Vol. 90, No. 84, March 14, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue
The front page opened with community news: UCLA’s plan to honor nine alumni on its anniversary, including K. Patrick Okura, a past national JACL president, and Dr. John Ishii becoming the first layman president of St. Martin’s College. Barry Saiki wrote about the children of Japanese business families who return home as a “lost generation,” and George Takei announced he would not run for the 46th District seat. The Hoosier JACL sought a flag marking the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, and the Day of Remembrance was noted as well.
Inside, John Tateishi wrote about the grassroots energy for redress he found in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago. Sachi Seko recalled Gila River and the religious life of the camps, and Bill Hosokawa and Clifford Uyeda also contributed columns. Chapter pages covered San Diego, Gardena Valley, Hoosier and Lodi, along with credentials rules for the national convention.
What’s in this issue
Community
- UCLA to Honor Nine Alumni Including Longtime JACL Leader K. Patrick Okura, page 1. UCLA will celebrate its 61st anniversary on May 31 and honor nine individuals for professional, university and community service. K. Patrick Okura, a past national JACL president and assistant director for international programs at the National Institute of Mental Health, will receive a community service award for his lifelong service to the Japanese American and Asian/Pacific communities.
- Office Seems Familiar to College President, page 1. Dr. John Ishii became the first layman president of St. Martin’s College in Lacey, Washington, taking an office in the same building where he boarded as a freshman 46 years earlier. A former military intelligence officer and State Department employee in Southeast Asia, Ishii wants to preserve the college’s Catholic religious identity while updating curriculum to serve nontraditional students.
- Takei Decides Against Politics, page 1. Actor-author George Takei announced he will not challenge Assemblyman Mike Roos for the 46th District seat in Sacramento, despite encouragement from community leaders and Democratic politicians including Congressmen Henry Waxman and Julian Dixon. Takei said it was the wrong time to interrupt his acting and writing career, citing FCC equal time rules that would have pulled his Star Trek reruns from air.
- Nisei Builders Announce Two New Southland Developments, page 2. Kaz Katayama and Miki Miyamoto, longtime business partners and principals of Boulevard Development Inc., are building new home developments in Orange County with prices starting at $89,000 and $119,000. Pre-opening sales have been brisk at the Highland Terrace site, which offers 101% financing.
- Cleveland Gears for DYC Workshop, page 2. Cleveland JACL-JAYs will host the Midwest-Eastern JACL District Youth Council’s spring workshop over the April Easter weekend, themed ‘Sansei in the Social World.’ The event includes panel discussions and a dinner-dance open to the community.
- Refugee Influx Hits S.F. Welfare Rolls, page 2. San Francisco welfare officials report that more than half of the city’s estimated 10,000 Indochinese refugees are receiving some form of welfare, straining the system. Department general manager Edwin Sarsfield said refugees are expected to make up one-quarter of the city’s welfare rolls by the end of 1980, despite most being eager to find employment.
- Seattle’s Sakura Festival Set for April 4-6, page 3. The fifth annual Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival will expand to three days this year at Seattle Center, featuring Japan’s drum and dance group Ondeko-za along with folk dances, music, films and displays. The festival is sponsored by several organizations including the Japan America Society of Seattle and JACL.
- U. Wash. to Host ‘Stories to Share’ Conference, page 3. The University of Washington Asian American Studies Program will host a one-day conference on Asian and Pacific American Children’s Literature called ‘Stories to Share’ on April 4. Featured participants include authors Yoshiko Uchida and Laurence Yep and illustrator Jose Aruego, with free admission limited to the first 140 registrants.
- Gardena Valley JACL Reserves Tables for American Testimonial, page 6. Gardena Valley JACL has reserved several tables for the March 22 American Testimonial event at the Bonaventure Hotel honoring the five Japanese American members of Congress. The chapter also hosted PSW regional director John Saito as a speaker and has been active in multiple regional JACL events.
- Hoosier JACL Plans Spring Fundraising and Social Calendar, page 6. The Hoosier JACL scholarship fund will benefit from a wine tasting party at the Benjamin Harrison Memorial House, part of a busy spring schedule including a New Members’ Tea and board meetings. National redress committee chair John Tateishi had earlier discussed the status of the redress campaign and commission bill with the chapter.
- Lodi JACL Holds Annual Installation Dinner, page 7. Lodi JACL installed new officers under president David Morimoto at its annual dinner attended by 130 members and guests, with Rev. Grant Hagiya as guest speaker on the role of Japanese Americans in modern society. A moment of silence honored former chapter president James Ishida, who died in January.
In-Depth
- Japan’s ‘Lost Generation’ Comes Home, by Barry Saiki, page 1. A growing number of Japanese children raised abroad due to their fathers’ overseas business assignments are becoming a ‘lost generation’ of misfits upon returning to Japan, unable to compete academically with peers. Japanese companies often refuse to hire these returnees despite their English fluency, citing their nontraditional educational backgrounds and the rigid ‘in-group’ ethics of Japanese society.
