Redress bill clears House subcommittee, JACL director resigns

Vol. 90, No. 98, June 20, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page of this issue carried two stories about JACL. A joint statement from National JACL said Karl Nobuyuki’s resignation as national director came solely from disagreements over managerial style, with no question about his honesty or use of funds. The paper also reported that a House Judiciary subcommittee led by Rep. Danielson passed HR 5499 on a 7-0 vote, and that Min Yasui urged redress before a regional civil rights conference. California’s AJR 56, by Assemblyman Paul Bannai, backed a federal commission on Executive Order 9066. The state track and field meet in Santa Ana had its own lead story.

Inside are columns by Harry K. Honda, Bill Hosokawa, Floyd Shimomura and Dr. Bob Suzuki. Honda remembered Japan’s prime minister Masayoshi Ohira, and Shimomura took up the JACL citizenship requirement. Page 6 reported on the Yamasaki discrimination case, and page 7 previewed the youth conference in Sacramento. Little Tokyo news included a dinner honoring Mayor Tom Bradley.

What’s in this issue

National

• 64 Records Set, South Wins State Meet, page 1. At the third annual JACL State track and field meet held at Santa Ana College, 47 of 64 individual records were broken with only 13 remaining intact. Steve Shimahara of East L.A. was the lone triple winner, setting records in the 50, 100 and 220, while the host South team dominated overall.
• Danielson Panel Passes HR 5499 7-0, page 1. The House Judiciary subcommittee chaired by Rep. Danielson reported out HR 5499 with minor amendments on a 7-0 vote during its June 9 mark-up session. Among the changes was giving the proposed redress commission discretion on where public hearings would be held.
• Masaoka Under Care, page 1. Onetime Washington JACL Representative Mike Masaoka was hospitalized June 12 after a slight heart attack. His brother Akira noted that he was not placed under intensive care, which was seen as a hopeful sign.
• Yamasaki Case, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 6. The Ohio Civil Rights Commission ruled there is probable cause that Mas Yamasaki was racially discriminated against when demoted from sales manager to salesman at Borden, Inc. The Midwest District Council has launched a $5,000 fundraising campaign and letter-writing effort to support Yamasaki’s fight, with a public hearing scheduled for August 27, 1980.

JACL

• National JACL Clarifies Nobuyuki Resignation, page 1. A joint statement from National JACL leaders affirms there is no issue regarding Karl Nobuyuki’s honesty, integrity or character, and no allegation of personal wrongdoing or misuse of funds. The resignation stems solely from disagreements over managerial style, and Nobuyuki will remain as national director until July 15, 1980.
• Proposed JACL Budget Requires Two-Step $3.50 Dues Increase to Balance, page 1. To balance the proposed National JACL budget of $759,000 for 1981 and $857,000 for 1982, a two-step dues increase of $3.50 each year is required, according to secretary-treasurer Y. George Kodama. The budget includes a new $25,000 line item for committee programs and contingencies, and plans for a 12-page Pacific Citizen every other week.
• Summer Fun in Sacramento: Japanese American Youth Conference, by Bruce Shimizu, page 7. Over 200 Japanese American young people will attend the biennial Japanese American Youth Conference at CSU-Sacramento, July 22-27, featuring workshops, a Luau/Disco, fishing derby, and visit to the Wakamatsu Tea & Silk Colony. The final night banquet will feature George Takei of ‘Star Trek’ and raise funds for the National Youth Program.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Urged in Rocky Mountain Confab, page 1. Min Yasui appealed to delegates from six Rocky Mountain states at a regional U.S. Commission on Civil Rights conference in the South Dakota Black Hills. Conference members indicated that the JACL redress campaign was a legitimate civil rights concern.
• Calif. Legislature Passes Bill (AJR 56) Backing Redress Commission, page 1. Assembly Joint Resolution 56 by Assemblyman Paul Bannai has been chaptered into California statutes for 1980, putting the state on record supporting federal legislation to establish a presidential fact-finding commission on Executive Order 9066. Bannai said the resolution declares the legislature’s concern with the denial of civil rights and supports investigation of its legal and constitutional aspects.
• $69,000 Raised for Redress Campaign, page 1. The JACL National Committee for Redress released its financial report for the ‘American Testimonial’ dinner attended by 1,244 people in Los Angeles on March 22, with total proceeds of $135,265. Net proceeds after expenses were $89,504, though additional committee and staff expenses were incurred, according to chair John Tateishi.

