Census categories, Proposition 209 and a memorial for Washington, D.C.

Vol. 124, No. 8, April 18, 1997. 12 pages. View this issue

Race and how it is counted ran through this 12-page issue. Harry K. Honda reported that a decision on a multiracial census category was expected by June or July, with a short history of census race categories alongside. Albert Y. Muratsuchi wrote about the federal appeals ruling that California’s Proposition 209 was constitutional, and JACL National Director Herbert Yamanishi demanded an apology from The National Review for a cover he called racist. National President Helen Kawagoe looked back on her first eight months in office.

Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani and Michi N. Weglyn appeared on pages 8 and 9. Marutani argued for a national Japanese American memorial in Washington, D.C., and Dr. Frank Nishio wrote about the 100/442/MIS monument planned for Little Tokyo. Poston former residents held a reunion, and more than 70 Kahuku evacuees in Hawaii were found eligible for redress.

What’s in this issue

National

• Census May Include ‘Multiracial’ Category, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget is expected to decide by June or July whether the next census will include a new multiracial category. Debate continues over how this change would affect racial classification, particularly for Asian Pacific Islanders and other minority groups.
• Study: Nisei Have Greater Risk of Alzheimer’s Than Native Japanese, page 1. Researchers in Hawaii and Washington found elderly Japanese Americans have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than Japanese natives, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Scientists suggest environmental factors and mental stimulation, such as bilingualism, may play a role in the disparity.
• U.S. Attorney Yamaguchi Urged for Federal Bench, page 1. Michael Yamaguchi, U.S. Attorney for Northern California, has emerged as the top candidate to become the first Asian American federal judge in San Francisco Bay area history. He was recommended by Sen. Dianne Feinstein to succeed U.S. District Judge Robert Aguilar.
• National Review Founder Defends ‘Racist’ Cover, page 3. William F. Buckley Jr. defended The National Review’s March 24 cover depicting the President, First Lady, and Vice President as Chinese caricatures, dismissing criticism as coming from ‘defamation seeking outfits.’ JACL PSW Regional Director Al Muratsuchi responded that Buckley and the magazine were out of touch with Asian American sensibilities and should apologize.

Commentary

• California’s Proposition 209: What Next?, by Albert Y. Muratsuchi, page 1. Federal appeals judges ruled on April 8 that California’s Proposition 209, which abolishes affirmative action programs, is constitutional, overriding a lower court injunction. JACL had worked to defeat the measure and now faces continued legal battles as the ACLU and other groups seek further remedies, possibly up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Oh? A ‘Nikkei’ Nobel Laureate?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa explores whether 1987 Nobel Chemistry laureate Charles J. Pedersen, born to a Norwegian father and Japanese mother in Korea, qualifies as Nikkei. The column discusses Pedersen’s scientific achievements and a reader’s admiration for his humility and perseverance.
• Eternal Torch, by Bill Marutani, page 8. Marutani discusses the historical background and significance of the proposed national Japanese American memorial in Washington, D.C., tracing legislative efforts back to 1992 House and Senate resolutions. He argues Washington D.C. is uniquely fitting as the memorial’s location due to the role all three branches of government played in wartime incarceration and later redress.
• ‘Speak Only English’, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda reflects on the Supreme Court’s declining to hear an Arizona ‘English only’ case for public employees, exploring the history and diversity of English dialects and Japanese-English linguistic borrowing. He references various Pacific Citizen columnists who have written about Japanese American English usage and pidgin forms over the years.
• Is the 100/442/MIS Monument ‘Controversial?’ ‘Of Course Not!’, by Dr. Frank Nishio, page 9. Nishio argues the planned 100/442/MIS monument in Little Tokyo should not be considered controversial, emphasizing the debt owed to these WWII veterans for enabling Japanese American reintegration into society. He addresses the debate over listing all 14,000+ veterans versus only the 600+ killed in action, advocating for full inclusion.
• Abandoned Belongings, by Akemi Kayleng, page 9. Kayleng reflects on conversations with a friend about cultural self-criticism within both Black and Japanese American communities, discussing generational and assimilation concerns. She draws a parallel between wartime forced evacuation and contemporary community choices, arguing current struggles are self-determined rather than externally imposed.
• Redress for Railroaders: Agreement by Naval/Army Intelligence with FBI Cited, by Michi N. Weglyn, page 9. Weglyn examines historical documents showing the FBI had exclusive authority over Japanese American railroad workers during WWII, with a delimitation agreement giving them oversight of transportation system employees. She argues this proves railroad companies sought and received government approval before mass firing Japanese American employees.
• Letters: Voices, page 9. This letters section includes readers seeking Michi Weglyn’s address after reading her redress article, a Ventura County JACL couple’s donation to P.C. SAVE, a request for company designations in 442nd obituaries, and praise for JACL convention volunteer Natsuko Irei.

