JACL prepares for the first redress hearings in Washington

Vol. 93, No. 1, July 3, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress hearings in Washington led the July 3, 1981 Pacific Citizen. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians was set to open its first hearing on July 14, and JACL’s national redress chair, Minoru Yasui, was to lead the organization’s testimony, assisted by John Tateishi and Ron Ikejiri. Inside, the paper covered the commission’s agenda, advice on keeping testimony to about five minutes, a $239,300 redress budget, a $10,000 gift from the Pacific Southwest district, and how former inmates could request their camp files. Russell Matsumoto wrote on Executive Order 9066 and the Constitution, and the Bay Area Attorneys for Redress argued that the Supreme Court ignored precedent in 1942.

The front page also reported on the PC returning to weekly publication. Elsewhere were Bill Hosokawa’s column on Nisei stranded in Japan during the war, Peter Imamura’s reporting on Gov. Brown’s remarks about Japan, a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and Naomi Kashiwabara’s account of traveling Baja California by bus. Community news, youth awards and track results fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• JACL Lineup for Redress Hearing Set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL redress chair Minoru Yasui will lead JACL testimony at the first CWRIC hearing in Washington on July 14, assisted by staff coordinator John Tateishi and representative Ron Ikejiri. JACL leaders and members are urged to contact the Commission to participate in the hearings.
• CWRIC Sets Agenda for D.C., by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians finalized its agenda for the July 14 and 16 Washington hearings, including testimony from government witnesses, redress organizations, Aleutian representatives, and a legal panel. Regional hearing dates were also confirmed for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Alaska, and Chicago.
• How Much Time to Testify?, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL’s redress committee reports that CWRIC witnesses should limit testimony to a maximum of 10 minutes, though the exact time may depend on the number of witnesses requesting to appear. Updates will be provided to members as more information becomes available.
• 5-Min. Personal Stories, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mock hearing exercises show that testimonies limited to about five minutes focused on specific personal experiences have the greatest impact on audiences. Witnesses are advised to focus their testimony sharply rather than diluting it with general information over a full 10 minutes.
• $239,300 Redress Budget, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The National JACL Board adopted a $239,300 budget for the Committee for Redress to fund operations through the life of the CWRIC and beyond. The budget breaks down costs for staff, travel, media, hearing preparations, and committee expenses across JACL districts.
• Dates of Incarceration, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The National Archives has received numerous requests for personal camp files following a Pacific Citizen article explaining retrieval procedures. The article details how former internees can request documentation of incarceration dates or full WCCA/WRA case files for a duplication fee.
• PSW Sends $10,000 to CL Redress Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Southwest JACL District Council forwarded a $10,000 check to the JACL Redress Committee Fund, praised by associate national redress chair Clifford Uyeda for the district’s fundraising record. Redress coordinator John Tateishi said the contribution gave the campaign new momentum.

