Gov. Wilson’s attack on new citizens, and Utah’s centennial

Vol. 123, No. 9, November 1, 1996. 12 pages. View this issue

Immigration and the old fight over words about the wartime incarceration led this issue. The Asian Law Caucus and other civil rights groups condemned Gov. Pete Wilson’s claim that many newly naturalized citizens are criminals, calling it groundless and outrageous. Harry K. Honda reported on a Dallas Morning News column by Richard Estrada that objected to the term “concentration camps”, and on the replies from JACL leaders. Herbert Yamanishi answered in his own column, and a second edition of Personal Justice Denied was announced. Yas Tokita covered Utah’s three-day centennial celebration in Salt Lake City.

Other pages cover the John Huang fundraising controversy in columns by Bob Sakaniwa and Al Muratsuchi, a Member-Get-a-Member contest, and PSW JACLers raising $4,500 against Proposition 209. Bill Hosokawa asked whether the Nisei generation is out of touch. Sports items include Fuzzy Shimada’s election to the Bowling Hall of Fame.

What’s in this issue

National

• Asian Law Caucus Condemns Gov. Wilson’s Attack on Immigrants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Asian Law Caucus and several civil rights groups condemned Gov. Pete Wilson’s claim that many newly naturalized citizens are criminals, calling the allegation groundless and outrageous. The groups called for an investigation of Wilson for possible voting rights violations, arguing he sought to intimidate new citizens from voting in the November election.

Incarceration & Redress

• Dallas Editor Disputes Nikkei Sense of ‘Concentration Camps’, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Dallas Morning News associate editor Richard Estrada wrote a column arguing that use of the term ‘concentration camps’ for WWII Japanese American internment facilities wrongly rewrites history. JACL leaders and researchers including Herb Yamanishi and Jack Herzig responded, defending the terminology and detailing the civil rights violations Japanese Americans endured.
• Second Edition of ‘Personal Justice Denied’ to Be Published, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Civil Liberties Public Education Fund and University of Washington Press will publish a second edition of the 1982 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians report, including new recommendations, a foreword and prologue. The book will be available in December and covers the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans and Aleuts.
• Biggest Group of Nikkei Gather for Centennial Celebration, by Yas Tokita, page 6. Utah’s Japanese American community held a three-day centennial celebration in Salt Lake City marking 100 years of Japanese American presence in the state, featuring a banquet with over 860 attendees. Speakers included JACL President Helen Kawagoe, Japanese Ambassador Kunihiko Saito, and Chieko Okazaki, with the event documenting JA history and honoring Issei and Nisei pioneers.
• Utah Centennial Celebration Continued, by Yas Tokita, page 9. Additional coverage of the Utah Japanese American Centennial details the Kanojo fashion show featuring kimono-based designs and the making of the Centennial History book by Ted Nagata. The book took six months to produce with over 50 contributors and 1,300 copies printed.

