The CWRIC report and redress: economic loss, Puyallup, Reno

Vol. 96, No. 9, March 11, 1983. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress was the subject of this eight-page issue, the first to run excerpts from the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians report. The first of three installments, on economic loss, appeared on pages 1 and 4. Min Yasui explained what the report found and the legislative work ahead. Ron Ikejiri opened a series on the JACL Redress Program, and Ron Wakabayashi weighed what the community’s best interests were. Rep. Mike Lowry announced a new redress bill at Seattle’s Day of Remembrance, where a fun run marked Executive Order 9066 and Kathryn Bannai explained Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis petition.

A proposed memorial at Puyallup was withdrawn after attacks from the American Legion, and the JACL’s Pacific Northwest District Council answered with a rebuttal. Matsui and Johnston were named keynote speakers for the Reno Tri-District Conference. Mei Nakano began a new Women’s Concerns column. Other pages carried news of Nikkei people and chapters, and two scholars on myths about Japanese industry.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Antagonism Forces Ban on Nisei Memorial at Puyallup, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A proposed memorial honoring Nikkei interned at the Puyallup fairgrounds during World War II was withdrawn after the artist faced attacks from the American Legion, the fairgrounds board, and local merchants. The Legion’s local post and state convention had passed a resolution claiming the relocation was voluntary and justified, which the JACL’s Pacific Northwest District Council disputed.
• CWRIC Report: Economic Loss, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The first of three installments excerpting the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians report focuses on Chapter 4, ‘Economic Loss,’ detailing how exclusion from the West Coast imposed substantial economic losses on Nikkei through forced sales, lost businesses, and disrupted careers. The article explains the 1948 Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act and how difficulties in documentation and government destruction of records led to settlements far below actual losses.
• Lowry to Introduce New Redress Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Mike Lowry (D-Seattle) announced plans to re-introduce a redress bill in the House of Representatives during Seattle’s Day of Remembrance program on Feb. 19. Sen. Alan Cranston indicated he would introduce a similar bill in the Senate, following Lowry’s unsuccessful 1979 bill that called for $15,000 in direct reparations to internees.
• Puyallup Memorial Rebuttal Continued, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL’s Pacific Northwest District Council office issued a rebuttal to the American Legion’s resolution about the Puyallup memorial, disputing claims that internment was voluntary or justified by military necessity. Bruce Le Roy, director of the Washington State Historical Society Museum, said he sided with the Japanese American community on the issue.
• CWRIC Report: Economic Loss (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 4. The continuation of the CWRIC report excerpt examines studies estimating Nikkei property and income losses, including Broom and Riemer’s postwar study and Lon Hatamiya’s analysis, and notes the unsubstantiated nature of a commonly cited $400 million loss figure from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. It also details how the Evacuation Claims Act’s slow adjudication process and government-favored settlement procedures led to compensation far below actual losses.
• Runners Survive ‘9066 Fun Run’, by P.C. Staff, page 5. More than 400 Nikkei and friends gathered for Seattle’s Day of Remembrance, including a fun run through two looped courses symbolizing Executive Order 9066. Featured speaker Mike Lowry announced plans to reintroduce a redress bill, and Kathryn Bannai explained Gordon Hirabayashi’s petition for a writ of error coram nobis.
• CWRIC Report Analysis, by Min Yasui, page 5. JACL Redress Committee Chair Min Yasui reports on the Feb. 24 public release of the CWRIC’s detailed report concluding that the WWII evacuation was not based on military necessity but was rooted in racism and failure of democratic processes. Yasui outlines the second phase of the Commission’s work, which will recommend remedies by June 30, 1983, and urges coordinated advocacy efforts.
• CWRIC Report Analysis Continued: Legislative Battles Ahead, by Min Yasui, page 8. Yasui continues his analysis, emphasizing the need to secure sponsorship from both the Democratic House majority and Republican Senate leadership, as well as the Reagan White House, for redress legislation. He calls for contacts in the Midwest and Deep South to broaden awareness of the CWRIC report beyond the West and East Coasts.

