Vol. 117, No. 11, October 1, 1993. 8 pages. View this issue
The dismissal of Paul Shinkawa as chairperson of the Pacific Citizen board led the news. JACL National President Lillian Kimura asked for his resignation after he refused her directive not to write about the national board’s discussion of the paper’s role. Gwen Muranaka reported the board meeting, with Lucy Kishiue named interim chair. Paul M. Shinkawa gave his own account, and editor Richard Suenaga wrote an editorial arguing that the decision belonged to the National Council. The JACL national board’s statement is also printed.
Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about the paper’s many office moves and its planned relocation from Little Tokyo to Monterey Park. Don Snyder reported that the late Masao W. Satow was elected to the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, and a page 5 notice marked the death of former editor Peter Imamura. A reader from Garden Grove wrote in support of the paper’s independent reporting.
What’s in this issue
National
- Kimura Fires PC Board Chair, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. JACL National President Lillian Kimura asked for the resignation of Pacific Citizen Board Chairman Paul Shinkawa after he refused to comply with her directive not to write about the board’s discussion of PC’s role. Shinkawa complied with the resignation request but argued the order itself was unconstitutional, and Kimura appointed Lucy Kishiue as interim PC board chair.
- Kimura (continued): Board Debates PC’s Role and Accountability, by Gwen Muranaka, page 3. The continuation of the national board meeting story details extensive debate among JACL staff and board members over whether Pacific Citizen should function as an independent newspaper or a public relations tool, with staff citing the Rising Sun coverage and Jap Road article as points of contention. Legal counsel Allen Kato affirmed the PC board’s authority over editorial policy, but many board members pushed for greater national control leading to Shinkawa’s dismissal.
JACL
- JACL’s Statement on Shinkawa, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL national board issued a statement explaining that President Lillian Kimura requested Paul Shinkawa’s resignation as Pacific Citizen Board Chairperson after losing confidence he could work as part of the team. The board voted unanimously to support Kimura’s decision and named Lucy Kishiue as interim PC board chairperson.
Military & Veterans
- Mas Satow Named to Bowling Hall of Fame, by Don Snyder, page 1. The late Masao W. Satow, a pioneering JACL leader, has been elected to the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame for his role in organizing bowling opportunities for Japanese Americans who were barred from the whites-only ABC. Satow helped establish a national JACL bowling championship in 1947 and worked for decades to end racial restrictions in the sport.
Incarceration & Redress
- Former PC Editor Peter Imamura Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Peter Anthony Imamura, 38, a reporter at the Riverside Press-Enterprise and former Pacific Citizen editor, died Sept. 14 after suffering a ruptured aorta. He was a UCLA journalism graduate who had worked at PC, the Sacramento Bee, and is survived by his wife and several siblings.
Commentary
- On the Move, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa reflects on Pacific Citizen’s many office moves over the decades and the deteriorating safety conditions around its current Little Tokyo location due to homelessness and crime. He notes PC’s decision to relocate to Monterey Park is prudent but ironic, since a human rights organization is being forced to flee a neighborhood failed by society’s inability to address poverty.
- From Right to Wrong, by Richard Suenaga, page 6. In this editorial, PC editor Richard Suenaga argues that JACL’s leadership breached its own principles by firing Shinkawa, describing a hostile national board meeting where staff and board members demanded control over PC’s editorial independence. He contends that the National Board cannot unilaterally dictate PC’s role, which is a decision reserved for the National Council, and mourns the loss of PC’s independence and Shinkawa’s removal.
- Supports PC’s Role as Newspaper, by Shanon Vanthana, page 6. A JACL member from Garden Grove, Calif., writes in support of Pacific Citizen’s right to report openly on JACL matters, describing her personal frustrations navigating JACL bureaucracy while seeking redress information. She praises PC’s commitment to honest reporting rather than functioning as a mere organizational newsletter.
- What Happened in San Francisco, by Paul M. Shinkawa, page 7. Shinkawa gives his firsthand account of the national board meeting, describing how he presented an editorial policy affirming PC’s independence and how the discussion escalated into demands from national staff for control over PC’s coverage. He explains why he refused Kimura’s order to suppress reporting on the discussion, believing it exceeded her constitutional authority and violated his oath to the JACL Constitution and Bylaws.
- Letters: Supports PC’s Reporting on Redress and Community Issues, by Shanon Vanthana, page 7. A letter writer describes her personal experience seeking redress despite being born outside camp, criticizing JACL National Headquarters’ bureaucratic hurdles in communicating with officials. She expresses support for Pacific Citizen’s independent reporting on controversial issues like the Jap Road renaming effort and JACL Texans dispute.
Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.