JACL plans a Japan delegation and doubles its redress spending

Vol. 96, No. 12, April 1, 1983. 8 pages. View this issue

The JACL National Board’s March meeting set the course for this issue. The Board approved a fall delegation to Japan, made up of National President Floyd Shimomura and National Director Ron Wakabayashi, and raised the Redress Committee’s spending to $15,000 a month for six months, ahead of the CWRIC’s recommendations. The front page also reported on a stone monument planned for the Amache camp, with $8,000 of the $25,000 needed already raised, and on Sen. Alan Cranston’s support for reparations. Peter Imamura’s column questioned whether JACL should take part in U.S.-Japan relations, and Chizu Iiyama wrote about nuclear war and her mother-in-law’s memories of Hiroshima.

Other pages covered Sen. Daniel K. Inouye’s break with U.S. policy on military aid to El Salvador and Sen. Spark Matsunaga’s Senate tribute to Mike Masaoka. Also inside: a $28,000 Kimochi fundraiser in San Francisco, a controversy over the Kinjiro Ninomiya statue in Little Tokyo, and chapter news from Fremont, Hollywood and Gardena.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Delegation Set for Japan to Explore Better Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Board approved sending a delegation of National President Floyd Shimomura and National Director Ron Wakabayashi to Japan this fall as part of the International Relations Committee’s program. The Board also approved $1,500 for the delegation’s air fare to explore ways Japanese Americans can improve U.S.-Japan relations.
• National Board Details Purpose of U.S.-Japan Program, by P.C. Staff, page 5. National President Floyd Shimomura outlined the four purposes of the JACL’s U.S.-Japan program, including informing the Japanese about Nikkei status and learning about Japan’s economic and political development. State Department official Al Seligmann had advised JACL to stay out of the international trade arena but suggested a grassroots educational role instead.
• Fremont Readies for 50th Year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fremont JACL, formerly the Washington Township Chapter, is planning a 50th Anniversary celebration and reunion dinner for early February 1984. The Golden Anniversary Committee, chaired by June Handa, is seeking former residents of the Washington Township area to attend.
• Hollywood Sets 1000 Club Brunch, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Hollywood JACL Chapter will host its second annual 1000 Club Champagne Brunch at the Sheraton Townhouse on May 1. Reservations are recommended due to limited seating, with tickets costing $15 per person.
• Gardena Installs 1983 Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Gardena Valley JACL Chapter installed its 1983 officers, with Gardena City Clerk May Doi as president, at a ceremony held at the Nisei Veterans Hall. Dr. Roy Nishikawa, past national JACL president, conducted the installation, and outgoing president Karl Nobuyuki was presented with a plaque by Mayor Don Dear.
• Yoshioka Files for College Trustee, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Veron T. Yoshioka, a National JACL vice president and Nikkei leader in San Diego’s Asian American community, has filed for trustee of District B, San Diego Community Colleges. The position is being contested in the coming June primaries, and friends have opened a campaign office for him.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Plan Stepped Up; Readying for CWRIC Report, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Board approved increasing the Redress Committee’s spending level from $7,500-$8,000 to $15,000 per month for six months to accelerate the program ahead of the CWRIC’s upcoming recommendations. National President Floyd Shimomura explained the increase would not affect the Endowment Fund loan plan, and the Committee aims to compress its three-year program into two years before the 1984 elections.
• $8,000 Raised for Amache Camp Shrine, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A proposed 25-foot stone monument memorializing former internees of the Amache relocation camp is due for dedication this fall, with $8,000 of the $25,000 needed already raised. Former internee Arthur Iwasaki recalled his wartime experiences and said the monument will honor the 32 men killed in military action and 31 who died at the camp.
• National Board Sets Redress Guidelines on Reparations Payments, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The National Board took the Redress Committee’s recommendation of $50,000 in reparations payment per internee under advisement pending CWRIC’s recommendations. The Board also approved guidelines for direct payments from the government to eligible individuals and required that a foundation board be composed of at least 51% Japanese Americans.