National

• San Jose Nikkei Express Fear of Backlash Over Reparations, by San Jose Mercury, page 1. Japanese Americans in San Jose reacted with elation to the CWRIC’s acknowledgment that 120,000 Japanese Americans were victims of a grave injustice during internment, but feared publicity around compensation claims could provoke backlash given economic tensions with Japan. Rep. Norman Mineta and community leaders Julie Hatta and Richard Katsuda commented on the report and concerns about potential scapegoating.
• Commission Report Now on Sale, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The CWRIC report ‘Personal Justice Denied’ can be purchased for $8.50 per copy from the U.S. Government Printing Office. Requests should include the title and Library of Congress Catalog Number 82-600664.
• Nikkei Scholars Clarify Myths, Realities of Japanese Industry, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two university professors of Japanese ancestry, Koji Taira and William Ouchi, dispute popular beliefs about Japanese industrial productivity, with Taira noting U.S. workers are actually 30% more productive than Japanese workers outside export-oriented, robotics-heavy industries. The article examines Japan’s economic growth trajectory and misconceptions about lifetime employment practices in Japan.
• U.S.-Japan: Nikkei Scholars Debate Industry Myths (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 3. Continuing coverage of Professor William Ouchi’s and Koji Taira’s analysis of Japanese economic practices, Ouchi notes the Japanese government intervenes less directly in economic policy than the U.S. government and credits Japan’s success partly to interlocking company and bank ownership structures. Taira counters that lifetime employment is a privilege enjoyed by only 10-15% of non-farm workers and has roots in an anti-union movement of the 1920s.

Community

• Policeman Killed in Helicopter Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nikkei LAPD reserve officer Stuart Taira, 26, died instantly when a helicopter he was riding in struck a power line and crashed in tornado-ravaged South Central Los Angeles on March 1. Two other officers aboard were injured, and Taira is survived by his parents and siblings.
• Dr. John Kashiwabara Announces School Board Candidacy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. John Kashiwabara, chairman of the Family Practice Department at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, announced his candidacy for the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education ahead of the March 15 election. He has worked with youth services groups in the Long Beach area for 28 years.
• Naomi Fujimoto Sanchez Appointed to Washington Governor’s Staff, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Naomi Fujimoto Sanchez was appointed assistant for Human Resources to Washington Gov. John Spellman, making her the only minority and woman on his policy staff. She briefs the governor on human services issues and serves as liaison to multiple state departments.
• AADAP Celebrates Its 10th Year, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Asian American Drug Abuse Program will hold its 10th anniversary celebration on April 8 at the Miriwa Restaurant, with honorary co-chairs including Rep. Robert Matsui, Mayor Tom Bradley, and others. The agency recently received $5,000 toward renovation of its facility.
• Two Students Kidnapped, Raped, Shot, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A 17-year-old Japanese exchange student and her 15-year-old Nikkei schoolmate were raped and shot by a gunman, James Russell Bishop, while walking home from school in San Diego on Feb. 21. The exchange student was left paralyzed from the waist down, and the parents appealed for letters of encouragement for the girls.
• CSU Northridge Sets Study Tour to Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. California State University Northridge’s Office of Continuing Education will offer an Arts/Media Study Tour to Japan from June 11-25, carrying two units of credit led by Dr. John Ales.
• Brian Nakamura Joins Senator Inouye’s Washington Staff, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Brian Nakamura, 31, formerly a law clerk with the Hawaii Supreme Court, has joined Sen. Daniel Inouye’s Washington staff as a legislative assistant. He is a graduate of the University of Hawaii School of Law and UCLA.
• Optometrist of the Year, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Stephanie Nishimura, O.D., of Hayward, Ca., was named California Young Optometrist of the Year on Feb. 18 by the California Optometric Association Congress in San Jose. She practices in Cupertino and at the Family Health Foundation of Alviso, Inc.
• Amerasia Bookstore Opens New Location, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Amerasia Bookstore and Gallery will celebrate its move to 321 Towne Ave. with a grand opening on March 12 featuring Kinnara Taiko and East Wind Lion Dancers. Sales on Asian American, children’s, and Japanese books will be featured.
• Chicago’s Comiskey Park Undergoes Facelift Under New Nikkei Ownership, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chicago’s Comiskey Park is undergoing a major facelift under new owners Comiskey Park Associates, headed by Christopher Hashioka and Irwin Jacobson. Hashioka is the nephew of San Fernando Valley JACLer Dr. Henry/May Hashioka.
• Mark Mayeda Elected to Head Asian Pacific Planning Council, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mark Mayeda, Director of Asian Rehabilitation Services, has been elected to head the Asian Pacific Planning Council, an umbrella organization of Los Angeles groups, according to outgoing President Royal F. Morales.
• Singles Chapter to Hold 1st Program, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The newly formed JACL ‘Greater L.A. Singles Chapter’ will hold a program titled ‘Nisei Today, Decisions and Changes’ featuring Emily Yamasaki, western region director of the Unalaska Asian American Project, on March 11.
• Diablo Valley’s New President, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Roy Takai, outgoing president of the Diablo Valley JACL, congratulates incoming 1983 president Carl Mune at the chapter’s installation dinner on Jan. 30 at the Hungry Tiger Restaurant in Concord, CA.