Commentary

• President’s Corner: Past and Present – On Membership and Annual Giving in ’96, by Helen Kawagoe & Denny Yasuhara, page 3. JACL leaders discuss the organization’s membership and revenue trends through September 1996, noting a decline in membership revenue despite more payments. They outline a new dues schedule effective Jan. 1, 1997, and urge chapters to increase recruitment efforts.
• Don’t Let Your Political Voice Be Muted, by Bob Sakaniwa, page 3. The author argues that intense media scrutiny of Asian American campaign fundraiser John Huang is unfairly casting suspicion on the entire Asian Pacific American community’s political participation. He warns this scapegoating could silence APA political involvement at a critical time when Asian American voter engagement is increasing.
• Words from Herb: Priority on Education, by Herbert Yamanishi, page 4. JACL National Director Herb Yamanishi responds to Richard Estrada’s controversial column, arguing it underscores the need for more education, not less, about the WWII incarceration. He notes JACL is revising its Curriculum Guide and will seek a CLPEF grant to disseminate it to schools.
• What’s Happenin’ in PSW: Vote with a Vengeance, by Al Muratsuchi, page 4. The Pacific Southwest JACL regional director discusses the political fallout from the John Huang fundraising controversy, describing how Asian American candidates and donors are being unfairly scrutinized as suspected foreign agents. He urges the community to vote in the upcoming election to counter scapegoating and support important issues.
• Is the Nisei Generation Out of Touch?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa reflects on a party conversation about lingering racial discrimination and contrasts it with the successful career of Sansei conductor Kent Nagano, questioning whether the Nisei generation’s focus on past hardships remains relevant. He references a Fresno JACL newsletter listing Japanese Americans breaking through ‘glass ceilings’ in various professions.
• ‘No Smorking’, by Bill Marutani, page 8. Marutani writes about the tobacco industry’s history of lawsuits and marketing tactics, including targeting youth and the Asian market. He recounts anecdotes about smoking history and a humorous sign he saw in Japan in 1969.
• Add: Fujimori, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda discusses Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori’s increasingly consolidated power and his eligibility to run for a third term due to a law change that doesn’t apply retroactively. The column notes Fujimori’s Nisei heritage and connects his political trajectory to the broader Japanese Latin American redress movement.
• Redress Is No Substitute for Lost Homelands, by C. Nozomi Ikuta, page 9. Ikuta critiques the ‘Native Hawaiian Vote’ plebiscite process, arguing it did not reflect the true will of Kanaka Maoli people due to a boycott by sovereignty activists and manipulated participation standards. The piece draws parallels and contrasts between Japanese American redress and the unresolved loss of Hawaiian homeland and sovereignty.
• Support, Networking Develop at Women’s Conference, by Chizu Iiyama, page 9. Iiyama reports on the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum held in Los Angeles, where over 150 women from diverse backgrounds gathered to discuss issues affecting women and build a national network. Keynote speaker Sunera Thobani urged participants to organize around community needs and take clear political positions.

Community

• PC to Publish Annual Giving List, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pacific Citizen published part of the Annual Giving Campaign donor list in a previous issue but could not complete the full list due to formatting time constraints. The complete list will be prepared and published together in the next issue.
• PSW JACLers Raise $4,500 for Prop. 209 Ad, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL members in the Pacific Southwest District Council raised over $4,500 to oppose California’s Proposition 209, coordinated by Ron Osajima and several chapter leaders. Multiple chapters including San Fernando Valley contributed from their redress funds to support the campaign.
• Sacramento JACL Plans 65th Anniversary, by Toko Fujii, page 5. The Sacramento JACL Chapter, chartered in 1931, will host its 65th Anniversary Dinner on Nov. 16 featuring keynote speaker Rep. Robert T. Matsui and honoring State Assemblyman Phil Isenberg. National Director Herbert Yamanishi will make his first appearance at a Sacramento chapter event.
• New York JACL Marks 52nd Year, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The New York JACL Chapter held its 52nd anniversary dinner in New York City, featuring speaker Bob Sakaniwa discussing JACL’s future in the 21st century. Hiroki Sugihara, son of Chiune Sugihara who saved thousands of Jews during WWII, was also scheduled to attend.
• Upcoming Awards Honor Asian American Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Haing Ngor and Mona Beth Loo were honored with John Anson Ford Awards for human relations work, while Sony’s Akio Morita will receive the Japanese American National Museum’s Distinguished Medal of Honor presented by Sen. Daniel Inouye. Canadian entrepreneur Mark T. Ando was also named a finalist in Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year program.
• JACL Sweepstakes Winner Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Charles Matsumoto of Milwaukee won the 1996 JACL national convention sweepstakes, receiving $1,500 and two round-trip airline tickets. The sweepstakes raised over $51,000 for JACL from 2,264 entries, the most successful fundraiser in the organization’s history.
• A Transplanted Idaho Scholar, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dustin Poulton, now enrolled at UCLA, won the Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL college scholarship with an essay proclaiming pride in his mixed-race heritage as a Hapa. His essay responded to remarks by a KKK grand dragon about America becoming ‘too muddy’ due to outmarriage.
• A Write-in Candidate, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Jewel Okawachi, a longtime Contra Costa JACL member and Albany business owner, is running as a write-in candidate for the Albany School Board after missing the filing deadline. If successful, she would be a first in the city’s history.