In-Depth

• Putting Parents and Kids Back Together, page 1. John Tachihara has spent nearly 15 years running Omega House, a drug rehabilitation program in Reno, giving thousands of free lectures and counseling troubled youths, sometimes taking them into his own home. He is stepping down in June as his wife pursues a job in New Jersey, with Mark Miller taking over as director.
• No Hill Too Steep: Discount Deadline Moved, page 5. A fashion show luncheon featuring designer Yuki Torii of Tokyo will highlight the JACL convention in San Francisco, with TV personality Jan Yanehiro as commentator. The deadline for convention discount tickets and Jack Tar Hotel room reservations has been extended to June 27.
• Hizakurige: Japanese Ribaldry, by Robert H. Kono, page 8. The column reviews ‘Hizakurige’ (Shanks’ Mare), Japan’s celebrated comic novel written by Jippensha Ikku in 1802, highlighting its bawdy humor through the misadventures of travelers Yaji and Kita. The reviewer recommends it as an enjoyable example of robust, earthy Japanese literature.

Community

• JACLer Retiring as Controller Emeritus from U.N.-Reno, page 2. M. Henry Hattori will retire July 1 with the rank of controller emeritus after years with the University of Nevada-Reno’s business office, having handled university accounts and fiscal reporting. He has also served the community extensively, including as president of Sparks PTA council and Reno JACL.
• UOP Honors Dr. George Togasaki, page 2. University of the Pacific conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on George Kiyoshi Togasaki, retired publisher of the Japan Times and one of the founders of JACL 30 years ago in San Francisco. He was praised as a distinguished international spokesman with a remarkable record of service to society.
• Little Tokyo to Honor Mayor Bradley, page 2. The Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee is hosting a nonpolitical dinner honoring Mayor Tom Bradley at the Biltmore Hotel to express appreciation for his support of Little Tokyo redevelopment. Numerous major Nikkei community organizations are co-sponsoring the event.
• Sansei Interns at White House, page 3. Marcia Lynn Tu recently completed a student internship at the White House in the office of Sarah Weddington, a senior aide. The previous summer she also interned in the office of Senator Gary Hart.
• MDC’s Mixed Marriage Workshop, page 6. A report on the Midwest District Council’s interracial marriage workshop led by George Hanasono covers barriers facing immigrant (Issei) members in JACL leadership, including language and cultural obstacles. It also examines the leadership role of non-Japanese spouses in MDC chapters and their motivations for joining JACL.
• Urban League Cites Puyallup JACLer, page 6. Dr. John Kanda, a Puyallup Valley JACLer and former national JACL vice president, was honored at the Tacoma Urban League’s annual awards dinner. He was recognized for his continuing participation in health and social welfare committees in Pierce County.
• Hoosier Chapter Supports Redress and Plans Picnic, page 6. Hoosier JACL president Dr. Charles Matsumoto addressed the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the Lutheran Church in America to gain its support for the JACL redress commission bill. The chapter will also hold its family picnic June 29 at Eagle Creek Hide-a-way with games and a potluck dinner.
• Selanoco Chapter Welcomes New Members, page 6. Selanoco JACL will welcome new members at its summer meeting and potluck supper on July 19, featuring guest speaker Tak Shindo presenting a video of his life from Pearl Harbor to Manzanar. The chapter is also planning its International Food Fair booth to raise scholarship funds.
• L.A. Nikkei to Be Feted July 11, page 6. Little Tokyo Service Center will present its first community service awards on July 11 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, honoring Masami Sasaki, Mitsu Sonoda, and Tosh Terasawa. The honorees are recognized for their scholarship, philanthropic, and community leadership contributions.
• Sansei Pageant to Award Hayakawa Merit Prize, page 6. The third annual Sen. Hayakawa Merit Award will be given July 19 during the Miss Sansei Pageant at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, honoring an outstanding Sansei student. Applications for the award were due by July 1.