Community

• ‘Year of the Rat’ Stamp Rated ‘Least Necessary’ in Annual Poll, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Linn’s Stamp News’ annual reader poll named the ‘Year of the Rat’ commemorative stamp the least necessary of 1996 postage stamps. The stamp was also noted as the most frequently seen on incoming mail to the Pacific Citizen that year.
• San Jose Nikkei Elected Member of National Academy of Engineering, page 4. Jim K. Omura, co-founder of Cylink Corporation, was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to spread-spectrum communications and data encryption technology. Omura, a former UCLA professor, has published over 100 technical papers and holds a Ph.D. from Stanford.
• ‘Personal Justice Denied’ Available, page 6. Copies of the 1997 edition of Personal Justice Denied are available to JACL members through national headquarters and regional offices. The new edition includes an added prologue and foreword not present in the original 1982 publication.
• Chapter Lauds Local Newspaper Reportage, page 6. The Pocatello-Blackfoot Chapter praised the Idaho State Journal for balanced coverage of the Democratic National Committee fundraising controversy, contrasting it with biased national coverage that unfairly implicated Asian Americans. The chapter also reported on a hapi coat-making workshop and new board member Danny Teraguchi.
• ‘Conservation Biology’ Course Attracts Japanese, by Allan Beekman, page 7. Director Kenneth Kaneshiro of the University of Hawaii received a grant from Nippon Bunri University to develop an undergraduate conservation biology curriculum. Hawaii is home to over a third of the endangered species on the U.S. list, making it significant for genetic and evolutionary biology research.
• PC People, page 7. This roundup profiles several notable Japanese Americans including new California Dental Association president Eugene Sekiguchi, Honolulu’s youngest city councilman Jon Yoshimura, and UW Multicultural Alumni honoree Ike Ikeda. It also covers officer installations for the San Francisco Bay Area Nikkei Singles club and a scholarship award to Gennifer Hirano.
• Hawaii Crime a Topic in Japan; Time to Clean Up, Says Official, by Alan Beekman, page 11. Two Japanese TV programs highlighted Hawaii’s drug problems and crimes against Japanese tourists, prompting concern from the Hawaii Hotel Association president. Japanese Consul General Kishichiro Amae warned that vigorous action must be taken immediately following a gunpoint robbery of Japanese tourists at a Hawaii resort.
• Nisei Churchman’s 46 Years Hailed, page 11. The Rev. S. Michael Yasutake was honored at a tribute dinner in Chicago for 46 years of human rights and peace work as an Episcopal priest. Proceeds from the event supported the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, and tributes highlighted his work with the Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project.

