Redress and the Hirabayashi coram nobis case, June 1984

Vol. 98, No. 22, June 8, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress and the Hirabayashi case ran through this 12-page issue. A team of volunteer lawyers prepared for a June 1985 hearing in Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis lawsuit, as Roger Shimizu reported. Seven members of the congressional Hispanic caucus endorsed the redress bill, HR 4110. Columns by Bill Marutani, Tamio Spiegel and Wilfred H. de Cristoforo weighed the dismissal of the NCJAR lawsuit and the case for monetary redress. The front page also announced eight candidates for JACL national office, including Frank Sato and Minoru Yasui, and reported on vandalism at a Salinas memorial to people held at a World War II detention center.

Elsewhere, Harry Honda toured a Los Angeles wholesale fish market and continued Bob Okazaki’s series on Japanese actors in early Hollywood. Chapter pages listed scholarship winners from San Mateo and Sacramento, and a story covered Rick Noji’s high jump season. Another item described a 40th reunion plan for Minidoka’s Hunt High School class.

What’s in this issue

National

• News Media, Hollywood Revive Slurs Against Asians, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Protests from the Asian community against racist language forced apologies from a Seattle newspaper, the National Review magazine, and a cookery encyclopedia publisher. Meanwhile, movies like ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ continue to draw criticism for racist and stereotypical portrayals of Asians without organized community action yet taken.
• Mineta Rising in U.S. House, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta is positioning himself for the House Democratic Caucus chair position likely to open when Speaker Thomas O’Neill retires in 1986. Mineta, in the House since 1974, was named deputy whip in 1982 and is one of three congressmen lobbying for the post.
• MIT Chooses Kido for Sloan Fellow, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Wallace T. Kido, sectional center manager/postmaster in Houston, was selected for the 12-month Sloan Fellows Program at MIT, becoming the sixth postal executive chosen for the program since 1979. Kido has served in various postal management positions since joining the service in 1964 and is a member of Houston JACL.
• President Awards Nikkei Graduate, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Alan Tanaka of Aurora, Colorado, received the Presidential Academic Fitness Award from President Reagan at a White House ceremony attended by his parents. Tanaka, valedictorian of Overland High School and grandson of Saburo Kido, had received similar recognition from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute a year earlier.

JACL

• Candidates for JACL National Office Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight JACLers submitted applications for national office positions ahead of the August convention, including candidates for president Frank Sato and Minoru Yasui. Nominations closed May 15 but will reopen during the convention’s first business session, with a candidates’ night scheduled and spending limited to $1,000 per candidate.
• National Board Tackles New Budget, Personnel Matters in May Meeting, by Karen Seriguchi, page 4. The JACL national board addressed budgetary, redress, and personnel matters at its May 25-27 meeting in San Francisco, including membership dues increases and a growing redress program budget expected to reach $226,000 annually. The board also discussed the national director’s role and heard committee reports on various JACL initiatives.
• Hawaii… Here We Come!, by Ben Takeshita, page 5. The Honolulu Chapter extended the deadline for the pre-convention package rate for the 28th biennial JACL convention in Hawaii to June 30. The column outlines package pricing details and urges members to register early to secure seats and hotel rooms.

Incarceration & Redress

• Memorial to Internees of WW2 Center Defaced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Unidentified vandals damaged a memorial garden in Salinas, Calif., dedicated to 3,586 former internees of a WW2 temporary detention center, ripping apart a fence, toppling a stone lantern, and uprooting a tree. Project organizers said restoration would wait until city officials met to discuss protective measures like an iron fence.
• ‘Magic’ Cables Still Simmer, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former intelligence officer David Lowman has revived claims that ‘Magic’ cables proved Issei and Nisei espionage during WW2, compiling a 6,500-word report for a Senate subcommittee on redress. His charges have already been discredited by the CWRIC after examining the relevant cables.
• Hispanics Offer Support for Redress Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seven members of the congressional Hispanic caucus signed a letter endorsing HR 4110, the redress compensation bill for former WW2 internees of Japanese and Aleut descent. The letter was addressed to JACL executive director Ron Wakabayashi and signed by caucus chair Robert Garcia and six others.
• Legal Maneuvering Begins on Hirabayashi Coram Nobis Case: ‘Challenge of the Century’, by Roger Shimizu, page 2. A team of volunteer Asian American lawyers is preparing for a June 1985 evidentiary hearing after judge Donald S. Voorhees refused to dismiss Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis lawsuit. The legal team has donated an estimated $100,000 in fees and urgently needs donations to cover the anticipated $50,000-$100,000 in trial expenses.

