Redress payments begin, and JACL launches its Legacy Fund

Vol. 111, No. 10, October 5, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress payments were the main news of this 8-page issue. Six of the oldest eligible Japanese Americans, ages 101 to 107, were invited to Washington, D.C. to receive their $20,000 payments from the Office of Redress Administration. Other stories covered cautions for recipients on public assistance in California, a Seattle JACL seminar on guarding the money from fraud, and JACL statements from President Cressey Nakagawa and Paul Igasaki. On page 5, JACL announced its Legacy Fund Campaign, with Clay K. Harada as administrator, Grayce Uyehara as committee chair and a goal of $10 million in three years.

Columns turned to the Persian Gulf crisis. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Japanese Americans in the buildup, and an editorial on page 4 looked at Japan’s constitution and the pressure to contribute militarily. Harry Honda covered a planned 100th/442nd Memorial Center on Maui. Chapter news included the Downtown L.A. JACL’s scholarship dinner for sixth graders, and the front page carried a fundraiser photo for Pat Saiki.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Downtown L.A. JACL Scholarships Aids 6th Graders, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Downtown Los Angeles JACL Chapter will hold its second annual ‘Dare to Dream’ Scholarship Dinner to benefit students of 9th Street Elementary School on Skid Row. The event, held at Grace Simons Lodge, will feature entertainment by the students themselves and aims to support the pursuit of higher education for the community’s youth.
• Resource Workshop Hires New Director, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Asian American Resource Workshop in Boston hired Michael Liu, a founder of the 10-year-old organization, as its new director effective July 1. The pan-Asian group fights racial prejudice and discrimination against Asian Americans through educational activities and maintains an extensive library on the Asian American experience in New England.
• Latin America JACL Fiesta Slated Oct. 20, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Latin America JACL chapter will host its annual Fiesta featuring food, music, displays and dance from Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Mexico on Oct. 20 at Ken Nakaoka Community Center in Gardena. The event will also share the social histories and Nikkei chronology in Latin America.
• Toronto Nisei Wins $4.4 Million in Lotto 6/49, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kay Morishita, a 37-year-old Nisei clerk from Agincourt, Toronto, won $4,477,318 in the Aug. 18 Lotto 6/49 drawing. She plans to quit her job and share the winnings with her husband George and their four children.
• Ten Year Old Violinist to Launch New Season, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ten-year-old violin virtuoso Tomaki Kawakubo will launch the 1990-1991 season at the Gardiner Auditorium in Ontario. The scholarship student at the R.D. Colburn School of Performing Arts started violin studies at age 5.
• Seabrook JACL Honors Graduates at June Installation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seabrook JACL held its annual installation dinner honoring area graduates and new officers, with Paul Suddes, Deputy Administrator of the Office of Redress Administration, as keynote speaker. Ellen Nakamura was installed as chapter president, and the Seabrook Minyo Dancers were recognized for 15 years of performance.
• Asian Artists Discuss Stereotyping in Media, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Board members of the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists appeared as panelists on KTTV’s ‘Sign of the Times’ to discuss the history and impact of Asian Pacific media stereotypes. The organization advocates for fair and balanced depictions of Asian Pacific Americans in entertainment.

Incarceration & Redress

• Six of the Oldest Eligibles Invited to Washington D.C.: Redress Payments to Begin Oct. 9, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six of the oldest eligible Japanese Americans, ages 101 to 107, will receive their $20,000 redress payments in a ceremony at the Great Hall of the Department of Justice. The Office of Redress Administration detailed the extensive process of identifying and locating eligible individuals, and explained rules regarding taxation and public benefits eligibility for the payments.
• Seattle JACL Holds ‘Phase II’ Redress Talks, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle JACL, along with the Asian Bar Association of Washington and the Washington Coalition on Redress, held a two-part seminar on protecting redress money from fraud and planning for the future. The concluding session featured an attorney and a financial planner as speakers, with no fees charged.
• 10th Anniversary of National Effort for Redress-Reparation to Be Observed, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The National Coalition for Redress and Reparations will hold its 10th anniversary conference on Oct. 20 at CSU Long Beach to examine new issues after redress, including a name change while retaining the NCRR acronym. Twelve workshops are planned covering topics like the historical impact of internment, activism in retirement, and empowering the community.
• Redress Payment Caution Issued for Public Assistance Eligibility in California, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Priscilla Ouchida of JACL headquarters cautioned California redress recipients receiving public assistance or Medi-Cal that while the $20,000 payment itself won’t affect eligibility, any interest or investment income earned on it will be counted as income. Recipients have a short window to transfer funds to avoid the state claiming unspent money through Medi-Cal estate recovery.

National

• Abercrombie Wins Nomination Over Matt Matsunaga in 1st Dist. House Bid, by P.C. Staff, page 1. In Hawaii’s Sept. 19 primary elections, Democrat Sen. Daniel Akaka and GOP Rep. Patricia Saiki won large-margin nominations for the Nov. 6 general election for the seat held by the late Spark Matsunaga. Former Rep. Neil Abercrombie won the Democratic nomination for the 1st district House seat over Matt Matsunaga and other candidates in various races across the state.
• Mineta Cited by Frequent Flyer Magazine, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Y. Mineta was cited by Frequent Flyer magazine as a top leader on aviation policy over the last decade, the only Member of Congress so named. Mineta, who commutes frequently between D.C. and his home district, chairs the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and remains active in aviation policy.

