Video on the Japanese American incarceration, and attacks in La Crosse

Vol. 110, No. 20, May 25, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

A state-mandated high school video on the World War II incarceration (often called internment) drew the most attention in this eight-page issue. Educators and community leaders in Los Angeles joined JACL’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Japanese American Internment Video, questioning the producer chosen and the video’s account of why it happened. Dale Shimasaki, Dale Minami and Rep. Norman Mineta were among the critics. An editorial and a news story on page 5 covered the beating of two Japanese students in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and JACL leaders met with the Justice Department about the Loo case.

Tom Kometani wrote a remembrance of the painter Henry Sugimoto, and Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani had columns on Hiroshima and the U.S. military in Japan. Redress came up in the letters. Other pages cover the Go For Broke National Veterans Association’s reorganization and the 1000 Club update, plus 24 Sacramento scholarships.

What’s in this issue

National

• JACL, Educators Question State’s Selection of Producer, Content of High School Video on J.A. Internment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Over 20 community leaders and educators in the Los Angeles area have joined the growing list of Asian Americans expressing concern over the production of a state-mandated Japanese American internment video for high school students. Critics including Dale Shimasaki, Audrey Yamagata-Noji, Dale Minami, and Rep. Norman Mineta questioned the producer’s qualifications and the video’s failure to properly characterize the internment as racism rather than military necessity.
• Japanese Students Mistaken for Hmong, Attacked by Whites in La Crosse, Wis., by P.C. Staff, page 1. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student Taro Imamura and his friend Yasushi Kikuchi were beaten by a group of white men who mistook them for Hmong and used racial slurs. A witness reported the attackers said ‘because we hate gooks,’ and two women attempted to intervene to stop the assault, with no arrests made as of publication.
• JACL, Asian Leaders Confer with Justice Dept.’s Civil Rights Div. on Loo Case, Anti-Asian Violence, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL President Cressey Nakagawa and other leaders met with Assistant Attorney General John Dunne to urge federal prosecution of Lloyd and Robert Piche for the killing of Ming Hai Loo in North Carolina. The meeting addressed the broader pattern of increasing anti-Asian violence and harassment nationwide.
• Senate Dining Room Table Named Matsunaga, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate voted to designate the large round table in the Senators’ Dining Room as the ‘Spark M. Matsunaga Table’ to honor the late three-term senator from Hawaii. Matsunaga was known for frequently entertaining constituents at the table.
• Recipient of 1990 Spring Medal of Honor Named, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Japanese government announced Keiko Fukuda of San Francisco as a recipient of the Spring 1990 Medal of Honor, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, for her contributions to judo and U.S.-Japan mutual understanding. Fukuda is vice-chair of the U.S. Judo Federation and has trained many judo practitioners outside Japan.
• JAs Campaign Against Sexual Harassment in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Berkeley-based Japan Pacific Resource Network (JPRN) completed a nine-day campaign against sexual harassment in Japan, holding forums in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka that attracted nearly 1,000 people. Delegates met with government officials and Diet members to press for action against sexual harassment.
• Attacks on Filipino Students Flare Up at Oxon Hill High, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Filipino students at Oxon Hill High School in Maryland reported being attacked by Black students amid rising racial tensions, with one student assaulted three times and a car attacked with baseball bats. Parents and school officials met to form a task force for a multicultural program after police were posted on campus following the escalating violence.
• Japanese to Join U.S. Shuttle Mission, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mamoru Mori, a 42-year-old Japanese engineering professor at Hokkaido University, will join a U.S. space shuttle mission aboard Atlantis set for launch in June 1991 to conduct materials experiments in zero gravity. Two other Japanese candidates are training to provide ground support and serve as backup.
• Loo Case: Justice Department Delegation Details Piche Brothers’ Attack, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A delegation of Asian American community representatives met with Justice Department officials to press for federal civil rights prosecution of Robert and Lloyd Piche following the killing of Ming Hai Loo in North Carolina. The group expressed particular concern over Lloyd Piche’s light two-month sentence despite his role in the racially motivated attack that led to Loo’s death.
• La Crosse: Imamura Fears Return Downtown After Attack, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Following the assault, Japanese student Taro Imamura said he no longer feels safe and avoids downtown La Crosse, though he plans to remain in the city to complete his college degree. Foreign student adviser Lisbeth Reynertson said Imamura is now filled with fear that has changed his feelings about living in the U.S.

In-Depth

• Henry Sugimoto: 1900-1990, Remembering an American Artist, by Tom Kometani, page 1. Henry Yuzuru Sugimoto, a painter who documented the wartime internment of Japanese Americans through more than 100 paintings, died in New York City on May 8, 1990 after a long illness. The article recounts his life, his artistic legacy, his advocacy for redress, and his lasting influence on how the internment is remembered in both the U.S. and Japan.

JACL

• JACL Convention Booklet Features John Yato’s Painting on Cover, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A watercolor painting by San Diego artist John Yato, titled ‘Happy Memories,’ will be featured on the cover of the JACL national convention booklet. Yato is known for his watercolor paintings of San Diego historic landmarks and has been selling his art for nearly twenty years.
• Items of Interest to 1000 Clubbers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A committee of six Life members provided an update on five items of 1000 Club interest including the Life Membership Fund balance of over $367,000, the Masaoka Fellowship Fund nearing $100,000, and progress on the JACL Legacy Fund draft. The update also covered the U.S. Institute of Peace unit and efforts to develop 1000 Club groups at the chapter level.
• 24 Scholarships Being Presented May 31 at Sacramento JACL Fete, by Toko Fujii, page 6. Twenty-four scholarship awards will be presented at the 1990 Sacramento JACL Area scholarship dinner on May 31 at the Sacramento Inn, chaired by Alice Kubo. Recipients include high school students from multiple area schools and students at Sacramento City College.