Community

• Landmark Dedicated to Issei ‘Grape King’, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A renovated historic round barn at Fountaingrove Ranch in Santa Rosa was dedicated to the memory of Kanaye Nagasawa, a successful viticulturist from Kagoshima who arrived in 1875 and died in 1934. The dedication ceremony included Japan’s consul general, Nagasawa’s grandniece and grandnephew, and local officials developing a hotel and resort at the site.
• Commissioners Lose Posts, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Eight Nikkei appointees to Los Angeles city commissions were asked to resign by Mayor Tom Bradley as part of a broader shakeup affecting all commissioners by June 1. Some may be reappointed after the dust settles, following George Takei’s earlier removal from the Southern California Rapid Transit District.
• Missouri to Put on Japanese Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The nine-day 1984 Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis will feature new entertainment including Kabuki performances, minyo folk-dancing, and demonstrations of yamakazi art, kimekomi doll-making, and aikido. About 55,000 visitors are anticipated for the June 16-24 event.
• Agency for Disabled Launches Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Asian Rehabilitation Services in Los Angeles has an opportunity to receive a Dept. of Rehabilitation Establishment Grant providing $4 for each dollar matched, requiring ARS to raise $12,000 in cash. The organization is holding a ticket contest and donation drive to meet the matching requirement.
• Youth Programs Challenge JAYs in Seattle, by Kara Tokita, page 10. The Japanese American Youth program (JAYs), formed in Seattle in 1981, has seen a 100% membership increase under president Steve Kosue’s leadership, with activities including bowling nights, trips to Vancouver, and a successful somen and soda booth at the International District Street Fair. The group plans new initiatives including a counseling unit, cultural learning center, and career orientation program for students.
• Directories of Nikkei Groups Being Compiled in California, by P.C. Staff, page 10. A directory of organizations serving San Francisco’s Japanese American community is being compiled by JCCCNC and is due for completion by end of summer, to be distributed free except for postage. In Los Angeles, the UCLA Asian American Studies Center is similarly updating its Asian/Pacific community directory for Southern California.
• Carson Chapter Pulse, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Carson JACL chapter will hold a fireworks stand fundraiser from June 30 to July 4 near Pacific Business Bank to benefit scholarships and chapter activities. Volunteers to help sell fireworks are asked to contact chapter president Ken Harada.
• Marysville Chapter Pulse, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Community members will enjoy an all-day outing to Collins Lake on June 16, featuring a fishing derby, bingo, and free hot dogs and soft drinks. The event is sponsored by the Marysville Buddhist Dharma School, Hoyukai, and JACL.
• San Mateo Chapter Pulse, by P.C. Staff, page 10. San Mateo JACL scholarship chair Betty Harada announced the 1984 scholarship winners, including Stewart Kume, Mayuki Saeki, and Henry Ohara among others. Several committee members assisted in awarding a total of $700 to the winners.
• Sacramento Chapter Pulse, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Sacramento JACL chapter invites the public to its scholarship banquet on June 14, where numerous students will receive awards ranging from $200 to $350 from various named funds and donors. A judging team led by Midori Hiyama selected the winners.
• Awards, Government, Education, Business, and Organizations Briefs, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Multiple short items report on Nikkei achievements including June Fukawa’s election to Delano city council, Gary Nakao’s appointment as director of Utah’s Division of Services to the Handicapped, and Sen. Daniel Inouye’s selection for the Travel Hall of Fame. Other mentions include academic and community honors for individuals such as Mary Watanabe, Steven Bokura, and Sue Kunitomi Embrey’s reelection to the Common Cause governing board.

Military & Veterans

• Korean War Veterans Reunite, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two Japanese American veterans of the Korean War, Katsumi Yagura and Rik Yoshizawa, traveled from California to attend a reunion of L Company, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, joining 25 others many hadn’t seen in 33 years. Both were former WW2 internees, with Yoshizawa having located the Danish doctors and nurse who treated his war wounds decades after the war.

