After the World Trade Center bombing: Yamasaki, Nikkei, and redress news

Vol. 116, No. 9, March 5, 1993. 12 pages. View this issue

The Feb. 26 bombing of the World Trade Center ran through this 12-page issue. The towers were designed by the late Nisei architect Minoru Yamasaki, and Bill Hosokawa’s column paid tribute to his life. Another story reported how the blast disrupted the lives and businesses of Japanese Americans in the area. The front page also carried news that Warren Furutani was disqualified from a City Council race after his petition fell 67 signatures short, and that JACL praised the reintroduction of the Hate Crime Enhancement Act.

Redress and the Civil Liberties Act ran through the inside pages: concern over funding for the education program, Sacramento Chapter’s tribute to those who helped, a lawsuit by Nikkei sent to Japan in a wartime prisoner exchange, and the Hirabayashi video in classrooms. Commentary came from Mei Nakano, Chizuko Ueno, Jin Konomi and Karen Kurotsuchi. The 1994 JACL national convention was set for Salt Lake City.

What’s in this issue

National

• Warren Furutani Disqualified from Election, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Warren Furutani was disqualified from a City Council race after the city clerk’s office found his nomination petition fell 67 signatures short, rejecting 392 signatures as invalid. Furutani has hired a law firm to challenge the disqualification in a field that includes incumbent Joan Milke Flores and Janice Hahn.
• JACL Praises Hate Crime Act Reintroduction, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL praised Rep. Charles Schumer’s reintroduction of the Hate Crime Enhancement Act, which would increase punishment for criminals who commit violent crimes targeting minority groups. National director Dennis Hayashi said stronger penalties are needed since current criminal laws fail to adequately protect victims of hate violence.
• Democrat Apologizes for Racial Remark, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A California state Democratic Party committeewoman apologized to colleagues after using the word “Chinamen” during a November meeting, while another official was accused of using a racial gesture. JACL’s Karen Yoshitomi said the party needs to formally apologize to the Asian Pacific Islander community and is preparing a joint statement with CACA and OCA.
• Nikkei Affected by World Trade Center Bombing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The bomb blast at the World Trade Center on Feb. 26 disrupted lives and businesses of Japanese Americans in the area, including Asahi Bank employee Makoto Nagel who was hospitalized. Fuji Bank, which occupies three floors of the building, made preparations to relocate after the explosion that killed six and injured over 1,000.
• Justice for Wards Cove Workers Act Reintroduced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Jim McDermott reintroduced the Justice for Wards Cove Workers Act, backed by a coalition of civil rights organizations including JACL, to remove an exemption for Wards Cove Packing Co. from the Civil Rights Act of 1991. National director Dennis Hayashi called it a bitter irony that workers in the case which sparked the 1991 Act are now excluded from its protections.
• New York Chapter Member Shot in Manhattan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. New York Chapter JACL member Bonnie Bear was shot in the neck on Feb. 23 in an apparent robbery attempt while loading her car trunk in Manhattan. She was listed in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital Center, and police are seeking two young African American male suspects.
• JACL Blasts Clinton, Media on ‘Nannygate’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL joined Asian Pacific American and Latino civil rights organizations in criticizing the media and Clinton administration’s handling of the Zoe Baird nanny controversy, saying it underscored the absence of Asian Pacific Americans in senior policy-making positions. JACL representative Karen Narasaki criticized coverage by the Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal for reporting without comment that placement agencies favor foreign workers over permanent residents.
• Nikkei Gun Dealer Reports Widespread Unlicensed Gun Sales, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Las Vegas gun shop owner Tsukamoto, owner of Pacific Tactical Weapons, reported that renegade gun dealers selling weapons without licenses out of kitchens and swap meets has grown to significant proportions. Authorities are stepping up plans to curb such unlicensed sales, which also result in lost sales tax revenue.
• U.S.-Japan Relations Discussed in Tokyo, by Ted Shigeno, page 5. Twenty-one Japanese Americans met with four Japanese Diet members in Tokyo to discuss how revising Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution, which renounces war and prohibits military forces, would affect U.S.-Japan relations. Panelists including author Yoshimi Ishikawa and Diet members debated whether increased Japanese military strength would strain the relationship despite existing trade tensions.
• Yasuhara Criticizes Democratic Officials Over Racial Matters, by P.C. Staff, page 11. JACL representative Yasuhara contacted major publications to draw attention to conduct by Washington state and county Democratic officials involved in racial incidents, saying the issue reflects on the entire party rather than just individuals. Yasuhara stated that when elected officials behave this way at official party functions, it implicates the party’s broader credibility.