Community

• 400 Students Enrolled from Japan Enliven Iowa Campus and Town, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Cash-strapped Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa merged with Teikyo University, bringing 198 Japanese freshmen to the small campus and raising enrollment by more than a third. Local businesses and students have noticed the economic and cultural impact, with initial wariness giving way to acceptance.
• L.A. TV Salutes Local JA Community Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 2. KSCI-TV Channel 18 is recognizing distinguished Japanese American community leaders during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, including Warren Furutani, Irene Hirano, and Miya Iwataki. KSCI broadcasts extensive foreign language programming to over five million households in Southern California.
• Leader of the Pack: Mas Fukai Honored as Boy Scouts’ 1990 Citizen of the Year, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mas Fukai, Chief Deputy to Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and a Gardena city councilman, received a Los Angeles County scroll of commendation for being named 1990 Citizen of the Year by the Boy Scouts of America. Hahn praised Fukai as loyal, good, and trustworthy.
• Toshiba in U.S. Pledges Grant to Asahi Gakuen, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three Toshiba America companies in Southern California donated $7,500 to Asahi Gakuen of Los Angeles, the second largest Japanese school in the U.S., to purchase equipment. The school serves over 3,000 students whose parents have temporarily relocated to Los Angeles for Japanese business work.

Military & Veterans

• Go For Broke-NVA Reorganized, by P.C. Staff, page 2. More than 40 veterans from 15 states met in Chicago to reorganize the Go For Broke National Veterans Association into a more active entity under President William Marutani. The group approved articles of incorporation and plans to build a monument in the nation’s capital honoring Japanese American war dead.

Commentary

• Violence in La Crosse, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial condemns the brutal assault on two Japanese students in La Crosse, Wisconsin as part of a disturbing pattern of racial violence in America, comparing it to Nazi terror tactics. It calls for citizen anger and action to reclaim the streets from racists and hoodlums, warning that even Japanese Americans generations removed from immigrant roots could be targeted.
• The Guntai (Military Forces), by Bill Marutani, page 4. In his East Wind column, Bill Marutani examines the scale of the U.S. military presence in Japan, detailing troop numbers by branch and location, and Japan’s financial contribution to maintaining American forces there. He also notes the number of U.S. troops stationed in Korea, the Philippines, and Guam.
• Hiroshima: 45 Years Later, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. In his From the Frying Pan column, Bill Hosokawa reflects on the preservation of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima and what its weathering over time suggests about memory, forgiveness, and the passage of anger. He connects this to how Nisei internment survivors have similarly let go of bitterness over time despite having every reason for lasting anger.
• Seeks Redress Help, by Kazumi Oda, page 4. A letter writer from Portland, Oregon who was drafted into the U.S. Army before evacuation in 1942 asks for help applying for redress. The editor’s response clarifies that Nisei servicemen affected by Executive Order 9066 may qualify and provides contact information for the Office of Redress Administration.
• AJA Vets Memorial, by Paul H. Ito, page 4. A letter writer argues that the AJA Veterans Memorial should be expanded beyond the 100th/442nd/MIS to include a broader representation of Japanese American veterans’ contributions. He calls for the memorial committee to include representatives from various veterans organizations and generations.
• Unsung Heroes, by James Oda, page 4. A letter writer praises Masayo Duus’s books documenting the 442nd RCT’s combat exploits and laments that Sadao Munemori and other deserving Nisei soldiers were denied Medal of Honor recognition due to racial bias. He supports establishing a memorial plaque honoring all Nisei veterans by name.
• Spark Condolence, by Art Miki, page 4. The president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians expresses condolences to Senator Spark Matsunaga’s family, crediting the American redress precedent for helping achieve reparations for Japanese Canadians. He praises Matsunaga’s unwavering efforts and lasting historical legacy.
• Point of Clarification, by Isamu Murakami, page 4. A letter writer from Norwalk, California questions whether schools currently teach about Japanese American internment, noting that his grandchildren at John F. Kennedy High School had no knowledge of it. He identifies himself as second generation with fourth-generation Japanese-Mexican grandchildren.
• Omura’s Honor Well Deserved, by George G. Nozawa, page 4. A letter writer praises Jimmie Omura’s selection for inclusion in the International Authors and Writers Who’s Who and corrects inaccuracies in a previous Pacific Citizen article about Omura’s wartime journalism and the Rocky Shimpo newspaper’s closure. He notes Omura was the only person of Japanese descent to publicly oppose evacuation at the Tolan Committee hearings.
• Monitor, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This item quotes Johnny Carson joking about Japanese buying sprees extending to miniature horses, and comedian Andrew Dice Clay making a derogatory remark about Asians in his comedy routine. The brief items are presented as media monitor notes on public commentary about Asians.

Incarceration & Redress

• Know the Right Thing, Doing the Right Thing: The History of Internment, by Carole Hayashino, Ken Kawaichi, Sox Kitashima, Dale Minami, Dale Shimasaki and Ronald Takaki, page 5. The Ad Hoc Committee on the Japanese American Internment Video critiques the state-commissioned documentary ‘Without Due Process’ for framing internment as caused by ‘hysteria’ rather than racism, and for omitting key facts about General DeWitt’s active role in formulating the removal policy. The authors argue the documentary’s omissions distort history and fail to properly educate students about the racist origins of internment.
• Video Project: Ad Hoc Committee Membership Grows, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Ad Hoc Committee on the Japanese American Internment Video has grown to include extensive membership from Fresno, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, investigating the video producer selection process. The Los Angeles supporters include a broad coalition of teachers, legislative staff, school board members, community leaders, media experts, and college educators.

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