Commentary

• A Relaxing Sunday Morning, by Bill Marutani, page 4. The columnist recounts a Sunday brunch gathering in Dayton with JACL chapter members discussing the dismissal of the NCJAR lawsuit and the question of why redress has taken 40 years. The piece explores themes of monetary redress, Nisei maturation, and the suffering experienced both inside and outside the camps.
• In Search Of…, by John Saito, page 4. Los Angeles approved $5,000 payments to city employees of Japanese ancestry terminated in 1942, and most applicants have come forward. The column seeks information on the whereabouts of Takeyuki Katow, one person identified for compensation whose location remains unknown.
• Full Justice Requires Monetary Redress, by Wilfred H. de Cristoforo, page 5. A letter writer argues against settling for just an apology on redress, comparing the situation to Vietnam War protesters who received $10,000 each for brief illegal imprisonment. The author insists monetary compensation must be part of the full redress package recommended by the CWRIC, as a duty owed to all former internees, living and dead.
• Stanford Law School Forum on Redress and Coram Nobis, by Minoru Yasui, page 7. A redress forum at Stanford featuring Rep. Norman Mineta and the Korematsu legal team drew a sparse audience of mostly Nikkei attendees. The author argues JACLers need to reach broader non-Nikkei audiences to educate the public about Japanese American internment and the importance of redress to all Americans’ constitutional rights.
• Hunt H.S. Reunion, by Hank/Edna (Hirabayashi) Matsubu, page 7. A letter announces the 40th anniversary reunion of the 1945-46 Class of Hunt High School from Minidoka WRA Camp, Idaho, to be held in Seattle July 26-28, 1985. The reunion committee is seeking to contact all class members and welcomes anyone interested in participating.
• Women as Leaders, by Susan Nakamura, page 7. Responding to an earlier column asking why women don’t run for JACL leadership roles, the author discusses women’s fears of reactions from others and the burden of balancing leadership with household responsibilities. She commends the original columnist’s willingness to share household duties and calls for individuals to find what level of assertiveness is comfortable for them.
• Hawaiian, Not Nikkei, by James Brown, page 7. A letter from the English editor of the Hawaii Hochi points out that four names on an updated Vietnam Memorial Nikkei list are actually Hawaiian, not Japanese, names. The writer verified this by checking the Oahu phone directory and finding no Japanese personal names associated with those surnames.
• Justice Still Denied, by Tamio Spiegel, page 9. The author criticizes Judge Louis Oberdorfer’s dismissal of the NCJAR lawsuit against the U.S. government on statute of limitations grounds, arguing this effectively upholds sovereign immunity and protects government deceit. The piece calls on the Japanese American community to continue fighting for government accountability and redress.

In-Depth

• A Visit to Pacific California Fish Co., by Harry Honda, page 5. The writer tours Pacific California Fish Co., a wholesale fish market that serves as a hub for Los Angeles-area Japanese restaurant operators, accompanying Fishking Processors chairman Masashi Kawaguchi. The market flies in fish from around the globe, including king salmon from Alaska, tuna from Hawaii and Taiwan, and geoducks from the Pacific Northwest prized for sushi.
• Japanese in Hollywood, by Harry Honda, page 8. This installment continues Bob Okazaki’s historical series on Japanese actors, directors, and writers in early Hollywood, including Yutaka Jack Abe, Sessue Hayakawa, Sojin Kamiyama, and child actors Benji Okubo and Art Kaihatsu. The piece notes how Hollywood’s portrayal of Asians as villains and spies influenced American acceptance of WW2 Japanese American incarceration.
• Foreigners Enjoy Life in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A Kodansha Ltd. poll of 300 foreign business people in Japan found most understood terms like ‘nemawashi’ and ‘karaoke’ and valued year-end parties and after-work socializing with superiors. Respondents cited special treatment of foreigners, long conferences, and ambiguous expressions as aspects they wished were remedied.

Sports

• Noji Still Soaring, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Franklin High’s Rick Noji continues to high jump over 7 feet and has qualified for Olympic trials after clearing 7 ft.-2 to qualify during district championships. His best leap of 7-4.5 inches is the best all-time in Washington state by a high schooler and fourth best by a U.S. high schooler ever.

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