JACL

• Membership Update: A Year-End Mission – Get-a-Member, by Karen-Liane Shiba, page 4. JACL announces a Member-Get-a-Member recruitment contest running from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 1996, with points awarded for various membership categories leading to prize drawings. New appointees Mas Hironaka and Dr. Frank Sakamoto will lead the membership effort alongside administrator Amy Yamashiro.
• Grace Kimoto Elected CCDC Governor, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Central California JACL District Council elected Grace Kimoto of Livingston-Merced JACL as district governor, to be installed at an annual banquet featuring keynote speaker J.D. Hokoyama. Other cabinet members were also elected for the 1997-98 biennium, and formation of a Central California Asian American Caucus was reported.
• JACL Board to Meet Nov. 8-10, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The first National JACL board meeting under new president Helen Kawagoe will convene Nov. 8-10 at JACL Headquarters in San Francisco. The agenda includes committee meetings, a sexual harassment workshop, financial reports, and governance discussions for the biennium.
• JACL to Offer No Cost ‘Shield 65’ to Seniors, by P.C. Staff, page 12. JACL announced availability of a new ‘Shield-65’ health plan for members with Medicare Parts A and B at no additional cost, effective Jan. 1, 1997, initially available in select California counties. The plan includes comprehensive medical services through Blue Shield’s HMO network plus dental and vision coverage.

In-Depth

• Book Review: ‘Japanese Americans in Utah’, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Editor emeritus Harry Honda reviews the JA Centennial history book edited by Ted Nagata, praising its 260 pages of photographs and contributions from 65 authors covering 52 stories. The book documents Japanese American history in Utah from 1872 through the present, including accounts of Mike Masaoka and WWII veterans.

Sports

• Fuzzy Shimada Elected to Bowling Hall of Fame, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Rokuro ‘Fuzzy’ Shimada, the first Nisei to bowl a perfect 300 game in organized play in 1949, was elected to the Bowling Hall of Fame. Shimada was a leader in getting Japanese Americans involved in bowling during a time when the American Bowling Congress excluded Asian and Black bowlers.
• His 5th ‘Hole-in-One’, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Stockton JACL golfer Alfred T. Ishida scored his fifth career hole-in-one at Dry Creek Golf Course, repeating an ace from 30 years earlier at the same hole. This ace came from the blue tees, unlike his previous shot from the white tees.
• His 4th ‘Perfect Game’, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Buena Park bowler Glenn Wada scored his fourth career 300 game at the Gardena Nikkei Bowling Tournament, finishing with a 766 series. The 33-year-old Sansei bowler has a current average of 220.

Arts & Entertainment

• Filmmaker Wins ’96 Tatsukawa Award, by P.C. Staff, page 7. San Francisco filmmaker Spencer Nakasako received the 17th annual Steve Tatsukawa Memorial Fund Award for his community work and achievement in film, including training at-risk Southeast Asian refugee youth in video production. His documentary ‘a.k.a. Don Bonus’ aired nationwide on PBS in June.

Obituaries

• T. John Fujii, Veteran Journalist, Dies at 82, by P.C. Staff, page 11. T. John Fujii, a veteran journalist who worked for prewar S.F. Nichibei, wartime Singapore English Daily, and postwar for AP, INS, and Kyodo News, died in Tokyo. He served as a 40-year Fairchild News Service correspondent in Japan after being born in Japan and raised in Livingston, California.
• Richard Itanaga, Writer and 442nd Veteran, Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Richard Itanaga, a Fresno-born writer who edited a camp newspaper and volunteered from Jerome WRA Center to serve in the 442nd Regiment Co. G, died in New York. He was a Purple Heart veteran and retired advertising and promotion director.
• Sue Odoi Dies on Trip to Great Wall of China, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Sue Odoi, 76, of Chicago suffered a fatal heart attack while on a trip to the Great Wall of China. The Mukilteo, Washington-born woman is survived by brothers Masaru and Roy and sister Miriam Okamura.
• Ena Okonogi Sakamoto, Daughter of Pioneer Physician, Dies at 90, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Ena Okonogi Sakamoto, daughter of Dr. Bunkuro Okonogi, the first Japanese physician and community pioneer who built the first modern hospital on Fresno’s West Side, died at age 90. She was an early member of the Fresno American Loyalty League, was interned at Poston, and later worked as a librarian at Fresno State.
• Dick ‘Butch’ Kurokawa, WWII Veteran, Dies at 69, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Dick ‘Butch’ Kurokawa, a Yakima, Washington native and WWII Europe veteran, died Sept. 26 in Ontario, Oregon at age 69. He is survived by his wife Ida, two stepsons, and sisters.

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