Community

• Asian-Pacific Californians Organize Advocacy Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Asian Pacific Advocates of California (APAAC) met to finalize Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws after a year of regional organizing. The group was formed in response to the 140 percent growth of the Asian/Pacific American population in California during the 1970s.
• At Least 10 Neighborhoods in L.A. County Are ‘Asians’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A market research analysis found at least 10 predominantly Asian neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, including Little Tokyo/Chinatown, Gardena, and Monterey Park, amid major demographic shifts. Asian and Latino populations were the fastest-growing groups in the county during the 1970s.
• NCWNPDC to Honor Civic Leaders Aug. 15, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Northern California Nikkei civic and judicial leaders will be honored at a benefit dinner for the JACL National Redress Program on Aug. 15 in San Francisco’s Japan Town. Astronaut Ellison Onizuka will serve as guest speaker.
• Reception Slated for Miss South Bay JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A reception for South Bay JACL Nisei Week Queen candidate Sandra Reiko Yoshimura is scheduled for Sunday, July 12. Details on location and RSVP contacts were provided for attendees.
• Idaho Falls Greets Japan ‘Sister City’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Japanese Sister City delegation from Tokai-mura is visiting Idaho Falls this weekend, culminating a two-year affiliation effort between the two science-oriented communities of similar population size. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory serves as a focal point of the visit.
• Sumitomo Bank Wins Spot in Chinatown, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California State Banking Department approved an application by Sumitomo Bank of California to establish a branch in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles. The new branch will be located at North Broadway and Alpine.
• Young Buddhist Fest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Central California Young Buddhist Association will hold its 36th Annual Carnival on July 11 at the Fresno Buddhist Church. The event runs from 6 p.m. to midnight.
• Women’s Group Budget Approved, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Funding for the California Commission on the Status of Women was restored after controversy, following a Senate subcommittee vote earlier in the year to eliminate it entirely from the 1981-82 state budget. An Assembly subcommittee later approved the proposed funding level of $407,001.
• Youth Achievers, 6 to 18, Recognized at Seattle, by Lori Matsukawa, page 6. Over 135 students aged 6 to 18 were honored at the Seattle JACL’s Youth Achievement Banquet for excellence in academics, arts, athletics and community service. More than 350 attendees celebrated achievers like Mary Akamine and Bruce Kuramoto, with entertainment provided by the students themselves.
• Course on Nisei Aging Offered, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Berkeley Adult School Program will offer a class called ‘New Horizons: A Program for Successful Aging’ designed for Nisei in transition, beginning July 6. The course will be held at the Jefferson School auditorium.
• Cleveland JAYs to Camp Out July 10-12, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Cleveland JAYs will hold a back-to-nature campout at Clay’s Park July 10-12, requiring participants to bring sleeping bags and swimwear. The $10 fee covers campsite rental and food.
• Honolulu JACL to Celebrate at Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Honolulu JACL will celebrate its first anniversary with a picnic July 5 at Kalaka State Park in Haleiwa, with a chartered bus available for attendees. The chapter will provide refreshments and free shave ice all day.
• Marysville Awards Four Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Marysville JACL awarded two $250 high school scholarships and two $250 second-year college scholarships to students from Yuba, Sutter, Butte, and Colusa Counties. The high school awards were donated as the Henry M. Oji Memorial Scholarship by Mrs. Henry M. Oji and family.
• Street Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The eighth annual Nihonmachi Street Fair will be held on Post St. by Japan Center in San Francisco over the Aug. 8-9 weekend. Details on vendors and activities were not specified.
• ‘Hito Hata’ in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A benefit showing of the film ‘Hito Hata: Raise the Banner’ is scheduled for July 17 at Wesley Methodist Church in San Jose, sponsored by Visual Communications and Unity Newspaper. Advance tickets are available for $2.50.
• Trio to Be Cited for Comm. Service, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Three generations of Japanese Americans will be honored at the Second Annual Japanese American Community Service Awards Dinner on July 10, sponsored by the Little Tokyo Service Center. Honorees include Issei Rev. John Misao Yamazaki, Nisei Ruth Watanabe, and Sansei Alan Nishio.
• Sansei Newswoman Tells Students ‘to Care’, by P.C. Staff, page 8. KGMB-TV reporter Elisa Yadao received a standing ovation from over 200 student leaders at the Hawaii State Student Conference for urging them to reach out to disengaged peers. She cautioned students about the slow pace of government while encouraging persistence in civic engagement.
• Press Row, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Art director Arnold Fujita of Los Angeles joined the Los Angeles Times promotion department as art director overseeing the art staff. He previously worked at J. Walter Thompson, Foote, Cone & Belding, and Grey Advertising.
• Nikkei-led PTA Deemed Outstanding, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The California State PTA selected Brightwood Street School PTA, led by president Dr. Doris Okada, as one of the ten ‘Outstanding Units’ in its elementary division for 1980-81. The PTA has 728 members and previously won district and state membership awards.
• JACS Names 4 to Board, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Four new members were elected to the Board of the Japanese American Community Service, Inc. at its June meeting, including Kerry Doi and Jill Ishida. Current officers including president Betty Kozasa were also listed.
• Names New Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Asian Rehabilitation Services, Inc., a sheltered workshop agency for handicapped Asian/Pacific Island Americans, named new officers including Dick Obayashi as chairperson at a May 26 dinner. Founder Sachio Kano rejoined the agency’s board after previously serving as executive director.
• First JA Named Dean in Peralta System, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kiyoshi Glenn Onizuka was named dean of student personnel services at Laney College, becoming the first Asian American dean in the Peralta Community College District. He previously served as head counselor at Contra Costa College and co-founded its Asian Studies program.

JACL

• EDC-MDC to Meet July 30-Aug. 2, by P.C. Staff, page 1. St. Louis JACL will host joint Eastern and Midwest District Council meetings on the Washington University campus over the July 30-Aug. 2 weekend. National JACL leaders including Jim Tsujimura and Min Yasui will lead discussions on long-range planning, U.S.-Japan relations, and redress.
• PSW Adds 2 New Chapters, Discusses Late Dues, Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The JACL Pacific Southwest District Council’s quarterly meeting covered the addition of a new Latin American Chapter and the reactivation of the Ventura County chapter, plus discussion of penalties for delinquent district dues. Redress chair Harry Kawahara reported on a multi-media project being developed for CWRIC hearings, and David Hyun was honored for developing Japanese Village Plaza.

National

• Proof Sought by U.S. Vet in Bid for A-bomb Damages, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former U.S. Air Force pilot Charles D. Brodie is seeking help from Hiroshima municipal authorities to prove his prostate cancer resulted from a 1945 flying mission over Nagasaki. A local research laboratory official said it is currently difficult to establish a clear link between the radiation exposure and his cancer.
• Brown Explains His ‘Japan Threat’ Stand, by Peter Imamura, page 1. California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. held a press conference with Japanese and Nikkei press to clarify earlier remarks suggesting Japan posed an economic threat to the U.S. Brown argued the U.S. must build a national consensus on innovation and technology to remain competitive in world trade.
• Hiroshima: A City Dedicated to Peace, page 4. A columnist recounts a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum guided by director Akihiro Takahashi, reflecting on the atomic bombing’s devastation and the city’s rebirth as a symbol of peace. The piece calls for a permanent U.S. peace exhibit and swift passage of legislation to aid atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) living in America.
• Illinois May Credit Gakuen Classes, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Illinois state senate received a House-passed bill to give high school credit for foreign language study outside the public school system, provided a proficiency test is passed. The bill was introduced by Rep. Myron Kulas.
• Public Outcry Toughens Anti-Rape Law, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Following public pressure after an acquittal in a rape case, Hawaii strengthened its anti-rape law. The victim, Anna, bitterly left the state for her home in Finland after the trial’s outcome.