Obituaries

• Final Rites Held for Minoru Masuda, 65, page 2. Final rites were held for Minoru Masuda, the Seattle-born psychologist noted nationally for his lifelong contributions to human rights. A 442nd veteran, he was Seattle JACL president in 1971 and served on the 1974 National JACL committee on Nisei retirement planning.

Arts & Entertainment

• East West Staging ‘Happy End’ Next, page 2. East West Players Theater opens its summer season with ‘Happy End,’ a Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht musical set in the Chicago gangland era, directed by Mako. Playwright Wakako Yamauchi also received a $9,000 Rockefeller Playwright-in-Residence grant in conjunction with East West Players.

Commentary

• JACL Will Not Forget Ohira, by Harry K. Honda, page 3. Masayoshi Ohira, prime minister of Japan, died of a heart attack on June 12 at age 70. A staunch U.S. ally who attended the JACL-sponsored Asian-Pacific Heritage Week reception in Washington, he will be remembered for elevating JACL’s public image internationally.
• Letter: Dr. Coggins, by Paul H. Hoshi, page 4. A reader recalls being treated by Dr. Cecil Henry Coggins at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego back in 1939, describing him as warm and friendly. The letter connects to a prior Bill Hosokawa column, recalling an encounter involving ham radio operator Henry Sasaki and a wartime intelligence inquiry.
• Letter: Subscription Delivery Problems, by Nancy Ichikawa, page 4. A reader in Maui writes that she has not received her Pacific Citizen issues for about a month and plans to cancel her membership since there is no chapter in Maui. The editor responds that there is nothing wrong with mail delivery generally and the issue may be a mailing label glitch.
• Letter: Short Note on Address Label Service, by Eiko Nagaoka, page 4. A Seattle JACL reader expresses gratitude for the Pacific Citizen’s address label service, saying it beats the old addressograph system.
• More Than Spring Housecleaning, by Sachi Seko, page 4. In this column from Salt Lake City, the author humorously describes the ordeal of having her home re-carpeted after her son’s baseball sliding practice ruined the old carpet. She reflects on her habit of visiting the county dump and the burden of accumulating possessions.
• Eastern and Western Scientific Approaches to Healing, by Dr. Bob Suzuki, page 4. The column discusses the difference between passive Western medicine and the body’s natural self-healing capacity, drawing on insights from biofeedback studies under Professor George Araki. It argues that patient mental attitude and motivation can meaningfully enhance treatment outcomes beyond scientific expectations.
• Asian American Angle in Alabama, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Visiting Montgomery, Alabama, the columnist finds unexpected Asian American connections, including Japanese grocery stores and a Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces officer, Lieut. Col. Kinji Kondo, attending the Air War College. The piece also highlights other minority participants at the National Security Forum, noting how integration is increasingly taken for granted.
• Citizenship Requirement, by Floyd Shimomura, page 5. The column explores the long-debated JACL ‘citizenship requirement’ for active membership, tracing its historical origins and the arguments from both proponents and opponents. The Constitutional Revision Committee recommended liberalizing the requirement to include permanent residents of Japanese ancestry, with the National Board suggesting an even broader relaxation to be decided at the national convention.

Sports

• NC-WN Swim Meet Locale Changed, page 3. The location of the NC-WNDC/National JACL Swim Meet has been changed to Cubberly High School in Palo Alto, set for July 27, immediately preceding the National JACL convention in San Francisco. The closed invitational meet is open to JACL-affiliated swimmers and guests under PAAAU sanction.

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