In-Depth

• N.Y.’s World Trade Center Designed by Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The World Trade Center bombed on Feb. 26 was designed by the late Nisei architect Minoru Yamasaki, whose firm was chosen over 40 competing architectural firms in 1962. The towers, completed in 1974, were once the world’s tallest buildings before being surpassed by Chicago’s Sears Tower.

Community

• Chinese Woman Attacked, Then Fired From University, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Northwestern University employee named Yang was attacked by Lang Xia, who was arrested, pled guilty, fined and ordered to have no contact with her, but Yang was subsequently fired because the no-contact order made it impossible to perform her duties. Yang has filed suit against Northwestern and Lang Xia in Cook County Circuit Court.
• Nikkei Artists to Exhibit Works at New Otani Hotel, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Painter Frank Gikiu and ceramist Isei Anami will exhibit their work at a show on March 13 at the New Otani Hotel in Los Angeles. Gikiu, a longtime Gardena resident and JACL member, and Anami, a retired nursery businessman influenced by Japanese and European artists, will show work spanning various media.
• Nikkei Councilman to Hold Fund-Raiser, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Torrance city councilman George Nakano is kicking off his bid for the new 28th District State Senate seat with a fund-raiser on March 17 at the Cultural Arts Centers’ Armstrong Theater. Nakano, a founder and charter Torrance JACL president in 1983, was the first Asian American elected to the Torrance city council in 1984.

Incarceration & Redress

• Concern Over Funding for Internment Education Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL is concerned that the redress education fund authorized under the Civil Liberties Act may not be funded due to budget cuts, and plans to write to President Clinton to request its inclusion in his budget. National Director Dennis Hayashi said the fund is crucial to educating the public about the internment experience so such violations of civil rights never happen again.
• ORA Denies Some Camp-Born Children’s Redress Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Office of Redress Administration has made payments in 74,962 cases but rejected claims in 33 cases involving children born in camp after their parents “voluntarily” returned. The ORA also has about 800 cases under special review and 7,200 incomplete cases awaiting claimant responses, with community organizations helping locate people who may have moved, become ill, or died.
• Sent to Japan During WWII, These Nikkei Seek Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Fourteen individuals who were part of a US-Japan prisoner exchange during WWII have filed suit in Kanemoto v. Barr to be included in redress, arguing they were unfairly excluded despite being American children caught in an exchange policy. Plaintiffs including Marion Tsutakawa Kanemoto and Evelyn Nakano Aki describe being sent to Japan as children after their fathers were arrested and never renouncing their American citizenship.
• JACL Chapters Promote Hirabayashi Video in Classrooms, by Greg Marutani, page 4. San Francisco Chapter JACL secured a special discounted price for the video “A Personal Matter: Gordon Hirabayashi vs. the United States” for educational institutions and JACL chapters, with 50 copies purchased by January 1993. Chapter members across the country including in San Mateo, Idaho, Nebraska, and Wisconsin have promoted the video’s use in classrooms and workshops.
• Sacramento Chapter Honors Those Who Helped Redress, by Toko Fuji, page 5. Despite stormy weather, 250 Japanese Americans and friends gathered in Sacramento to honor organizations and individuals for their support of Nikkei redress efforts, presenting plaques to legislators, community leaders, and civic organizations. Keynote speaker Jerry Enomoto traced the redress movement’s history and emphasized the importance of helping others as Japanese Americans had been helped.

JACL

• Kaneko Honored with Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bill Kaneko, JACL national vice president for public affairs and Honolulu Chapter president, received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his efforts assisting the Justice Department in implementing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Kaneko has served as a key community liaison and helped hundreds of internees with redress claims, including gaining redress for Japanese Americans evacuated from Lualualei and Pauoa Valley.
• 1994 Convention Set for Aug. 3-6 in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The 1994 JACL national convention is scheduled for Aug. 3-6 at the Marriott in Salt Lake City, featuring an opening social, business sessions, a golf tournament, and an old timers reunion. JACL staff have visited the city to coordinate with committee members and tour facilities.