Sports

• South Dominates JACL Track Finale, by Jay Sasagawa, page 3. The Pacific Southwest district dominated the fourth annual JACL track championships held at Chabot College, scoring 842 to 667 over the host Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific district. Fourteen new records were set among roughly 250 youth participants across multiple age and gender divisions.

Commentary

• Letterbox: ‘Strange Nisei Mission’, by Eji Suyama, M.D., page 4. A reader responds to Bill Hosokawa’s earlier columns about Nisei soldiers at Fort McClellan, recounting his own experience as part of a group of Nisei non-commissioned officers sent for reclassification and training as replacements for the 442nd RCT. He criticizes the segregated unit’s formation and the JACL leadership’s early 1942 support for it without consultation from camp inmates.
• Trade: Brown Criticized for Earlier Statements, by Peter Imamura, page 4. Japan Trade Center director Akira Tsutsumi publicly criticized Gov. Brown’s claims that Japan posed an economic threat to the U.S., citing Japan’s status as a major importer of U.S. goods and its constitutionally limited military spending. Tsutsumi questioned Brown’s grasp of international trade issues amid the governor’s expected Senate run.
• 35 Years Ago, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A historical recap of events from 1946 including indemnity bills for evacuees, a San Diego court ruling on forfeited Issei shares, and the heroes’ welcome for returning 442nd RCT soldiers in New York. It also notes the expiration of the wartime Fair Employment Practices Committee.
• From the Frying Pan: Amazing Anecdotes of an AP Man, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa relays stories shared by AP newsman Kay Tateishi about Nisei who were stranded in Japan during WWII and conscripted into Japanese military service due to dual citizenship. He recounts harrowing tales including a Nisei who escaped Manchuria disguised as a Chinese refugee and others aboard the battleship Yamato.
• ‘No Bill of Attainder Shall Be Passed’: U.S. Constitution, by Russell Matsumoto, page 5. A Bay Area Attorneys for Redress member argues that Executive Order 9066 and its enacting legislation constituted an unconstitutional bill of attainder under Article I of the Constitution. The piece outlines the three legal criteria for a bill of attainder and demonstrates how the wartime incarceration met each one.
• U.S. High Court Ignored Constitution in 1942: BAAR, by P.C. Staff, page 5. BAAR contends the Supreme Court ignored legal precedent from cases like Ex Parte Milligan when it upheld the constitutionality of the wartime evacuation despite insufficient factual justification. The group warns that without further legal clarification, there remains no guarantee against future internment of a minority group during a declared emergency.
• East Wind: Minshu-Shugi, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani reflects on his observations of how Japanese youth and society grappled with the postwar concept of ‘minshu-shugi’ (democracy) during the MacArthur occupation and again during 1969 Zengakuren student protests. He muses that the once-radical student demonstrators likely now occupy respectable positions in Japan, having channeled their energies productively.

In-Depth

• Baja by Mexican Bus, by Naomi Kashiwabara, page 4. The author recounts a week-long trip through Baja California by Mexican bus and government-owned hotels with fellow JACL member Kiyoshi Kasai, covering the 923-mile journey from Tijuana to La Paz. The piece describes interesting fellow travelers, affordable hotel deals, and the stark desert landscape along the peninsula.

Obituaries

• William Edward Nakano, by P.C. Staff, page 6. William Edward Nakano, 23, a UCLA law student and only son of Shigeo and Sumuye Nakano of WLA JACL, died June 4 in an auto accident near Lone Pine, Ca. He was active in the UCLA Law Students’ Association and tutored Asian refugee children through UCLA and USC projects.
• Frank Mutsumu Suzukida, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Frank Mutsumu Suzukida, 68, a San Francisco-born Nisei and Downtown JACL president, passed away June 24 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center after an illness. He is survived by family including Henry Masashi of Chicago and sister Mrs. Michiko Aoki, with funeral services held at Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple.

Arts & Entertainment

• Author James Clavell to Be Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Internationally renowned author James Clavell will receive a testimonial at the 17th Annual Miss Sansei California Pageant at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 18. The Nisei VFW Post 9938 will present him the ‘Shogun’s American Award’ for his contributions to the Nikkei community.
• Asian Performers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The UCLA Asian Performing Arts Festival will showcase distinguished Japanese artists in Noh, Kyogen, Nihon Buyo, Hayashi and Shamisen traditions on Aug. 28 and 29 at the Ralph Freud Playhouse. The event takes place on the UCLA campus.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.