JACL
- Japan Chapter Taking Shape, page 1. A new JACL chapter is being organized in Tokyo for Nisei living in Japan, with Barry Saiki helping to lead the effort. A meeting was scheduled for March 18 to draft a chapter constitution, following discussions last fall between Saiki and national JACL president Dr. Clifford Uyeda.
- PSW Governor’s Report: San Diego Chapter Meeting Draws Robust Discussion, page 6. A PSW district governor recounts visiting the San Diego JACL chapter’s annual general membership meeting despite flooding concerns, praising dedicated member Vernon Yoshioka. Discussion topics included chapter scholarships, UPAC membership, and concerns from board member James Yamate about JACL’s need to attract younger members as the Nisei population ages.
- Credentials Requirements Outlined for National Convention Voting Delegates, by Helen Kawagoe, page 6. Credentials chairperson Helen Kawagoe outlines the eight requirements chapters must meet to send voting delegates to the National Convention in San Francisco, including minimum membership, elected officers, and payment of dues and fees. All dues must be paid by May 19, 1980.
Incarceration & Redress
- Hoosier Seeks Feb. 19 Flag, page 1. The Hoosier JACL Redress Committee petitioned Rep. Dave Evans for a U.S. flag that flew over the National Capitol on February 19, marking the 38th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. The Day of Remembrance commemorates the 1942 order that led to Japanese American incarceration.
National
- American Testimonial to Honor Rep. Mineta, page 1. Congressman Norman Y. Mineta, California’s first Nikkei U.S. House member, will be honored among five featured guests at the ‘American Testimonial’ banquet March 22 at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Mineta, noted for his work on airline deregulation and Sunset Legislation, serves on the Intelligence and Budget Committees and was appointed to the Select Commission for a National Agenda for the 1980s.
Obituaries
- Rev. Donald K. Toriumi, Longtime Presbyterian Minister, Dies at 65, page 2. Rev. Donald K. Toriumi of Altadena died March 4 after a prolonged illness, following 41 years of ministry in the Presbyterian Church. He was a Biennium awardee in 1960 and is survived by his wife Sophie and other family members.
- Tadao E. Inouye, WW2 Veteran and PC Contributor, Dies at 62, page 2. Tadao E. Inouye of Los Angeles, a WWII veteran and furniture designer known for his ‘Kantan’ furniture line, died March 2. He had contributed four-line poems to the Pacific Citizen and is survived by his wife Chiyo and other family members.
Commentary
- Civility, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. National JACL President Clifford Uyeda reflects on the turbulent 1960s, arguing that the era’s activism lost popularity due to its lack of civility despite its intellectual intensity. He observes that the young radicals of that decade have since matured into adults who’ve moderated their style while still moving society forward.
- Grassroots, by John Tateishi, page 4. National JACL redress committee chair John Tateishi describes visiting chapters in Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Chicago, finding strong grassroots energy and commitment to the Redress campaign in each. He concludes that the redress campaign’s success depends fundamentally on the dedication of individual JACL members and chapters nationwide, not just national leadership.
- Waited for the Church Bells to Toll, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Writing from Salt Lake City, Sachi Seko reflects on Lester Suzuki’s book documenting church ministry in WWII incarceration camps, recalling her own experience at Gila River and the religious figures who shaped her faith during that time. She argues that while JACL’s redress efforts rightly emphasize psychological trauma from incarceration, the spiritual sustenance many found during those years deserves equal recognition.
- From Happy Valley, by T. Scott Miyakawa, page 4. A letter to editor Harry Honda corrects details about recent Matsukata and Nagano art exhibits in Boston, noting their actual gallery locations. The writer also previews an upcoming dedication of a 150-year-old Kyoto artisan’s home reassembled inside the Boston Children’s Museum.
- A Window Sign, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa examines reports of ‘Japanese Only’ signs appearing in shops near the U.S. naval base at Yokosuka, Japan, apparently aimed at discouraging American sailors from browsing without buying. He draws parallels to America’s own history of discriminatory signage and argues that racial slurs are reprehensible regardless of which direction they run.
- The Simple Life, by Jin Konomi, page 5. Jin Konomi recalls the forgotten French psychotherapist Emile Coue, who toured Japan before WWI preaching simple living, and reflects on how Japan once exemplified austere simplicity before Western material complexity took hold. The column connects this history to a personal meditation on decluttering during a recent move and references Confucian teachings on simple living.
Arts & Entertainment
- Mandolin Concert Slated at Ebell, page 8. The Los Angeles Mandolin Orchestra will hold its 25th annual concert at Wilshire Ebell Theater on March 15, featuring four Japanese songs arranged by Masakichi Kaneko alongside works by Haydn and Bach. The 40-instrument orchestra is conducted by Joel Lish, head of the music department at Palisades High School.
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