Incarceration & Redress

• Eureka! Arizona Relic \u2014 A Poston Barrack, page 1. Former residents of Poston III gathered for a camp reunion in early April, discovering a preserved barrack moved into the city of Parker, Arizona. Attendees also visited the Poston Memorial kiosk and monument dedicated to Nisei soldiers killed in action and the 18,000 people of Japanese ancestry who were interned there.
• Kahuku Evacuees Eligible to Get Redress, by Allan Beekman, page 1. More than 70 former Kahuku residents of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii have been found eligible for $20,000 redress payments and an apology for their forced wartime evacuation. The Honolulu JACL chapter and National Asian Pacific American Association announced the finding after documentation issues were resolved through non-Japanese neighbors’ testimony.
• Census: Historical Tracking of Race in America, page 1. The article traces the history of U.S. census race categories from 1790 through 1990, noting changes from simple white/slave categories to the 14 race categories used in 1990. It notes the Census Bureau tabulates race based on self-identification rather than scientific description.

JACL

• The First 8 Months, by Helen Kawagoe, National President, page 3. National JACL President Helen Kawagoe reflects on her first eight months in office, covering legislative issues like Proposition 209 and 208, JACL membership growth, and new chapter leadership across the country. She also discusses ongoing projects including the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation and various fundraising and development efforts.
• JACL Condemns Cover of National Review as ‘Racist’, page 3. JACL National Director Herbert Yamanishi demanded a public apology from The National Review for its March 24, 1997 cover featuring racist caricatures of Chinese figures. Yamanishi compared the imagery to wartime propaganda that contributed to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans.
• PSW Office to Offer Summer Internship, page 3. The JACL Pacific Southwest Regional Office announced a $1,500 stipend for a 10-week summer internship position. Applications must be postmarked by May 9 and sent to Al Muratsuchi at the Los Angeles regional office.
• The National JACL Investment Policy, by Arnold Miyamoto, chair, Investment Policy Committee, page 5. The National JACL Board adopted a comprehensive investment policy on March 22, 1997, governing the management of several national endowment funds including the Masaoka Fellows, Scholarship, and Student Aid Endowment Funds. The policy establishes permissible and non-permissible investments, asset allocation guidelines, and rules for professional investment managers.

Military & Veterans

• New Mexico JACL Elects Joe Ando, Retired Air Force Colonel, as President, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Joe Ando, whose family was interned at Crystal City during WWII after his father was wrongly jailed based on false accusations, became New Mexico JACL president. Ando went on to a distinguished Air Force career including service during the Vietnam War buildup and later retired as a colonel after being stationed in Germany and Albuquerque.
• JA Korean War Vets Keep Memorial Honor Roll Open for CD-ROM, page 11. Memorial Booklet Chairman Norio Uyematsu is seeking names of Japanese American armed forces members who served during the Korean War era from 1950-1953, including those who have since died. Names received after the banquet deadline will be included in a planned CD-ROM for placement in Japanese American museums and historical societies.

In-Depth

• ‘The Jew and the Roots of Japanese’, by James Oda, page 6. James Oda reviews Zenichiro Oyabe’s 1929 book exploring the theory that the Japanese Imperial Family and Ainu people descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel, citing numerous cultural parallels between ancient Jewish and Japanese customs. Oda details Oyabe’s scholarly background and the historical claims made connecting Hebrew and Japanese language, religious practices, and traditions.
• Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai Recalled, page 7. Two China-born Jewish readers corrected misconceptions published in a Jewish community weekly about a supposed Jewish concentration camp and rescue in Shanghai during WWII. They detailed the actual history of the Hongkew district where over 25,000 Jewish refugees, many with transit visas through Japan, were confined but not liberated by any external rescuer.

Obituaries

• Lyn Crost, Chronicler of Nisei MIS in Pacific, Dies, page 11. Lyn Crost, author of Honor by Fire about Japanese Americans in Military Intelligence during WWII, died April 7 of a brain tumor. She covered the 100th/442nd for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and later researched and told the story of the Nisei role in the Pacific theater.
• T. Terry Hayashi, 75: Professor of Medicine at Pitt, page 11. T. Terry Hayashi, who chaired the obstetrics and gynecology department at the University of Pittsburgh medical school, died Feb. 7 at his home. Interned at Tule Lake during WWII while a Berkeley student, he continued his education at Temple University and went on to a distinguished academic medical career.

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.