Vol. 118, No. 12, April 1, 1994. 8 pages. View this issue
Redress and the killing of two Japanese exchange students shared the front page. JACL National Director Randy Senzaki praised President Clinton’s $5 million budget request for the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, and the Justice Department announced that 209 more Japanese Americans would receive $20,000 payments under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura, both 19, were shot during a carjacking in San Pedro, Calif. Gwen Muranaka wrote about the loss in her hometown, and JACL’s Pacific Southwest District responded.
Also in this issue: the Mountain Plains District Council’s vote on same sex marriage, JACL and other groups opposing anti-immigrant measures in Congress, Lillian C. Kimura’s preview of the Salt Lake City convention including a trip to Topaz, Bill Hosokawa on Capt. Bruce Yamashita, and Mei Nakano’s review of three children’s books on the wartime incarceration.
What’s in this issue
National
- JACL Seeks Help From Congressional Leaders on Redress Education Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL National Director Randy Senzaki praised President Clinton for including $5 million for the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund in his budget request. JACL is urging supporters to contact key congressional representatives and senators during the recess to support the funding for research and education programs on the WWII internment of Japanese Americans.
- JACL, OCA Applaud Clinton Court Nominee Chin, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL and OCA praised President Clinton’s nomination of attorney Denny Chin, 39, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, marking the first Asian American nominated for a judgeship by a president. Chin currently works at a law firm and previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney and is president of the Asian American Bar Association of New York.
- Japanese Exchange Students Murdered in Carjacking, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Japanese exchange students, Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura, both 19, were shot in the back of the head during a carjacking in a San Pedro, Calif., supermarket parking lot and died March 28. The murders provoked outrage in Japan, prompting a travel advisory, and U.S. Ambassador Walter Mondale expressed condolences, comparing the tragedy to the earlier killing of Yoshihiro Hattori in Louisiana.
- Memory of Other Murders, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The slayings of Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura are the latest in a series of fatal incidents involving Japanese students in the United States, including the unsolved 1993 shooting of Masakazu Kuriyama in Richmond, Calif., and the 1992 shooting death of Yoshihiro Hattori in Baton Rouge, La. These incidents have sparked calls from Japan for stricter U.S. gun control laws.
- AP Groups Applaud Defeat of 2 Anti-Immigrant Amendments, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL, OCA and APALA applauded the House of Representatives’ defeat of two amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that would have negatively impacted immigrant education, including Rep. Toby Roth’s attempt to strike bilingual education funding and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s amendment requiring schools to track undocumented students. Organization leaders warned these amendments reflected rising anti-immigrant sentiment and urged continued vigilance against similar legislation.
- Proposal Said to Discriminate Against Legal Immigrants, Organizations Say, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL, OCA and APALA denounced a provision in H.R. 3500 that would make most permanent residents and legal immigrants ineligible for over 61 federal programs including medical assistance, food stamps, and housing assistance. JACL National Director Randy Senzaki warned that Japanese Americans understand the danger of such discriminatory laws, having once been barred from citizenship and land ownership themselves.
Incarceration & Redress
- More Eligible for Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Some 209 Japanese Americans who were evacuated, relocated or interned during World War II will receive $20,000 redress payments under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the Justice Department announced. The Office of Redress Administration urged potentially eligible recipients who haven’t been contacted to reach out immediately for the next round of payments expected in July 1994.
JACL
- MPDC Rejects ‘Same Sex’ Marriage Issue; Deals With Others, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Mountain Plains District Council voted not to support the concept of same sex marriage in a Hawaii Supreme Court case during their March 26-27 district meeting in Omaha. Governor Sharon Ishii Jordan clarified this wasn’t an anti-gay stance but a question of whether JACL should take positions on issues that don’t affect the majority of its membership, and the district also discussed the role of the JACL Washington representative and Pacific Citizen governance.
- Convention Clarification, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Some members have been confused about registration for the 1994 JACL convention in Salt Lake City, according to Floyd Mori. Registration forms and checks should be sent to a specific P.O. Box address in Salt Lake City with checks made out to the 1994 JACL Convention.
Community
- Fashion Fund-Raiser Brings Four JACL Chapters Together, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four JACL chapters joined forces to present the ‘Step Into Spring’ fashion show and luncheon on March 13 in Carson, Calif. The fund-raising event was sponsored by the Carson, Gardena Valley, South Bay and Greater Los Angeles Singles Chapters to introduce the chapters to the community and encourage membership.
Commentary
- Convention Preview, by Lillian C. Kimura, page 3. JACL National President Lillian Kimura previews the 33rd Biennial Convention in Salt Lake City, describing progress reports from committee chairs and highlights including the Old Timers’ Luncheon, a trip to Topaz, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast. She also discusses the history and success of the National JACL Credit Union, which donated $10,000 to the JACL Legacy Fund, and describes attending Bruce Yamashita’s commissioning ceremony in Washington.
- Saluting Capt. Bruce Yamashita, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa praises Bruce Yamashita’s five-year fight against racial discrimination in the U.S. Marine Corps, which culminated in an official apology and commissioning ceremony after he was subjected to racial slurs and wrongly dismissed from officer training in 1989. Hosokawa reviews the long history of Japanese American military service and argues the Marine Corps and America are better for Yamashita’s insistence on justice.
- Going Over the Fence, by Mei Nakano, page 6. Mei Nakano reviews three new children’s books about Japanese American wartime incarceration: Marlene Shigekawa’s ‘Blue Jay in the Desert,’ Steven Chin’s ‘When Justice Failed’ about Fred Korematsu, and Ken Mochizuki’s ‘Baseball Saved Us.’ She emphasizes the importance of teaching children about the camps early to build tolerance and combat prejudice.
- Process of ‘Re-Normin’ Can Ease Controversy, by Tear Ichiyama, page 6. A letter to the editor from Tear Ichiyama of Parma, Ohio, addresses the ongoing JACL Board/Pacific Citizen governance controversy, applying organizational theory about ‘stormin’ and ‘re-normin’ processes. The writer proposes three possible solutions for resolving the tension between PC’s constitutional independence and its structural ties to JACL, while also calling for greater membership accountability in shaping the national agenda.
- In My Hometown…, by Gwen Muranaka, page 7. Pacific Citizen Assistant Editor Gwen Muranaka reflects personally on the murders of Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura, which occurred in her hometown of San Pedro, Calif. She describes the town’s history and character, and laments how the tragedy has made it impossible to reassure visiting friends from Japan that certain parts of Los Angeles are safe.
Military & Veterans
- PSW Condemns Killing of Students, by P.C. Staff, page 4. JACL Pacific Southwest District Governor Ruth Mizobe strongly condemned the double murder of two Japanese exchange students in San Pedro, calling for law enforcement assistance while noting the murders reflect pervasive violence in society. Vice Governor Craig Minami cautioned against premature racial speculation and urged focus on broader societal issues around violence and crime rather than diplomatic or tourism concerns.
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