Diaries returned to 442nd soldiers, and a redress vote put on hold

Vol. 105, No. 15, November 6, 1987. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page told how diaries taken from 442nd Regimental Combat Team soldiers in 1943, aboard the SS Lurline, were found in 1983 and returned to Hawaii, with Sen. Spark Matsunaga’s help. Also on page one: JACL-LEC leaders delayed a Senate vote on redress bill S.1009 after the stock market crash, a congressional hearing on anti-Asian violence was set for Nov. 10, and William Morrow published Mike Masaoka’s autobiography, written with Bill Hosokawa.

Inside are columns from Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani, and a letter from Tamio Spiegel on the JACL National Board’s 9-5 vote to defer a stand on the Robert Bork nomination. Page five carries Ron Wakabayashi on the review of University of California admissions. Page six announces the 1988 AJA Veterans Reunion in Reno, and page eight reports on the redress fundraising drive.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Diaries Returned: Wartime Distrust Followed Soldiers Across the Pacific, page 1. Diaries belonging to 442nd Regimental Combat Team soldiers were confiscated by the U.S. Customs Service in 1943 as the SS Lurline carried 3,000 Japanese American soldiers across the Pacific, and were not found until 1983. Sen. Spark Matsunaga helped secure their return, and the event was celebrated at a ceremony at the 442nd Veterans Club in Honolulu.
• Veterans Reunion Will Take Place in Reno, Nevada, page 6. The next National AJA Veterans Reunion will be held at Bally’s in Reno, Nev., June 8-12, 1988, according to reunion chair Wilson Makabe. The reunion package, including dinner show and banquet, costs $126 per person.

National

• Hearing on Anti-Asian Violence Set, by George Johnston, page 1. A congressional hearing on anti-Asian violence is scheduled for Nov. 10 by the Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional and Civil Rights, featuring testimony from JACL and AALDEF. Rep. Don Edwards said the hearing responds to increased harassment and violence directed at people of Asian ancestry.
• Mineta Awarded by Aviation Group, page 1. Rep. Norman Y. Mineta received the Joseph B. Hartranft Award from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association on Oct. 17 in Las Vegas for his contributions to general aviation. Mineta chairs the Aviation Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Market Crash Halts Vote on S.1009, page 1. JACL-LEC leaders met with Sen. Spark Matsunaga and decided to delay a Senate vote on redress bill S.1009 due to economic uncertainty following the ‘Black Monday’ stock market crash. Opposition mail to the bill has been mounting in several senators’ offices, and supporters are urged to continue lobbying efforts.
• Eu Withdraws From Senate Race, page 1. California Secretary of State March Fong Eu withdrew from the U.S. Senate race, citing a financial disclosure law that would have required her husband to publicly reveal his finances. Her withdrawal leaves Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy as frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
• UC Admissions Review Welcomed by JACL, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi commends Sen. David Roberti for creating a special California State Senate committee to review University of California admissions practices after an audit found lower admission rates for Asian students despite higher academic indexes. Wakabayashi recounts a meeting with UC President David Gardner regarding concerns about possible use of racial quotas against Asian applicants.
• Hearing Set (Continued): Recent Incidents of Anti-Asian Violence, page 5. The article details recent anti-Asian violence incidents, including the drowning death of 13-year-old Cambodian boy Vandy Phorng in Lowell, Mass., after a racially charged altercation, and the beating of Korean student Yong Kook Ou involving NYPD officers. Community groups organized demonstrations in response to both incidents.

In-Depth

• Story of JACL Leader Published, page 1. William Morrow and Company has published ‘They Call Me Moses Masaoka,’ the autobiography of longtime JACL leader Mike Masaoka, written with Bill Hosokawa. The book chronicles Masaoka’s life from his Utah childhood through his role in WW2 incarceration resistance, the 442nd, and his career as a Washington lobbyist for civil rights legislation.
• Masaoka Book Praised by Congressional Leaders, page 6. Continuing coverage of ‘They Call Me Moses Masaoka’ details praise from James Michener, Rep. Norman Mineta, and Sen. Spark Matsunaga for the autobiography’s account of Mike Masaoka’s civil rights work. The 383-page hardcover book is priced at $18.95.

Community

• Center to Be Site of Activities for JA Community, page 2. The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce plans a $10 million Japanese Cultural Center on its Beretania Street headquarters site, including a six-story building and exhibition gallery on Japanese history in Hawaii. The center will coordinate cultural programs among over 200 Japanese organizations, and negotiations are underway with Club 100 and the 442nd Combat Infantry Club to eventually transfer their clubhouses to the center.
• JCI Dinner Will Honor Six, page 2. Six South Bay community leaders—Koji Endo, Robert S. Horii, Bruce T. Kaji, Helen S. Kawagoe, George M. Obata and Ralph K. Ota—will be honored as Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute Pioneers of the Year at a Nov. 11 dinner. Warren Furutani will emcee the event, which includes entertainment by Arthur Nakane.
• Dinner Recognizes Philanthropy, page 3. The Asian Foundation for Community Development will hold ‘Visions ’87’ on Nov. 18 in Oakland to honor Carmella Johnson, Alice Bulos, George Ow Jr., and George and Shizu Oyama for philanthropy and volunteerism. Each honoree will receive a $1,000 award to designate to an Asian Pacific nonprofit organization.
• ‘Fusion’ Needs Submissions, page 3. Fusion, an anthology on the Japanese American experience produced by San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department, is seeking creative writing and graphics submissions for its next issue. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31.
• Media Awards Dinner to Be Held, page 6. The Association of Asian Pacific American Artists will hold its fourth annual Media Awards dinner at the Beverly Hilton on March 21, 1988, honoring producers who depict Asian/Pacific experiences realistically. John P. Singleton of Security Pacific Corporation has been named dinner chair.
• Newsmakers, page 6. This roundup of community achievements includes Kuniko Terasawa winning the 1987 Avon Grand Award, Edwin T. Ginoza named Hawaii’s Teacher of the Year, and Prof. Charles Pederson receiving the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Other honorees include James P. Mukoyama Jr., promoted to brigadier general, and several judicial and community appointments across California.