JACL

• JACL Statements on ORA’s ‘Big Day’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL President Cressey Nakagawa and Washington JACL Representative Paul Igasaki commented on the timing of redress checks following the Justice Department ceremony and regional presentations. Concerns were raised about whether the full $500 million allocation would be available amid budget uncertainties and possible sequestration under Gramm-Rudman.
• Harada Appointed Administrator of JACL Legacy Fund Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Clay K. Harada was appointed administrator of JACL’s Legacy Fund campaign by National Director William Yoshino, effective October. Harada previously served as assistant director of membership and administration for national JACL and has experience in nonprofit administration and community involvement in San Francisco.
• Goal of $10 Million in Three Years Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL’s Legacy Fund Campaign Committee, chaired by Grayce Uyehara, launched a fundraising effort with a goal of $10 million over three years to establish a perpetual endowment for the organization. District governors will serve as campaign managers, with the funds supporting JACL’s continued mission on issues like anti-Asian violence and accurate history education.
• The Gift of the Generations, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This piece explains the philosophy behind the JACL Legacy Fund, describing it as an obligation to improve opportunities for future generations. It reviews JACL’s history since its 1929 founding and outlines ongoing concerns including hate groups, anti-Asian violence, and civil rights that the Legacy Fund will help address.
• Four Nikkei Legislators Head Honorary Campaign Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 5. National JACL President Cressey Nakagawa announced the formation of the Legacy Fund honorary committee featuring Senator Daniel K. Inouye and Representatives Norman Mineta, Robert Matsui, and Patricia Saiki. Each legislator’s background and contributions to Japanese American issues and redress legislation are highlighted.

Military & Veterans

• MIS-JACLer Ending 45-Year Japan Stay, Heading for San Jose, by Sen Nishiyama, page 2. Col. Harry Fukuhara, a Life Member of JACL Japan Chapter, is retiring after 48 years of service promoting U.S.-Japan military and cultural relations, receiving the Third Class Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan. Over 400 Japanese and American dignitaries attended a farewell reception before Harry and his wife Teruko relocate to San Jose, California.
• Storied WWII Air Group in 45-Year Reunion, Peace Monument Unveiled, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Veterans of the 509th Composite Group, which dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, gathered in Wendover, Nevada to dedicate a peace monument, though they canceled a planned speech by a Japanese journalist who had angered veterans by questioning the bombing’s necessity. Retired Gen. Paul Tibbets Jr. and Maj. Gen. Charles Sweeney, who piloted the bombing missions, participated in the dedication ceremony.
• ‘Sons/Daughters of 442’ Start 100/442 Memorial Center in Maui, by Harry Honda, page 6. The Maui Sons and Daughters of the 442nd, a Sansei organization, announced an ambitious $4.5 million plan to build a 100th/442nd Memorial Center in Wailuku, Maui, to serve as a repository for oral and written history and community meeting space. The group was organized in 1981 and secured land in 1987, currently having 100 members.
• MISLS Reunion in 1991, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The 50th anniversary of the Military Intelligence Service Language School, founded in 1941, will be celebrated with events at the Presidio of San Francisco and the Presidio of Monterey in October and November 1991. The Defense Language Institute is the school’s successor in the post-WWII era.

Commentary

• A Constitutional Matter, page 4. This editorial examines the pressure on Japan to contribute more militarily to the Persian Gulf crisis despite its constitutional renunciation of war under Article 9. It draws a troubling parallel to 1942, when U.S. officials argued the Constitution could be disregarded during crisis, warning against urging Japan to violate its own laws under similar pressure.
• This Time, We Don’t Look Like the Enemy, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa reflects on Japanese Americans serving in the Gulf War buildup, recalling a harrowing story from Vietnam about a wounded Nisei soldier mistaken for an enemy combatant due to his appearance. He notes that this time, Japanese Americans are less likely to be mistaken for the enemy by their fellow servicemen.
• Hinawa-jii: Matchlock Guns, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani discusses the history of firearms in feudal Japan, noting guns were introduced as early as 1543 and used significantly by 1600 at the Battle of Sekigahara. He also explores Japan’s advanced technological history in metallurgy and mathematics, drawing parallels between Japan’s postwar recovery and its earlier adaptation of Western technology during the Meiji era.
• Monitor, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A Jay Leno joke from the Tonight Show is quoted, poking fun at Japan’s approach to the Middle East crisis compared to their business practices. Readers are invited to submit items to the Monitor column.

In-Depth

• Tragic Story of Hawaii’s First Japanese Shop Keeper Is Retold in Hawaii Herald, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Hawaii Herald retold the story of Katsu Goto, Hawaii’s first Japanese storekeeper, who was found lynched near Honokaa in 1889. Author Allan Beekman’s article details the events leading to the lynching and the subsequent search, identification, and trial of the perpetrators.

Arts & Entertainment

• Books to P.C., by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Harry Honda reviews Michael Slackman’s new book ‘Target: Pearl Harbor,’ which examines both Japanese and American perspectives on the Dec. 7, 1941 attack through participant accounts and oral interviews. He notes more books on the topic are expected as the 50th anniversary approaches next year.

Obituaries

• RIP: Asami K. Oyama, 71, Media Person, Mother and Volunteer, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Asami K. Oyama, 71, passed away peacefully at her Berkeley home; she was active with the San Francisco Center Players, Center for Japanese American Studies, and Berkeley JACL among other community organizations. During WWII she was active in the Japanese American Committee for Democracy and later appeared in stage productions and TV programs including ‘Indigo’ and ‘Until the End of the World.’

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