Nikkei and assimilation: a sociologist’s warning of ‘ethnic suicide’

Vol. 87, No. 23, December 15, 1978. 12 pages. View this issue

A University of Maryland sociologist, Dr. Darrel Montero, was the lead story of this 12-page issue. After studying 4,012 Japanese Americans across three generations, he asked whether a community seen as a “model minority” might be heading for what he calls “ethnic suicide,” as Sansei lose ties to the language, neighborhoods and community institutions. Elsewhere, JACL National President Clifford Uyeda reported on his first 100 days in office, including progress on redress, and B. Saiki and Paul Tsuneishi wrote about JACL’s role and its dealings with the Los Angeles United Way.

Also inside: Bill Hosokawa’s Frying Pan columns, one of them on Harold Horiuchi and the wartime incarceration (often called internment) of Nisei. San Francisco approved $100,000 for the Japantown cultural center, and the Okubo-Yamada fund asked for more help before a new trial. Chapter news came from Pasadena, Philadelphia, Pocatello-Blackfoot, Stockton and Washington, D.C.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• Nikkei may commit ‘ethnic suicide,’ sociologist Darrel Montero warns, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Univ. of Maryland sociologist Dr. Darrel Montero, studying 4,012 Japanese Americans across three generations, warns that assimilation and declining traditional values could lead to the erosion of Nikkei achievement. He notes Sansei are rapidly losing ties to Japanese language, neighborhoods, and community institutions.

Community

• Asian advisory group to L.A. school board re-elects Tanino, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masao Bu Tanino was re-elected president of the Asian American Education Commission, the liaison body to the Los Angeles Board of Education. The 30-member volunteer commission represents five Asian ethnic groups and works to help the school board understand the needs of the Asian community.
• Okubo-Yamada fund renews bid for more help, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL Okubo-Yamada Fund co-chairmen Frank Oda and George Baba renewed appeals for support as the account nears depletion ahead of a new trial in Chicago court. The fund has received $8,155.55 toward a $25,000 goal to assist the two families with court expenses.
• Iwama seeks council seat, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Frank A. Iwama, a former state deputy attorney general and national JACL legal counsel, filed for the Sacramento City Council vacancy created by Robert Matsui’s election to Congress. Iwama is regarded as among the top five candidates for the appointment.
• S.F. grants $100,000 to Japantown Center, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 contribution toward the Japantown cultural and community center, scheduled for construction by December 1979. JCCNC president Dave Asano said the group will seek new funding sources and grow its membership from 200 to 300.
• Japan Today planned for spring 1979, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japan Today, a continuing celebration of contemporary Japan’s culture, intellectual life and economy, will be presented in spring 1979 in major American cities. Educator-journalist Michio Nagai will deliver the keynote address in Washington on April 17.
• Diablo Valley JACL reviews local retirement program, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Diablo Valley JACL held a well-attended evening on retirement planning with speakers on Social Security, investments, and housing. Mei Nakano reported the East Bay Issei Housing Project is now supported by 22 organizations.
• Pasadena installation set for Jan. 28, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pasadena JACL will install its 1979 officers at the Limehouse Restaurant, with Tom Ito in charge of the event. Reservations are being handled by Frances Hiraoka and Ruth Ishii.
• 1979 calendar started for Philadelphia JACL, by Grayce Uyehara, page 7. Philadelphia JACL chapter board chairperson Grayce Uyehara listed the chapter’s 1979 activities, including a New Year party, board meetings, and an installation dinner-dance. The board also proposed expanding its membership and changing its policy on dues for Issei senior citizens.
• Mochitsuki time in Pocatello, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL held its annual meeting and mochitsuki, and announced its membership campaign with new dues of $20 single and $40 couple. Membership chairperson Marie Proctor is leading the drive.
• Wataridori to be shown Dec. 16, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Stockton JACL will hold its annual Christmas potluck and Keiro-kai honoring senior citizens over 70, followed by a screening of the Visual Communications film Wataridori about the Issei. The chapter is also co-sponsoring a koto concert with Lodi JACL in January.
• Installation site selected, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Washington, D.C. JACL will hold its 33rd annual installation dinner-dance at the Sheraton Potomac Inn on January 27, with Rep-elect Robert Matsui to be introduced. Tickets are $15 per person and a chapter mochitsuki is also planned.
• Minority jobs for Capitol project stay, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The appellate court overturned a lower court ruling that had allowed the State Capitol reconstruction project to abandon minority hiring rules. The decision requires that subcontracts over $250,000 commit 20 percent of their value to minority-owned businesses.
• Nikkei scholars at Univ. of Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The University Students Club, Inc. awarded scholarships to several Nikkei students from Washington high schools and graduate programs. The club’s program has made 108 awards totaling $39,580 since 1965.