Arts & Entertainment

• Actor Seeks Chapter Interest in One-Man Show, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Actor Lane Nishikawa is seeking JACL chapter sponsorship for his one-man show “I’m on a Mission from Buddha,” which was recently broadcast on PBS and features 14 different characters portraying both comic and tragic aspects of the Japanese American experience. Chapters in Seattle, Chicago, and Salt Lake have sponsored performances, and Nishikawa is now seeking corporate sponsorship to expand nationally.

Commentary

• A Life Built on Solid Foundation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa’s column pays tribute to the late Nisei architect Minoru Yamasaki, designer of the World Trade Center, recounting his impoverished Seattle childhood and his rise to design some of the world’s most striking buildings. The column notes the irony that a bomb built into a car in the Center’s garage almost destroyed the structure Yamasaki engineered to withstand high winds.
• Reversal of Reversal, by Jin Konomi, page 8. Konomi discusses the historical trend of Japanese people writing their names in Western order (given name first) starting in the Rokumeikan era of the 1880s as part of Japan’s push to appear Westernized. He notes a growing trend of Japanese publications and writers reverting to the traditional family-name-first order, though he does not advocate that Japanese Americans change their own naming conventions.
• Nikkei Remembers Thurgood Marshall, page 8. A letter writer recalls living near and befriending Thurgood Marshall and his wife in New York’s Morningside Gardens, where Marshall discussed civil rights cases and expressed indignation about the WWII treatment of Japanese Americans. The writer reflects on Marshall’s humility and genuine interest in others despite his stature.
• Praise for Achievements of Women in JACL, page 8. A letter writer congratulates the Pacific Citizen for saluting JACL women in a Holiday Issue feature, recalling the contributions of a six-woman 1000 Club Committee in Chicago that set ambitious membership goals. The writer also recounts a celebratory Tokyo trip and flight involving Japanese officials and Governor Ronald Reagan tied to 1000 Club achievements.
• A Clash of Cultures, by Mei Nakano, page 9. Nakano examines the case of Jean Ishibashi, who filed suit against the American Friends Service Committee for racial and sexual harassment after challenging the organization’s hiring practices and enduring alleged harassment by a male volunteer. The column explores how Japanese cultural values of restraint and perseverance may have been misunderstood by her employers, complicating the situation.
• Japan’s Enduring Shame, by Chizuko Ueno, page 9. Ueno writes about the Tokyo District Court case brought by 41 South Korean women seeking compensation for being forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops during WWII, arguing there should be no statute of limitations for such crimes. She contrasts the treatment of Korean and Okinawan “comfort women” and connects the historical injustice to contemporary sex trade issues near military bases including UN peacekeeping operations in Cambodia.
• Just Who Are They?, by Karen Kurotsuchi, page 9. Kurotsuchi critiques the common practice of attributing discriminatory or racist statements to a vague, unnamed “they,” arguing this distances speakers from responsibility for perpetuating harmful stereotypes. She calls on Asian Americans and all minorities to reject such scapegoating language and confront the actual sources of prejudice directly.

Obituaries

• Fujii, George H., by P.C. Staff, page 11. George H. Fujii, 61, of Los Angeles, died Dec. 22; he was Shiga-born and is survived by his wife Doris, daughter Gayl Hannon, and sons including Byron. He leaves behind grandchildren as well.
• Fujiwara, June K., by P.C. Staff, page 11. June K. Fujiwara, 63, died Nov. 2; she was Hawaii-born and survived by son Derrick of Maui, daughters Jean Woo and Tanya, and brother Wilfred Inouye of Honolulu along with sister Mae Inouye.
• Fukuda, Doris Asano, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Doris Asano Fukuda, 64, of Gardena, died Dec. 29; she was Hawaii-born and is survived by husband Ernest, son Dr. Paul, and daughters Dorothy Hazran, Mary Jane Miura, Irene Leo, and Shirley Puleston, along with 10 grandchildren.

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