Redress comes to the Senate: the November 25, 1983 issue

Vol. 97, No. 22, November 25, 1983. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress was the lead story. Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga introduced S 2116 with 13 colleagues, a bill to carry out the recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. The page-one report covers a trust fund, $20,000 individual payments and compensation for Aleuts. Related pieces followed: the national board of the Buddhist Churches of America backed redress, Chicago JACL called a town meeting with Minoru Yasui, and Harry Kajihara urged members to mail with the Freedom Series stamp. The columns include Harry K. Honda on Salt Lake City, Bill Hosokawa on student exchanges from Japan, and JACL President Floyd Shimomura on the NHK docu-drama ‘Sanga Moyu.’

Also inside: David Nakayama’s column on Pfc. Mark Yamane, killed in Grenada, and Misao K. Sakamoto’s account of the Pan American Nikkei Conference in Lima, Peru. A page-one story reports that Congress passed a bill reviving the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and page 9 carries a report on John J. Stephan’s book on Japan’s plans for Hawaii.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Matsunaga Submits Bill on Redress to Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Spark Matsunaga introduced S 2116 with 13 co-sponsors, a Senate bill implementing recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. The bill would acknowledge the injustice of internment, provide a $1.5 million trust fund with $20,000 individual payments, and compensate Aleuts removed from their homes during WWII.

National

• Nat’l A/P Caucus Drafts Platform, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Democratic National Committee’s Asian Pacific Caucus held its first national conference in Los Angeles, discussing delegate selection and a 1984 platform. Planks addressed anti-Asian violence, redress, immigration laws, hibakusha medical aid, and minority business assistance.
• Nat’l BCA Board Backs Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The national board of the Buddhist Churches of America unanimously passed a motion commending the CWRIC’s recommendations. National JACL director Ron Wakabayashi expressed appreciation for BCA’s action supporting redress.
• Reagan to Sign Bill to Revive U.S. Civil Rights Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congress passed a compromise bill reviving the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights after Reagan tried to fire several members. The commission expands to eight members with appointment powers split between the President and Congress, and $11.9 million was appropriated to fund it through the fiscal year.

Community

• More Nikkei Californians Elected to Hold Political Offices Throughout State, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tom Kitayama won re-election as mayor of Union City, while three Nikkei candidates won school board seats elsewhere in California, including Gary Ichikawa, Tom Matsumoto, and Kevin Enomoto. Ichikawa became the first Japanese American elected to public office in Solano County.
• New Mexico Nisei Grower Tells All About His Chili Pepper Creation, page 2. Roy Nakayama, a New Mexico chili grower, developed a new chili variety called NuMex R. Naky through several crossbreedings including Rio Grande, New Mexico Native, and Bulgarian paprika varieties. The article also touches on his wife Rose’s background and his World War II service and POW experience.
• Takasugi’s Probation Ruling Commended, by P.C. Staff, page 2. U.S. District Judge Robert Takasugi received favorable attention in Los Angeles Times letters to the editor for reducing a convict’s sentence to five years probation with volunteer work. A reader’s letter praised the decision as cost-saving and rehabilitative.
• Friends Raise $45,000 for Japanese Retirement Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Friends of the Japanese Retirement Home raised $45,683 this year for the Los Angeles home, bringing total donations since 1977 to $278,782. Art Yoshimura was re-elected president of the group at its installation dinner.
• Kickoff Dinner Raises $70,000 for Eden Issei Terrace Project, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Friends and supporters of Eden Issei Terrace, a 100-unit low-income housing project for Issei in Berkeley, raised $71,600 at a kickoff dinner in Oakland. The event featured Judge Ken Kawaichi and messages from various community leaders ahead of the project’s expected completion next year.
• Poston III Internees to Gather in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Fourth Poston Camp III Reunion is being planned for Spring 1985 in Los Angeles, following earlier reunions in San Jose, San Diego, and Fresno. Organizers are seeking updated addresses from former camp residents and students.
• Central Cal to Cite John Kubota, by P.C. Staff, page 6. John Kubota, a member of the Fresno A.L.L./JACL chapter, is to be honored for his public service. The brief notice mentions an upcoming ceremony and ticket information.
• Lick Right Stamp to Spread the Word, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Harry Kajihara, Pacific Southwest JACL redress chair, called on JACL members to use the 10-cent Freedom Series stamp featuring First Amendment text for their mailings. He hopes members will use the stamp especially during the Christmas season to spread awareness of redress efforts.
• Chicago Calls for Town Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chicago JACL is sponsoring a town meeting on Dec. 2 at Heiwa Terrace to involve the Nikkei community in gathering sponsorships and endorsements for HR 4110. Minoru Yasui, national JACL redress chair, will be the main speaker, and the CBS segment ‘Some Kind of Apology’ will be shown.
• Salinas CLer Wins School Post, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Salinas Valley JACL board member Kenji Yonemitsu was elected to the Chualar School board on Sept. 20. The brief notice reports the election result.
• West L.A. Celebrates 42nd Inaugural, by P.C. Staff, page 7. About 150 people attended the West Los Angeles JACL’s 42nd annual installation dinner, where Sid Yamazaki was sworn in as 1984 chapter president along with a full slate of officers and board members. The event included scholarship presentations, entertainment by the Venice Hongwanji Taiko Group, and recognition of chapter volunteers.
• Bilingual Service Center Gets Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 7. California State University, Los Angeles received a $1.17 million contract from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Bilingual Education to create a multi-functional support service center. The center will train bilingual instructors in languages including Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese.
• West L.A. Aux’y to Hold 25th Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 7. West Los Angeles JACL Auxiliary will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a dinner Dec. 11 at Yamato Restaurant. Haru Inouye and his wife Chieko are back at the helm of the Auxiliary this year.
• Former JACL Director Encourages Student Participation in APASS, by P.C. Staff, page 9. J.D. Hokoyama, former JACL director, now directs Asian Pacific American Student Services at USC and published the first issue of the APASS Report. He encourages Asian Pacific students to pursue well-rounded educations and get involved in campus programs while being proud of their ethnic heritage.

