A sergeant’s four-year fight, and Japanese Cubans’ wartime story

Vol. 131, No. 15, September 29, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue

Two stories of people who held their ground led this issue. Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Moriguchi won a four-year battle over a racist drawing posted at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department substation, and was one of seven honorees at the JACL Pacific Southwest District dinner, which more than 400 people attended. Martha Nakagawa also spoke with Francisco Shinichi Miyasaka about the wartime incarceration of Japanese men in Cuba, and a second article followed his talk in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere, the paper reported on the Shibayama v. USA lawsuit by Japanese Latin Americans and on Rep. Robert T. Matsui’s letter to President Clinton about the Wen Ho Lee case. Toko Fujii described a Tulelake reunion of more than 700 people in Sacramento. Commentary included Ryan Chin’s look at Min Tsubota, and letters on the 80-20 Initiative and the wartime choices of JACL leaders and draft resisters.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Sergeant Who Fought Racism in L.A. Sheriff’s Dept. One of Seven Honorees at PSW District Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 1. L.A. Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Moriguchi, who fought a four-year battle over a racist drawing posted at a Sheriff’s Department substation, was one of seven honorees at the JACL PSWD dinner attended by more than 400 people. Moriguchi endured harassment including false misconduct charges, a searched locker, deleted computer files, and slashed tires before settling his lawsuit with Los Angeles County for $138,000.
• 700+ Attend Tulelake Reunion, by By Toko Fujii, page 5. More than 700 former Tuleans and their families gathered in Sacramento for what was likely the last Tulelake reunion held there, featuring a gala mixer, local tours, and a sayonara dinner. Keynote speaker Irene Hirano of the Japanese American National Museum described the museum’s growth, while Cherry Tsutsumida thanked attendees for contributions to the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism.
• Oral History Training Offered to Church Groups on Oct. 25, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Churches interested in developing oral history projects are invited to a training session on Oct. 25 at the JEMS office in Little Tokyo, led by Rev. Heihachiro Takarabe, founder of the Issei Oral History Project. Rev. Paul Nakamura of the Nisei Ministerial Association is spearheading the effort to collect interviews of Issei and Nisei church leaders.
• Illinois Judge Sandra Otaka Sworn In, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Judge Sandra Otaka was sworn in as a Cook County circuit judge by Chief Judge Donald O’Connell, becoming the first Asian American appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court. The ceremony was attended by state officials including State Sen. Lisa Madigan and Illinois Supreme Court Judge Michael Bilandic.

National

• Cuban Nikkei Recall Wartime Incarceration and Hardship, by By Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Francisco Shinichi Miyasaka recounts how his father was taken away and incarcerated during World War II simply for being of Japanese descent, this time in Cuba rather than the U.S. Nikkei women in Cuba were forced to find work to survive after their husbands were imprisoned on the Isla de Pinos, and Miyasaka credits community and friends for their survival.
• Interpretation Campaign Helps APIs Understand Health Care Rights, by By Tracy Uba, page 1. Asian Pacific Islanders with limited English proficiency often face denial of prompt health care due to lack of interpreters, despite legal protections. The Pacific Asian Language Services (PALS) program is running an outreach and ad campaign to inform APIs of their rights to interpretation services and to educate health care providers of their legal obligations.
• U.S. Government Enters Motion to Dismiss Japanese Latin American Lawsuit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese Latin Americans who were removed from their homes and imprisoned in the U.S. during WWII filed a brief in the Shibayama v. USA lawsuit responding to the government’s motion to dismiss. Plaintiffs seek an apology, equitable compensation, and disclosure of facts, while attorney Karen Parker accused the government of trying to revise history and deny its role in the forced deportations.
• Missing Al Gore E-Mails Detail Buddhist Temple Event, by By Associated Press, page 3. Newly disclosed e-mails describe Vice President Al Gore’s staff referring to an event at a Buddhist temple as a fund-raiser, contradicting the administration’s earlier denials. The e-mails, provided to a House committee, have fueled criticism from Bush campaign officials questioning Gore’s credibility on the matter.
• Al, Tipper Gore Campaign in APA Communities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper have been actively campaigning within Asian Pacific American communities, pledging to support policies that strengthen quality of life for APAs. Gore promised fair immigration policies, tax relief, and expanded health care access if elected president.
• Matsui, Colleagues Ask Clinton to Investigate Wen Ho Lee Case, by P.C. Staff, page 3. U.S. Rep. Robert T. Matsui and several colleagues sent a letter to President Clinton asking him to investigate the role of U.S. agencies in the Wen Ho Lee investigation and prosecution. The letter urged that the inquiry not be limited merely to the issue of bail but expanded to examine the roles taken by each agency involved.
• Nakano Appointed to Powerful Rules Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California Assemblyman George Nakano was named to the influential Assembly Rules Committee by Speaker Bob Hertzberg, an unusual honor for a first-term legislator. The appointment places Nakano alongside some of the state’s most influential lawmakers and gives him significant say over committee assignments for bills.
• Robert Bratt to Appear Before Second Hearing on Oct. 5, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Robert K. Bratt, the first Department of Justice Office of Redress administrator, has been called to testify before a second congressional hearing on Oct. 5. The hearing follows an inspector general’s 414-page report examining alleged misconduct and mismanagement within the redress program.
• National Newsbytes, by By Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. This roundup covers a police investigation into swastikas and hate graffiti, a Barnes & Noble/ADL anti-hate book campaign, a University of Georgia study showing minority buying power nearly doubling, a Sacramento fund-raiser for an Asian women’s shelter, a federal judge’s dismissal of WWII slave labor lawsuits against Japanese corporations, a Honolulu police captain’s recovery from leukemia, and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson’s support of the Justice Department’s handling of the Wen Ho Lee case.