National

• Cranston Backs Reparations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Alan Cranston announced he would support legislation to pay reparations to Japanese Americans interned during World War II, speaking before a gathering of Asian American elected officials. Meanwhile, several Democratic senators spoke on the Senate floor supporting the CWRIC’s findings as a safeguard against future mass internment.
• Civilian Casualties Was the U.S. Goal in A-Bombing Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Stanford history professor Barton Bernstein said declassified documents reveal that a major goal of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the mass killing of civilians. He detailed how President Truman privately described the targets as purely military despite knowing civilians would be killed, and how Secretary of War Stimson removed Kyoto from the target list to preserve shrines, not lives.
• Seattle Asians Angered by Transfer of Mayoral Aide, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tensions escalated in Seattle between the Asian American community and Mayor Charles Royer after he transferred Nikkei aide Arlene Oki off his staff to another department. Four Asian organizations and 126 individuals signed a letter protesting the decision, and Seattle JACL President Mako Nakagawa reported a hostile exchange with a mayoral aide over the issue.
• Inouye Breaks From U.S. Policy on Military Aid in El Salvador, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye surprised the Reagan Administration by breaking with U.S. policy in El Salvador, citing his painful experience with the Vietnam War as the reason for his opposition to increased military aid. Senate Minority Leader Robert Byrd said Inouye’s defection would have considerable impact on the future course of the debate.
• Masaoka Feted by Matsunaga, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sen. Spark Matsunaga paid tribute to former JACL Washington Representative Mike Masaoka on the Senate floor for his more than 40 years of advocacy on behalf of Japanese Americans. Matsunaga credited Masaoka with helping secure major legislation including naturalization rights for Asian immigrants and repeal of the Japanese Exclusion Act.
• Seattle JACL President Miffed by Mayor’s Aide, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Seattle JACL President Mako Nakagawa said a mayoral aide lashed out at her when she inquired about the transfer of Nikkei aide Arlene Oki from Mayor Royer’s staff. Press aide Tom Keefe denied the allegations and said Nakagawa’s letter was riddled with misstatements, while political observers see the staff changes as part of Royer’s restructuring ahead of a 1984 gubernatorial race.
• Inouye: ‘One Vietnam Is Enough’, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sen. Daniel Inouye cited mail from Hawaii constituents and fellow 442nd veterans, along with his own son’s draft eligibility, as factors in his decision to oppose increased military aid to El Salvador. He said he would reconsider his position only if convinced the Salvadoran regime seeks a non-military solution.

Community

• Fund Raising Effort Begun for Japanese Student Rape Victim, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A 17-year-old Japanese exchange student was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot during a rape and robbery in San Diego, prompting a public fundraising drive led by the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce. James Russell Bishop, 27, is jailed on charges of attacking the student and her 15-year-old companion near Mar Vista High School.
• Kato Placed on Probation for Theft, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Oxnard Councilman Tsujio Kato pleaded no contest to petty theft charges involving two knives taken from a department store and was placed on three years probation. Kato was required to pay a $300 fine and perform 120 hours in the county’s direct work program, despite his attorney’s objections to search conditions.
• Nikkei Now on Long Beach School Board, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. John Kashiwabara, a Long Beach physician, won a seat on the Board of Education of the Long Beach Unified School District in a special election. A former CIF basketball star who was interned during WWII, Kashiwabara has devoted decades to volunteer work in the community.
• Kimochi Fundraiser a Success, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Over 800 people attended the Kimochi Home Project Celebration/Fund-Raising Dinner in San Francisco, raising a net total of $28,000 for the senior center project. Mayor Dianne Feinstein presented a plaque acknowledging a $185,000 contribution and made a personal appeal that led to additional donations from various organizations.
• Hospital to Focus on Mental Health, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Del Amo Hospital will present a symposium titled ‘Asian American Mental Health Issues’ covering topics like culture and mental health, marital problems, and comparative experiences of Japanese Americans and Japanese in America. The free conference will be held April 7 at the hospital’s auditorium in Torrance.
• Statue Dedicated to Issei Pioneers Becomes Controversy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A bronze statue of Japanese folk hero Kinjiro Ninomiya erected in Little Tokyo to honor Issei pioneers has become controversial after the Community Redevelopment Agency staff recommended its removal, calling it mass-produced rather than fine art. Developer Al Taira, who spent $25,000 on the statue, said he would comply with the CRA’s wishes despite wanting to keep it.
• JACL L.A. Singles Offers Blue Shield, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Blue Shield Medical insurance became available to all greater Los Angeles JACL singles’ members who enroll before April 11, with no physical examination required. Married couples are also eligible for the coverage.
• Artwork Sought for PANA Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Artwork is being sought for display at the upcoming Pan American Nikkei Association’s conference in Peru on July 13-18. Artists willing to sell their work will be asked to donate 30% of their sale price to PANA.

Commentary

• A Problem of Perception, by Peter Imamura, page 4. In this column, the author argues against JACL’s involvement in U.S.-Japan relations, warning that it could lead to the organization becoming a propagandist for Japan reminiscent of pre-Pearl Harbor Issei identification with Japan. He contends Nikkei are not responsible for Japan’s actions and that JACL should avoid taking sides in trade and corporate disputes involving Japan.
• Letter: Salt Lake Conference Criticized for Excluding NCRR, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 4. A letter writer criticizes a Salt Lake City conference on relocation and redress for failing to include a representative of NCRR despite the group’s role in the redress movement, calling it gross ignorance or bias. The writer also objects to Min Yasui’s dismissive comments about NCRR’s legislative efforts during the conference’s redress panel.
• Nuclear War: No Mistakes Allowed, by Chizu Iiyama, page 4. Chizu Iiyama recounts her mother-in-law’s harrowing recollections of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and argues that preventing nuclear war is the most important issue of our time. She discusses women’s historical leadership in peace movements and warns that there would be no commission to investigate mistakes after an atomic war, unlike the CWRIC’s investigation of the wartime internment.
• Response to Suguro: Nikkei Cannot Ignore Japan’s Actions, by Peter Imamura, page 5. In response to a letter from Mr. Suguro of Seattle, the writer argues that Nikkei do share physical appearance with Japanese and face backlash regardless of their actual ties to Japan, citing anti-Japanese cartoons and vandalism of Japanese cars. The piece also defends JACL’s potential educational role in U.S.-Japan relations as distinct from being an advocate for Japanese corporations.

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