National

• Intermarriage gains continue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A November Gallup Poll shows American tolerance for interracial and interfaith marriages has increased substantially over the past decade. Approval of white-nonwhite marriage rose from 20 percent in 1968 to 37 percent in 1978.
• Contract compliance offices consolidated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Labor Secretary Ray Marshall announced the Labor Department will take sole responsibility for enforcing equal employment opportunity rules after President Carter consolidated 11 agencies handling federal contract compliance. The executive order centralizes enforcement under one department.
• Fewer present-day Japanese, Americans view their countries as former enemies, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A Yomiuri Shimbun and Gallup Poll survey found World War II still dominates older generations’ images of each other’s countries, while younger people associate the other nation with industry and trade. The poll suggests the image of former enemies is fading over time.

JACL

• 100 Days, by Clifford Uyeda, page 2. JACL National President Clifford Uyeda reports on activities in the first 100 days since the Salt Lake City convention, including committee appointments and progress on redress. He highlights new committee leadership and the upcoming planning for the organization’s biennium.
• Constitutional Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A resolution adopted at the Salt Lake convention calls for a two-day constitutional convention before the 1980 National Convention in San Francisco. National President Clifford Uyeda appointed Mikio Uchiyama to chair the National Constitutional Revision Committee, which is soliciting ideas from across JACL.

Commentary

• Cloning no longer science fiction, by Jin Konomi, page 3. Jin Konomi explains tissue culture, or plant cloning, and its commercial impact on horticulture, highlighting the work of Toshio Murashige. He profiles the Matsuyama family’s K M Nursery near Santa Barbara, where tissue culture produces large numbers of identical plants.
• JACL helps Asians face United Way, by Paul Tsuneishi, page 4. Paul Tsuneishi defends JACL’s role in advocating for Asian/Pacific community organizations in their dialogue with the Los Angeles United Way. He argues minority organizations are underrepresented in funding decisions despite the disproportionate flow of funds to Anglo institutions.
• Things ‘Wrong’ with JACL, by B. Saiki, page 4. B. Saiki responds to Dr. William Nakashima’s critique of JACL and the Pacific Citizen, arguing that the organization’s leadership reflects member choices and that change must come from active membership. He urges Nisei and Sansei members to voice their views through chapters and the PC.
• Issei in Florida, by Larry Rosenweig, page 4. Larry Rosenweig, curator of the Morikami Museum, requests information and photographs about the Yamato Colony near Delray Beach, Florida, for a grant-funded curriculum and exhibit. He asks readers to contact the museum before the grant period ends in September 1979.
• Frying Pan: Our little house on the prairie, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa reflects on a reunion with old friends and the passing of youthful summers, drawing on the themes of aging and memory. The column closes with reflections on the mystery of growing older.
• Frying Pan: Comment No. 5, by Garrett Ray, page 5. Garrett Ray reviews Bill Hosokawa’s book Thirty-Five Years in the Frying Pan, praising its perceptive portrayal of Nisei experience and wartime injustice. He notes the book appeals to general readers as well as Japanese Americans.
• Nikkei priest in Canada speaks four languages, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Rev. Roland M. Kawano was appointed priest-in-charge of St. Andrew’s Japanese Congregation Anglican Church in Toronto. A Honolulu native, he previously served Navajo communities in Utah and speaks English, French, Japanese and Navajo.

Military & Veterans

• Frying Pan column on Harold Horiuchi and Nisei internment, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa recounts the wartime internment of Nisei citizens, including jeweler Harold Horiuchi, who had to obtain a pass from his camp to enlist in the Army. He describes the wartime hysteria and the resilience of Nisei who remained loyal to their country.

Arts & Entertainment

• Japan festivals, as observed by Nikkei, focused in book, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Nancy Araki and Jane Horii’s book Matsuri! Festival! explores the origins and present-day observance of Japanese festivals such as New Year’s, Girls’ Day, Boys’ Day, Tanabata, and Bon. It includes detailed instructions for traditional displays and activities for all ages.

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