Redress checks begin to arrive, October 1990

Vol. 111, No. 12, October 19, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress payments were the main news of this eight-page issue. The first 15,000 checks of $20,000 were in the mail, along with a letter signed by President Bush, and regional ceremonies presented checks to elderly Japanese Americans in four California cities. Medi-Cal was a second front-page story: Assemblyman Patrick Johnston reported a policy change, and Priscilla Ouchida explained how the payments affect eligibility. On the opinion pages, JACL President Cressey Nakagawa and Shig Wakamatsu wrote about the new JACL Legacy Fund, and Randy Shibata called for rededication to the membership.

Columns by Bill Hosokawa, on a sister city visit to Longmont, and Bill Marutani, on learning in Japan, appear on pages 4 and 6. Page 8 profiles two members of the Class of 1990, Michael Takata and Julian Bashore. Elsewhere are news of Peru’s new environmental law, a report on Harry Honda’s trip to Lima, and chapter and district news.

What’s in this issue

National

• California Changes Policy for Medi-Cal Patients Due to Receive Federal Redress Payment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman Patrick Johnston released updated information showing that the California Department of Health Services revised its policy so Medi-Cal recipients can give away redress payments during their lifetime without endangering benefits, as long as funds are kept in a separate account. The change reversed a December 1989 policy that had restricted how Medi-Cal recipients could distribute their redress money.
• New Letter Deals With Medi-Cal, by Priscilla Ouchida, page 1. Priscilla Ouchida explains the Department of Health Services’ Oct. 4, 1990 letter clarifying how redress payments to Japanese Americans affect Medi-Cal eligibility. Redress money will not affect eligibility for public assistance or Medi-Cal, but any interest or investment income earned on the $20,000 may count as income and reduce benefits.
• Peru Enacts Sweeping Law to Save Amazonia, page 1. Environmentalists cautiously praised Peru’s new environmental law, signed by President Alberto Fujimori, designed to protect the Amazon basin from exploitation. The law replaces the jungle development plan enacted by former president Alan Garcia.
• Portuguese Vessel to Re-enact Historic Trip, page 2. A replica of a 16th century Portuguese ship will sail between Macao and Nagasaki in 1993 to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the original ship’s landing at Tanegashima. The replica will be built using 16th century shipbuilding techniques.
• House Passes Mineta Anti-Drug Crime Bill, page 3. Rep. Norman Y. Mineta announced the House passed his Anti-Ice Amendment to the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1990 by a vote of 368 to 55. The amendment provides for improved treatment and prevention of crystal methamphetamine (Ice) use.
• Lam Loses in Massachusetts Primary, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Daniel Lam, the first Asian American to run for the Massachusetts Legislature, lost the Democratic primary for the House of Representatives to William Galvin, receiving 35% of the vote. Lam, a Cambodian native who ran a grassroots campaign with 200 volunteers and $70,000 raised, does not rule out a future run for office.

Incarceration & Redress

• First 15,000 Checks in the Mail Now, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The first 15,000 redress checks of $20,000, accompanied by an apology letter signed by President Bush, are in the mail, with nearly half addressed to Los Angeles residents, according to ORA administrator Bob Bratt. Regional ceremonies presented checks to elderly Japanese Americans in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento.
• Redress Checks Ceremonies Held in Multiple Cities, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Department of Justice held its second round of redress check distribution ceremonies, honoring volunteer community groups with commendation plaques. John R. Dunne, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, called the occasion a day to rededicate the nation to its founding ideals.
• Justice at Last, by San Francisco Examiner (reprinted), page 5. A reprinted San Francisco Examiner editorial praises the beginning of redress payments to Japanese Americans interned during WWII, calling it justice delayed but finally served. It notes that nearly half of the original internees have died before receiving compensation for the wartime hysteria and racism that caused their internment.
• President Bush’s Letter, by George Bush, page 5. President Bush’s letter accompanying redress checks acknowledges that money and words cannot restore lost years or erase painful memories, but represents America’s resolve to rectify injustice. He states the redress law renews the nation’s commitment to freedom, equality, and justice.
• Editorial on Redress Recalls Courageous Stand, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A Denver Post editorial recalled Colorado Gov. Ralph Carr’s courageous 1941 appeal for Coloradoans to respect the rights of Japanese Americans, coinciding with the start of redress check distributions. Carr was the only Western state governor of his time to publicly defend Japanese Americans’ rights.