Arts & Entertainment

• Seattle Honors Nikkei Composer, page 2. Seattle Mayor Charles Royer proclaimed Oct. 24 ‘Paul Chihara Day’ honoring the Seattle-born composer, whose new work ‘Serenade’ premiered that evening at Nippon Kan Theatre. Chihara, who wrote music for the film ‘Farewell to Manzanar,’ is currently composing a musical version of ‘Shogun.’
• Bookshelf: Japanese Poetry and Literature in Translation, by H.H., page 5. This roundup reviews three new translated works: ‘A Play of Mirrors,’ an anthology of eight major modern Japanese poets; ‘A Thousand Steps…and More’ by Gozo Yoshimasu; and ‘Before the Dawn’ by Toson Shimazaki, translated by William E. Naff, who won the 1987 U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission Prize for Translation. The review highlights the historical and literary significance of each work.
• The Best of Japan, by G.J., page 5. This book review covers ‘The Best of Japan,’ a Kodansha publication showcasing 263 innovative Japanese products and services that received the Nikkei Award for creative excellence over five years. The reviewer highlights unusual inventions like self-heating sake cans and personal fax machines.

JACL

• PSWD Holding First Recognitions Luncheon Dec. 6, page 3. The Pacific Southwest District JACL will hold its first biennial recognitions luncheon on Dec. 6 at the Sambi Restaurant in Downey to honor JACLers who contributed significantly during the past biennium. Award recipients were selected at both chapter and district levels based on specific criteria.
• Redress Fundraising Drive Update, page 8. Sandi Kawasaki of JACL’s Pacific Southwest District Special Fundraising Committee for Redress reported the first phase of direct mail solicitation to JACL members raised about funds, with a second phase targeting non-member Japanese Americans now underway. The Washington JACL-LEC office needs about $15,000 per month to continue redress lobbying efforts amid concerns President Reagan may veto the bill.

Commentary

• Gridiron Grandson Gives Granddad Gimp, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Columnist Bill Hosokawa recounts trying to teach his football-playing grandson Matt some finesse techniques from his own high school playing days, only to pull a calf muscle in the process. The light-hearted column reflects on aging and the passage of time through the mishap.
• JACL Vote Shameful, by Tamio Spiegel, page 4. A letter writer expresses shame and frustration over JACL’s National Board 9-5 vote to defer taking a stand on the Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination. The writer argues JACL is abandoning its civil rights leadership by staying silent on a major national debate.
• Sounding Off, by Eva Hashiguchi, page 4. A letter writer discusses the manslaughter case of John Nelson Chanda, who struck and caused the death of David Alan Yoshida, and who is due to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 1987. The writer argues for maximum sentencing given Chanda’s prior juvenile record.
• 1986 Article Wrong, by Kenji Goto, page 4. A letter from the past administrator of Kuakini Medical Center corrects a 1986 Pacific Citizen article claiming City View Hospital was the last Japanese American hospital, noting Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu, founded in 1900, is still operating. The letter details the hospital’s history and name changes over 87 years.
• For the Record, page 4. This correction notes two errors in an Oct. 9, 1987 article by Philip Tajitsu Nash regarding references to ’20 years’ and population percentages that should have read ‘200 years’ and ’66 percent.’ Pacific Citizen regrets the errors.
• Marubeni and the Sogo-Shosha, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Columnist Bill Marutani discusses materials sent by JACL stalwart Hiro Mayeda from Marubeni, a Japanese trading company, reflecting on the meaning and role of sogo-shosha (general trading companies) in Japan’s global commercial success. He also reminisces about language differences between standard Japanese and his own Hiroshima dialect upbringing.
• For the Record (President’s Corner Correction), page 5. A correction clarifies that the projected 1987 deficit figure in the Oct. 30 ‘President’s Corner’ should have read $9,000 and the 1986 deficit figure finalized at $66,000. The correction appeared following reader concerns about accuracy.

Incarceration & Redress

• Photos Depict Internment Experience, page 6. An exhibit titled ‘U.S. Constitution—Promise and Disparity,’ depicting the WW2 internment experience of Japanese Americans, opened Nov. 2 at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif. The exhibit was presented by the Contra Costa County Human Relations Commission with JACL cooperation.

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