JACL

• David Mas Masumoto to Speak at 51st CCDC Banquet on Nov. 3, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Author David Mas Masumoto, recipient of CCDC’s Next Generation Award, will be the guest speaker at the 51st CCDC installation banquet in Fresno on Nov. 3. Masumoto, an organic farmer and writer, will share stories from his books alongside musical performances, and the event will include installation of new district officers.
• PSW District Honors Seven at Annual Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL PSWD annual dinner recognized seven honorees including Helen Kawagoe for her redress advocacy and grassroots activism, while keynote speaker Michael Yamaki encouraged APAs to get involved in politics. The event, attended by JACL National President Floyd Mori and other leaders, celebrated contributions to civil rights and community service.

Commentary

• Min Tsubota Legacy, by By Ryan Chin, V.P. Public Affairs, page 6. Min Tsubota became a prominent figure in the Seattle JA community, serving as chapter president and helping revoke Washington State’s Alien Land Law in 1960. He also started the Seattle Nisei Queen Contest and Seafair Torchlight Parade float tradition, raising money from just $13 in the chapter bank account to build a lasting community institution.
• Japanese or American?, by Katsumi (Campbell, Calif.), page 7. This letter explores why JACL leaders urged cooperation with the government during WWII, arguing they sought to distinguish Americans of Japanese Ancestry from the Japanese for public relations purposes amid hostile political conditions. The writer contends that both JACL leaders and draft resisters acted with integrity given impossible circumstances, and credits Dr. George Tsukuda for insights shaping these views.
• Wen Ho Lee’s Case Appalling, by (Stockton, Calif.), page 7. The writer responds to the Wen Ho Lee case, suggesting cultural misunderstanding between East and West contributed to his prolonged detention. Attorney General Janet Reno’s comments implying Lee should have been more forthcoming reflect an American cultural bias against his more reserved, courteous demeanor.
• 80-20 Doesn’t Speak for All APAs, page 7. The writers criticize the 80-20 Initiative for claiming to represent all Asian Pacific American voters through an endorsement of Al Gore, questioning the legitimacy and representativeness of its 33 delegates. They argue the organization relies on outdated race-based assumptions and announce their intent to vote for George W. Bush instead.

In-Depth

• CCLPEP Grant Awarded to Animated Children’s Film Project on WWII Incarceration, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Independent filmmaker Seari Morijiro O’Gara received a CCLPEP grant to produce an animated children’s film titled ‘Kaoru’s Bark’ about the Japanese American camp experience, to be broadcast-ready by next May. The film, based on oral histories O’Gara collected across California, will be the first in a planned trilogy called ‘The Nikkei Animated Children’s Film Project.’
• Japanese Cuban Nisei Miyasaka Speaks in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 8. Francisco Shinichi Miyasaka detailed the history of Japanese immigration to Cuba, the WWII-era incarceration of Japanese men on Isla de Pinos, and his own involvement in the Cuban revolutionary student militia under Castro. He now serves as president of the Asociacion de La Sociedad Japonesa de Cuba, working to preserve Japanese Cuban history and strengthen ties with Japanese communities in the U.S. and Latin America.

Obituaries

• Obituaries, by P.C. Staff, page 7. This week’s obituary listings include Yaeko Yamashina Akira, Yoshiko Fujihara, Betty Mariko Iwata, Makin Kariyama, Hideko Makuta, Calvin K. Sakamoto, Anson Duke Mitsuo Une, Kay Fuyami Wada, Iwao Watanabe, Annie Kiyoko Yamasaka, Anna Yatabe, Gard Yokoe, and Frank Minoru Yoshizaki, detailing their surviving family members. Many were longtime California and Pacific Northwest residents with ties to the WWII generation.

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.