Yasui coram nobis case goes to appeal; JACL board meets

Vol. 102, No. 21, May 30, 1986. 12 pages. View this issue

The front page carried news of the coram nobis case of Minoru Yasui, whose motion to extend time for appeal was granted, allowing the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to consider the case on its merits. Robert Shimabukuro reported on the National JACL Board meeting in San Francisco, where the board approved a $2 dues increase for 1987. Other front-page stories covered a California commission’s finding that violence against minorities is a serious problem, and a state plan to address the needs of Asian/Pacific Islander students.

Inside, Bill Hosokawa wrote about Nisei soldiers who served as interpreters, and about Mike Masaoka’s statements on redress bill H.R. 442. Clifford Uyeda compared the Japanese American incarceration (often called internment) with the forced relocation of the Navajo people. Several letters took up the Smithsonian exhibit debate and JACL’s acceptance of a grant from Coors. News from the chapters included a San Mateo County photo exhibit and a Seattle nursing home groundbreaking.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Yasui Case Can Go to Appeals Court, page 1. A U.S. District Judge granted Minoru Yasui’s motion to extend time for appeal, allowing his coram nobis case to be considered by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Yasui seeks reinstatement of his petition alleging the government committed fraud on the Supreme Court by suppressing evidence of JA loyalty during WWII curfew violation prosecutions.

JACL

• Board Meeting Runs Smoothly, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 1. The National JACL Board met in San Francisco on May 16-17, moving quickly through its agenda including budget proposals based on dues increases. The board approved a $2 dues increase for 1987 and heard reports on direct mail solicitation results and redress fundraising.
• JACL Gets Human Rights Award, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 3. JACL national director Ron Wakabayashi accepted the Human Rights Award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association at a San Francisco luncheon, delivering an emotional speech about how the redress movement changed Sansei perceptions of their parents. National Coalition for Redress/Reparations, represented by Lillian Kiyota, also received the award.
• Life Trust Membership Grows, by Mas Hironaka, page 6. The National JACL 1000 Club Life Trust Fund recently passed $100,000 as over 200 members became Active Life Trust Members under a reduced $500 rate. The fund, created by a 1982 National Board action, generates income to help finance JACL operations while preserving the principal.

National

• Violence Against Minorities a Serious Problem, State Commission Concludes, page 1. California Attorney General John Van de Kamp’s commission on racial, ethnic, religious and minority violence concluded that hate violence poses a serious threat and recommended a comprehensive civil rights statute. The 16-member commission included JACL regional director John Saito and held hearings across the state after incidents like the killing of Vincent Chin and Thong Hy Huynh.
• A/P Students’ Needs Assessed, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. California Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig announced a plan addressing problems faced by Asian/Pacific Islander students, developed with the Advisory Council on Asian/Pacific Islander Affairs chaired by Victor Nakamoto. The plan covers language acquisition, curriculum representation, teacher recruitment, support services and school violence issues.
• Reporter Regrets Onizuka Remark, page 2. Washington Post reporter Haynes Johnson apologized after Rep. Norman Mineta objected to his comment linking the late astronaut Ellison Onizuka to wartime enemies during a PBS broadcast. Johnson wrote to Mineta expressing regret, noting he had written about the injustice of Japanese American internment.
• ‘Onizuka Air Force Station’ Proposed, page 12. Rep. Norman Mineta introduced legislation to rename the Sunnyvale Air Force Station in California as the Ellison S. Onizuka Air Force Station, honoring the astronaut killed in the Challenger explosion. The station houses the Satellite Test Facility, a major Air Force space-related installation.