Obituaries

• Paul C. Takeda, 86: A Community Service Pioneer, by Henry Mori, page 2. Paul C. Takeda, who helped establish the first American Red Cross office at Poston internment camp, died at age 86. The tribute recounts his life from his Japanese education in Hiroshima through his teaching career, his Red Cross work at Poston, and his decades of community service in Los Angeles until his death.

Sports

• Berkeley Nisei Named Head of U.S. Figure Skating Assn., page 2. George T. Yonekura of Berkeley was elected president of the United States Figure Skating Association during a governing council meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho. He became involved in skating in 1958 and has served in various judging and administrative roles over the years.

Commentary

• Salt Lake City: Past and Present, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. The columnist recounts visiting Salt Lake City’s Mormon Tabernacle, recalling a prior visit in 1942 after release from Tule Lake concentration camp en route to school. He notes prominent Nikkei public officials in the area and praises the dedicated local redress campaign leaders including Sadao Nagata, Alice Kasai, and Tomiye Ishimatsu.
• Women’s Work: Getting Done, by Miki Himeno, page 4. The column discusses Irene Yasutake Hirano’s appointment as chair of National JACL’s Committee on Issues Affecting Nikkei Women, detailing her extensive background in women’s advocacy organizations. It also covers other JACL leadership changes and a conference held by the Asian/Pacific Women’s Network in Los Angeles on social and economic trends for Asians.
• Exploited Student Exchanges from Japan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa discusses the growing phenomenon of Japanese students visiting the U.S. through exchange programs, noting concern that some commercial tour organizers are profiting while American host families are unaware fees are being charged. He argues that while exchange programs do much good, transparency about financial arrangements is needed to preserve goodwill.
• Visit to NHK, by Floyd Shimomura, page 5. JACL President Floyd Shimomura recounts a dinner meeting with NHK officials involved in producing the docu-drama ‘Sanga Moyu,’ about a Japanese American family during WWII, based on the novel ‘Futatsu no Sokoku.’ He raised concerns about the show’s focus on divided loyalties, its potential to distort Japanese perceptions of Japanese Americans, and the lack of Japanese American actors in the production.
• Whaling Issue, by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, page 5. Uyeda examines the escalating U.S.-Japan tensions over whaling following Japan’s objection to the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium. He argues American criticism is premature and emotionally charged since Japan has not technically violated any IWC rules before the 1986 compliance deadline.
• Thank You to Friends Who Comforted, by Michi Weglyn, page 7. A letter from Michi Weglyn pays tribute to Herbert and Madeline Nicholson, who supported Japanese Americans during their WWII incarceration, noting that Madeline died just four months after Herbert’s passing. The letter expresses gratitude on behalf of the Japanese American community for the couple’s lifelong service and mentions a memorial fund established in their honor.

Military & Veterans

• Legacy of Pfc. Yamane, by David Nakayama, page 5. The column honors Pfc. Mark Yamane, a Japanese American soldier killed in the U.S. rescue mission in Grenada as part of a Army Ranger strike force. The piece reflects on Japanese American military service and sacrifice across generations.

In-Depth

• ‘Under Rising Sun’ Author Says Japan Wanted to Take Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 9. John J. Stephan’s new book details how Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto ordered invasion plans for Hawaii drawn up within 48 hours of the Pearl Harbor attack, aiming to restore the Hawaiian monarchy as a puppet regime. The book, based on interviews with former Japanese naval officers and military archives, explores Japan’s ambitions to annex Hawaii and re-educate its large Japanese population.
• Sasaki Associates $2.6 Billion Arts District Project Underway, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Dallas’s $2.6 billion Arts District, the largest urban development project in the U.S., is underway with landscape design by Sasaki Associates led by Nisei Hideo Sasaki. The Dallas Museum of Art, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, is set to open in January with an exhibition of Japanese art called ‘The Shogun Age.’
• Unique Adventures in Lima, Peru: Pan American Nikkei Conference, by Misao K. Sakamoto, page 11. Sakamoto recounts attending the second Pan American Nikkei Conference in Lima, Peru, describing the history of Japanese immigration to South America and the internment of Peruvian Japanese in U.S. camps during WWII. She visits a Japanese-Peruvian school, observes generational and cultural shifts among Nikkei youth, and reflects on shared identity among Nikkei across the Americas.

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