JACL

• PSW JACL Director Sees Next ‘Post-Redress’ Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jimmy Tokeshi, newly appointed Pacific Southwest JACL regional director, told the Los Angeles Times that reparations for African-Americans descended from slaves may be the next civil rights issue, referencing the Conyers bill in Congress. He noted parallels and differences between the internment experience and slavery.
• Mountain Plains District Elects Randy Shibata of New Mexico as Head, page 3. Randy Shibata of New Mexico JACL was elected governor of the Mountain Plains District Council at its fall meeting, which celebrated the Japanese American centennial of New Mexico. Twelve persons were honored for contributions to the community, including Congressional Medal of Honor winner Hiroshi Miyamura, and new district officers were also elected.
• The JACL Legacy Fund, by Cressey Nakagawa, page 5. National JACL President Cressey Nakagawa describes JACL’s growing role in civil rights coalition building, including its new seat on the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Executive Committee, and announces the JACL Legacy Fund, a $10 million three-year fundraising campaign. The fund will support JACL’s future work and provide funding back to chapters and districts.
• JACL Legacy Fund—Our Obligation, by Shig Wakamatsu, page 5. Former National JACL President Shig Wakamatsu draws parallels between the new JACL Legacy Fund drive and the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee fund drives of 1948-52, which relied on Issei support. He invokes the concepts of ‘on’ and ‘giri’ (mutual obligation) as motivations for Nisei to now support the Legacy Fund.

Community

• Susan A. Kamb of Malibu: ‘The National’ Calls Over a Sansei from ‘Sports Illustrated’ to Top Post, page 2. Susan Kamb, a Sansei from Malibu who developed her love of sports watching football with her mother, has become associate editor of The National, the first U.S. sports daily. She previously worked at the Sacramento Bee, Washington Post, and nine years at Sports Illustrated before joining The National under editor Frank Deford.
• Gilroy CLers Fete Kondo, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL members from four Central Coast chapters honored retiring NCWNPDC regional director George Kondo with a retirement dinner at Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel. Kondo, who directed the league’s largest district council for fifteen years, was presented with an engraved gold wrist watch and plans to move to Pennsylvania with his wife Chie.
• L.A. Retirement Home Residents Helping Peru, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Elderly residents at the Japanese Retirement Home in Los Angeles presented $805 to Fred I. Wada of Pan-American Nikkei Assn.-USA to aid Peru. The money, originally gathered as koden for Wada’s stepmother’s passing, was diverted to PANA-USA’s relief efforts at his request.
• ‘Fusion’—J.A. Anthology Seeks Material for 1991, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department is seeking creative submissions from Japanese Americans, including personal narratives, short stories, poetry and visual material, for its annual anthology ‘Fusion’. Submissions are due by Dec. 31 to Professor Jim Okutsu.
• Canada’s ‘Mad Jap’ Unmasked as a Mohawk, page 2. The New Canadian newspaper resolved speculation about a warrior known as ‘Mad Jap’ at the Kanesatake standoff in Oka, Quebec. He turned out to be Robert Skidders, a 53-year-old Mohawk Indian found guilty of illegally importing gasoline.
• Japan Airlines Support On-Going for Japanese American National Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Southwest Regional Office of Japan Airlines has donated $6,622 over four years to the Japanese American National Museum through proceeds from cultural seminar ticket sales. Museum director Irene Hirano announced the airline will continue fundraising on an ongoing basis.
• Berkeley Japanese Alumnae Reunion May 4, page 3. The Scholarship Committee of the Japanese Women Alumnae of UC Berkeley is planning a 1991 reunion of classmates and friends. The reunion will be a luncheon held at the Alumni House on Saturday, May 4.
• Senior Editor Slated for ‘Report on Fujimori’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. P.C. senior editor Harry Honda will speak at a lecture on Oct. 30 at the West L.A. Buddhist Church about his eyewitness trip to Lima, Peru for President Alberto Fujimori’s inauguration. Honda will also analyze the role of Nikkei in Latin America and the United States.
• Japanese Canadians Conduct Obon Pilgrimage of Old Cemeteries in B.C., page 3. Two busloads of Japanese Canadians spent three days visiting prewar communities and cemeteries on Vancouver Island where hundreds of Japanese once lived and worked. The tour, sponsored by the British Columbia Buddhist Church Federation, visited cemeteries at Cumberland, Ucluelet, Nanaimo, Chemainus, Duncan and Victoria.
• The Best and the Brightest of the Class of 1990: Michael Takata, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Michael Takata of Visalia, winner of the Yutaka Nakazawa Memorial Judo Scholarship, is a nationally competitive judo athlete who credits his sensei for building his confidence. He is graduating from Stanford with a degree in Quantitative Economics and East Asian Studies while serving as president of the Stanford Judo Club.
• The Best and the Brightest of the Class of 1990: Julian Bashore, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Julian Bashore of Philadelphia, recipient of the Mr. and Mrs. Takashi Moriuchi Freshman Scholarship, is a National Merit finalist interested in foreign languages and U.S.-Japan relations. He plans to study Business Administration and East Asian studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Sports