Arts & Entertainment

• Two Students Receive Professional Credentials from Hanayagi Dance School, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Grace Keiko Matsumoto and Connie Aiko Sakurai, students of the Tokuyae Hanayagi Japanese Dance School, received professional natori credentials from the Hanayagi Iyemoto in Tokyo at a formal ceremony on Jan. 30. Matsumoto received the name Tokukeiko Hanayagi and Sakurai received Tokuai Hanayagi.
• ‘Survivors’ Film Shown in Hiroshima, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The film ‘Survivors,’ about Japanese American hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors), recently premiered at the Hiroshima Peace and Cultural Center. Further details on contacts for the screening were provided in the article.

Military & Veterans

• Cathay Post Now Named Nisei Post, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Cathay Post No. 185 of the American Legion in Denver officially changed its name to the Nisei Post No. 185 in December 1982, as its membership became predominantly Nikkei over the years since its 1946 founding. The Chinese Food Dining Room will retain the Cathay name but the lounge will be called the Nisei Post Lounge.

Commentary

• Truth Will Out, by Dennis A. Roland, page 4. A letter from a New York JACLer and American POW survivor of the Burma/Thai Railroad and River Kwai Bridge affirms that Japanese Americans suffered grave injustice through wartime internment and supports compensation, while noting the scars of the event will remain forever. He emphasizes that forty years later the wound is still fresh.
• ‘Silent Majority’, by Ed Isuyama, page 4. A letter responding to Rev. Herbert Nicholson’s earlier letter on the ‘Silent Majority’ questions how accurately Nicholson assessed Issei and Nisei perceptions during evacuation, and argues that the ‘majority’ position often reflects timidity and appeasement rather than courage. The writer calls for legislative and constitutional remedies including the right to sue for damages from false arrest and incarceration.
• For the Record, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A correction notes that the review of Bill Hosokawa’s ‘JACL In Quest of Justice’ by K. Patrick Okura, which ran in the Feb. 18 PC, had originally appeared in East West on Dec. 8, 1982. The paper apologized to East West for the oversight.
• Women’s Concerns: A Different Light, by Mei Nakano, page 4. In the first installment of a new Women’s Concerns column, Mei Nakano discusses sexism within Nikkei society, comparing it to racism and arguing that JACL itself has perpetuated male dominance through committee appointments that overwhelmingly favor men. She invites readers to contribute future columns on topics like the language of sexism and self-image of Asian women.
• The ‘Best Interests’ of the Community, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 6. National JACL Director Ron Wakabayashi discusses the challenge of defining the Nikkei community’s best interests regarding redress remedies, noting the focus on monetary compensation sometimes overshadows educational and legislative goals. He reviews competing positions on direct payment versus trust fund mechanisms and the complexities of proposed legislation including Rep. Dymally’s bill.

JACL

• Matsui, Johnston to Speak at Reno Tri-District Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Rep. Robert T. Matsui and Assemblyman Patrick Johnston will keynote the 1983 Tri-District Conference for NCWNPDC, CCDC and PSWDC, themed ‘Redress—A Time for Action,’ set for April 22-24 at the Reno Hilton. Workshops will cover U.S.-Japan relations, redress fundraising, farm issues, aging and retirement, and women’s concerns.
• Setting the Stage for JACL Redress, by Ron Ikejiri, page 5. In the first of a ten-article series on the JACL Redress Program, Washington Representative Ron Ikejiri outlines the three objectives: educating the public, building political networks, and seeking remedies in Congress. He describes action steps including studying the CWRIC report and developing communication skills to advance the redress campaign.
• S.F. Scholarship Forms Available, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Francisco JACL will award a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving 1983 high school graduate who is a chapter member or whose parents belong to the chapter. Selection criteria include academic achievement, leadership, and a personal interview, with an April 15 deadline.
• Musubi Continued: Redress Legislation Details, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 8. The continuation of Wakabayashi’s column examines the complexities of Rep. Dymally’s redress bill, noting its definition of community as groups of ten survivors or descendants could create significant administrative burdens across 25 states in Region One. He reflects that despite differing approaches, all groups started from a shared goal of serving the Nikkei community’s best interests.

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