Community

• San Mateo County Officials Open Photo Exhibit on Local JAs, page 2. County officials and JACL members celebrated the opening of a photo exhibit on San Mateo County Japanese Americans showing their role in the floral industry and wartime incarceration at Tanforan. Supervisor Anna Eshoo and colleagues pledged to support a resolution backing redress bill H.R. 442.
• Sugiyama Becomes Asst. Attorney General, page 2. John Sugiyama was named assistant attorney general in charge of the Criminal Division of San Francisco by the California Attorney General’s Office. He previously served as deputy attorney general since 1975 and now manages a 50-attorney division.
• JCCCNC Opens; Director Named, page 3. Charles Morimoto was appointed center director of the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California, which opened its Phase I Main Building on May 1. The center houses various community organizations and a fundraising campaign continues for a second phase including a gymnasium.
• Hiroshima Flame in Peace March, page 3. The Peace Flame brought from Hiroshima in 1984 is being carried by Michael Mertens of Asian Pacific Americans for Nuclear Awareness in the Great Peace March. The march, seeking a permanent home for the flame in Los Angeles, is scheduled to reach Denver and eventually end in Washington, D.C.
• White River Valley Historical Photo Collection Completed by Area Nikkei, page 6. White River Valley JACL completed an 80-page photo album documenting the history of Issei in the Auburn, Washington valley, a project initiated after chapter members restored vandalized lampposts at Auburn High School. The album, along with a display case and plaque, was presented to the White River Valley Historical Society.
• Sonoma JA History Recounted, page 7. A panel discussion before nearly 200 people at a Sebastopol community church recounted the history of Japanese Americans and made the case for redress, featuring speakers Jim Murakami, Mei Nakano, Robert Fuchigami and Jackie Kishaba. The panel was well-received by the largely non-Japanese audience despite initial apprehension about discussing the sensitive topic.
• ‘Mothers of the Year’ Honored, page 7. Four women—Suye Iwataki, Kinu Murakami, Katsue Watanabe and Shizuye Yamashita—were honored at the 24th annual Mothers of the Year luncheon in Los Angeles, sponsored by Downtown LA JACL and Nanka Nikkei Fujinkai. Rose Ochi presented certificates on behalf of Mayor Tom Bradley before some 250 attendees.
• City Clerk Heads Statewide Group, page 7. Jean Ushijima, Beverly Hills city clerk and West L.A. JACL board member, was installed as president of the City Clerks Association of California at an April banquet. The organization has over 500 members and holds workshops, publishes materials, and lobbies for legislation.
• Ground Broken for New Keiro Home, page 10. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in Seattle for Nikkei Concerns’ new 153-bed Keiro Nursing Home at 16th and Yesler, expected to be completed in 1987. The ceremony featured remarks from Nikkei Concerns leaders and local officials, with the current facility to be leased to the Chinese Nursing Home.
• JA Running for N.Y. State Senate, page 10. Bob Machida of Glen Cove was nominated as the 5th District’s Democratic candidate for New York State Senate, challenging 16-year incumbent Republican Ralph Marino. Machida, a teacher who previously helped pass state redress resolutions, says being Japanese American will neither help nor hurt his campaign.

Obituaries

• Attorney Who Called Inouye a ‘Jap’ Dies, page 2. John J. Wilson, the attorney who referred to Senator Daniel Inouye as a ‘Jap’ during the 1973 Watergate hearings while defending Nixon aides, died of a heart condition at age 84. His remark drew widespread condemnation and he later sent Inouye a letter of apology.

Arts & Entertainment

• Artist’s Camp Works to Be Exhibited, page 3. Issei artist Hisako Hibi, 79, will exhibit 70 oil paintings depicting her wartime internment at Tanforan and Topaz, presented by the National Japanese American Historical Society. Her work contrasts the bleakness of camp life with the natural beauty of the Utah desert landscape.

Commentary

• America’s Secret Weapon, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. This East-West Wind column details the contributions of Nisei MIS soldiers who served in the Pacific theater as interpreters and combat troops, including those who served with General MacArthur and Merrill’s Marauders. The column also describes a MIS exhibit opening at MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Readers’ Input Needed, by Yosh Nakashima, page 4. This ‘By the Board’ column discusses the PC Board’s inability to reach a decision on a new permanent editor at its April 1986 meeting, leading to re-advertising the position. The author urges members to contact their PC Board representatives with opinions on the current editor and staff performance.
• Bad Brew, by Jean Hibino, page 4. A letter to the editor strongly criticizes JACL for accepting a grant from Coors, citing the company’s anti-union history, discriminatory practices, and controversial statements by William K. Coors about Black Americans. The writer argues JACL’s acceptance contradicts its civil rights mission.
• An Eloquent Spokesman, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. This From the Frying Pan column praises statements written by Mike Masaoka for the April 28 House Judiciary Subcommittee hearings on redress bill H.R. 442, calling them persuasive and well-documented. The column reflects on Masaoka’s historic role as JACL’s Washington representative and his continued willingness to help the redress cause without payment.
• Vet-Bashing, by Arthur Gorai, page 5. A letter responds to Raymond Okamura’s earlier column criticizing Nisei veterans, arguing that volunteering for military service from internment camps was not a betrayal of the Constitution. The writer also praises other recent PC coverage of Frank Emi and John Nakahata.
• A Matter of Injustice, by Clifford Uyeda, page 5. This Cliff’s Corner column draws parallels between Japanese American internment and the forced relocation of Navajo people, detailing the history of U.S. government mandated displacement. The author criticizes the government’s failure to comply with resettlement provisions and notes the human suffering involved in both tragedies.
• Open Letter to Okamura, by Violet K. de Cristoforo, page 5. A letter praises Raymond Okamura’s column criticizing the shift in emphasis from redress and constitutional violations toward celebrating Japanese American veterans in Smithsonian exhibit planning. The writer argues this emphasis on veterans’ exploits minimizes the central constitutional issue of the internment injustice.
• Recognition Overdue, by George Ogawa, page 5. A letter from the South Bay JACL president highlights the courageous advocacy of Walt and Milly Woodward, publishers of the Bainbridge Review, who defended Japanese American rights during WWII. The writer announces plans to introduce a resolution at the National Convention honoring the Woodwards.
• Do Your Part, by Frank Suto, page 5. A letter urges readers to write letters supporting redress bill H.R. 442 to counter misinformation spread by opponents like S.I. Hayakawa, David Lowman, Karl Bendetsen, and Lillian Baker. The writer sets a goal of 10,000 letters and provides a congressional committee address for readers to send their statements.

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.