment under Executive Order 9066.
• Evacuation a ‘Minor Issue’ to FDR in ’42, Top Justice Dept. Aide Recalls for CWRIC, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At the first CWRIC hearing in Washington, former Assistant Attorney General James H. Rowe testified that President Roosevelt treated the decision to evacuate Japanese Americans as a minor wartime issue decided under pressure from military leaders and public hysteria. Rowe said he never saw the Munson Report certifying Japanese American loyalty and did not believe military necessity justified the evacuation.
• Bernstein’s Opening for Commission Noted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. CWRIC chair Joan Bernstein opened the first public hearing calling the evacuation ‘a sad chapter in American history’ and said the commission must understand why 120,000 people were confined solely due to ancestry. She stated the commission will explore all possible remedies for the wrongs done.
• L.A., S.F. Hearing Locales Set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The CWRIC announced that Los Angeles hearings will be held Aug. 4-6 at the State of California Auditorium and San Francisco hearings Aug. 11-13 at Golden Gate University Auditorium. Specific times are listed for each day of testimony.
• Nisei Role in Scuttling Battleship Yamato, by Kay Tateishi, page 4. The article recounts the 1945 suicide mission of the Japanese battleship Yamato, which carried five American-born Japanese sailors who had been drafted into the Japanese navy due to dual citizenship laws. Only Shigeo Yamada, a U.S.-born ensign aboard the escort cruiser Yahagi, survived the battle that sank the Yamato and killed thousands of Japanese sailors.

JACL

• Bannai to Keynote MDC/EDC Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Paul Bannai, executive director of the CWRIC, will keynote the EDC/MDC JACL convention in St. Louis July 30-Aug. 2, 1981, alongside JACL President Jim Tsujimura and other leaders. The convention will feature workshops on redress, a long range planning session chaired by Lillian Kimura, and discussion of U.S.-Japan relations.
• Nat’l Planning Commission’s First Meeting via Telephone, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The National JACL Planning Commission held its first meeting via long-distance telephone conference on May 5, chaired by Lillian Kimura, to establish objectives including membership surveys and growth trend analysis. The commission acknowledged ongoing issues such as declining membership, reduced funding, and leadership challenges facing National JACL.

National

• Judge Apologizes for Racial Slur, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A judge made a racially offensive remark about Japanese Americans using a calculator versus an abacus during court proceedings involving David Horiuchi. The judge later apologized both privately and publicly to the Japanese American and Asian communities.
• U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Law School Minority Access, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A U.S. appellate court affirmed a lower court ruling upholding a law school’s minority admissions program. The brief item reports on the legal decision without extensive detail on the case particulars.
• Wife-Slayer Sentenced to 15-to-Life, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Japanese American chiropractor Seiji Asahara was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder of his wife Kaoru, whom he struck with a fireplace poker and strangled. The judge rejected psychiatric testimony claiming Asahara was legally insane at the time of the killing.

In-Depth

• ’41-’42: Vernaculars in L.A. Put on the Defensive, by Peter Imamura, page 1. This continuing feature examines how Japanese American vernacular newspapers, particularly the Rafu Shimpo under editor Togo Tanaka, covered the lead-up to evacuation in 1942 amid rising public hysteria. Despite initial opposition to the evacuation order, editorials shifted toward urging cooperation and sacrifice as a means to demonstrate loyalty to the U.S.

Community

• Nisei Week to Celebrate L.A.’s Bicentennial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The annual Nisei Week festival in Little Tokyo will include cultural demonstrations, a carnival, and an Ondo street dance finale on Aug. 16 with closing ceremonies. The event celebrates Los Angeles’s bicentennial alongside traditional Japanese American cultural displays.
• New York School Children Win JACL/JAA Awards, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Five graduating high school seniors in New York received scholarships through a joint presentation by the JACL New York Chapter and the Japanese American Association. Recipients included winners of the JACL Lucile Nakamura Memorial Scholarship and the JACL General Scholarship.
• Florin Pre-Reunion Dance Set to Aid Issei Guests, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A fund-raising dance will be held Sept. 19 at the Florin Buddhist Church to help accommodate Issei guests attending the Florin Area reunion on Oct. 10. The event is being organized ahead of the larger reunion gathering.
• State Says Grower Owes Overtime Pay, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A six-month audit by California labor officials found that Ukegawa Bros., a major tomato grower, owes more than $275,000 in unpaid overtime wages to about 2,000 workers from 1980. The company’s attorney said it would conduct its own audit to verify the state’s findings.
• Japanese School Program Open for Applicants, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program of the San Francisco Unified School District is accepting applications for kindergarten through fifth grade for the 1981-82 school year. The program will relocate to a new site at Clarendon School with bus service provided citywide.
• Retirement Home Benefit, by P.C. Staff, page 7. An annual benefit for the Japanese Retirement Home in Los Angeles, held June 6 and sponsored by the Friends of the Japanese Retirement Home, grossed over $50,000. The event took place in a festive picnic atmosphere.
• Nisei Week Fashion Show Theme on ‘L.A.’, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 1981 Nisei Week Fashion Show luncheon will carry the theme ‘I Like LA,’ tying into the broader Nisei Week festivities celebrating Los Angeles. Details on the event’s location and ticketing are part of the announcement.

Commentary

• Letterbox: Pre-war JACL Leaders, by James Oda, page 4. A reader disputes a claim that JACL compiled intelligence files on the Japanese community, arguing instead that various individuals of differing loyalties, including underworld figures, cooperated with U.S. intelligence independent of JACL. The author concludes that pre-war JACL leaders were people of high principle who worked solely for America.
• CWRIC Hearings Continued, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Further coverage of the CWRIC hearings describes congressional reactions to the question of monetary redress, including comments from Reps. McClory and others about alternative restitution approaches. JACL Redress Committee Chair Min Yasui testified emotionally about his imprisonment for defying curfew and stated no amount of money could fully repay what Japanese Americans endured.
• From the Frying Pan: Frank Matsura, Frontier Photographer, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa writes about Frank Matsura, a little-known Japanese immigrant photographer who lived in Okanogan, Washington from 1903 until his death a decade later, capturing frontier life. A forthcoming book by writer JoAnn Roe will feature 135 of his photographs, though information about his early life remains scarce, prompting Hosokawa to ask readers for leads.
• Musubi: Explaining, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. Wakabayashi reflects humorously on unexplainable aspects of Japanese American identity, such as recognizing a Nikkei voice on the phone or matching bites of rice to okazu. He concludes that while he understands these phenomena intuitively, he struggles to explain them to non-Nikkei.
• East Wind: Perfection, in Hindsight, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani addresses younger generations’ tendency to criticize Nisei leaders for not being more militant during WWII, arguing that such judgment ignores the historical context and fear of the era. He urges young Nikkei to build on the sacrifices of the Issei and Nisei rather than condemn them in ignorance.

Arts & Entertainment

• Bookshelf: Manzanar Pilgrimage, by Harry Honda, page 5. A review of ‘A Time for Sharing,’ a 420-page photo-essay book produced by the Manzanar Committee documenting the Manzanar pilgrimage and camp history. The book is described as a sensitive portrayal of a generation confronting a bleak but unique chapter in American history.

Military & Veterans

• 6004th Air Intelligence Sq. Reunion Nears, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Former members of the 6004th, and 7602nd Air Intelligence Service Squadrons will gather over Labor Day weekend to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the unit’s formation. Contact information for reunion coordinator Matsuda is provided for interested veterans.

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