• Japan Sports System Buys PCL Baseball Club, page 3. The Vancouver Canadians ball club of the Triple A Pacific Coast League was sold by Molson Breweries to Japan Sports System Co. for a reported $5 million. The Canadians are a farm team for the Chicago White Sox, and JSS also has a stake in the Visalia franchise.

Commentary

• Racism in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial criticizes Japanese Justice Minister Seiroku Kajiyama for comparing foreign prostitutes to Black Americans in a racially insensitive remark, noting a pattern of similar gaffes by Japanese political leaders like Nakasone and Watanabe. The piece calls on Japanese officials to be held to standards of common decency and notes U.S. Ambassador Michael Armacost’s sharp rebuke of Kajiyama.
• Time for Rededication, by Randy Shibata, page 4. Mountain Plains District Governor Randy Shibata argues that JACL must rededicate itself to its membership just as members rededicate themselves to JACL, now that the redress battle has been won. He calls for the national organization to help revitalize local chapters, which will determine JACL’s ultimate success or failure.
• Longmont’s Sister City Visitors, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa recounts how the Kanemoto family of Longmont, Colorado donated land for a park featuring a Tower of Compassion, a replica Japanese pagoda, and describes a moving visit by a delegation from sister city Chino, Japan. Schoolchildren sang ‘Sakura’ and ‘America the Beautiful’ for the visitors, exemplifying the spirit of the Sister Cities movement.
• Gakumon, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani discusses Japan’s intense juku (cram school) culture and lifelong learning centers like Asahi’s culture center, reflecting on the Confucian teaching of learning as an unending pursuit. He also praises the achievement of Japanese students in international math tests while pondering whether success stems from the education system or individual effort.
• Redress Checks Recipients, by George Yoshinaga, page 5. George Yoshinaga’s column reflects on the ages of redress recipients, noting 107-year-old Mamoru Eto received a check, and questions the significance of $20,000 to someone of such advanced age. He predicts charitable organizations, especially JACL, will seek donations from redress recipients, and mentions redress opponent Lillian Baker’s likely displeasure.
• Gakumon (continued), by Bill Marutani, page 6. This continuation of Marutani’s column further explores Japan’s educational culture centers and juku system, noting the Asahi Newspaper Group’s culture center offering over 500 courses. He marvels at reports of refugee students achieving valedictorian status despite arriving with little English, questioning whether it’s the system or the individual that drives such success.
• By the Board: Time for Rededication (continued), by Randy Shibata, page 8. Continuing his column, Shibata argues JACL must build leadership within chapters through training programs and attract younger, more diverse members who may not share the older generation’s sense of duty or giri. He suggests JACL offer tangible value like job banks and leadership seminars to remain relevant to future generations.

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