Building Fund giving, redress ideas and a Seattle proposal

Vol. 82, No. 3, January 23, 1976. 6 pages. View this issue

The National JACL Headquarters Building Fund led the front page of this six-page issue. Contributions fell sharply in December 1975, with 67 donors, and the Salinas Valley JACL led the way with 41 of them under chairman Tom Miyamura. Redress also drew attention: the Seattle JACL urged chapters to act on its proposal for the wartime Evacuation, recommending $5,000 plus $10 per day of confinement. Wendy Yoshimura’s return to an Oakland court was reported too.

On the commentary pages, Edison Uno criticized a Hawaii Five-O episode, and Bill Hosokawa described eating fugu in Tokyo. Bill Marutani wrote about the Japanese value of mottainai, and editor Harry K. Honda urged chapters to send in their news. Readers will also find the JAL-JACL fellowship, the Yatabe scholarship drive and Michi Weglyn’s book Years of Infamy.

What’s in this issue

Community

• JACL Building Fund Contributions Drop in December; Salinas Valley Chapter Leads, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Contributions to the National JACL Headquarters Building Fund fell sharply in December 1975, with 67 donors. The Salinas Valley JACL led with 41 donors and an improved participation rate under chairman Tom Miyamura.
• Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission at Full Strength; Fund Set at $30 Million, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congress appointed Senators Inouye and Javits to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, completing its membership. The Trust Fund was set at $30 million to support scholarly, cultural and educational exchange between the two countries.
• Sacramento JACL Plans Cultural, Civic Activities for 1976, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Newly elected president Floyd Shimamura and the Sacramento JACL board have planned events promoting Japanese American culture, including the International Fiesta and Camellia Festival. The chapter will also co-sponsor the Asian Health Fair.
• Portland JACL Addresses Family Involvement and Social Issues, by Stan Kiyokawa, page 1. The Portland Chapter responded to Vietnamese refugee resettlement by forming a study committee and donating $200 to the center housing refugees. The chapter also expanded family-oriented activities and maintained a newsletter during the past year.
• Career Man Named Postmaster, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Santa Barbara JACLer Tom Tsunoda, a 20-year Postal Service employee, was named Officer in Charge of the Goleta post office. He took over from retiring postmaster Benjamin P. J. Wells on Jan. 17.
• 1976 Overview on Youth Programs, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL’s National Youth Program outlines its 1976 plans, including an employment bulletin board and a proposal for District Youth Commissioners to submit to the summer convention. Revised Youth Program Notebooks for chapter advisors are also in progress.
• Seattle Vietnamese Refugees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seattle’s Vietnamese community organized in 1970 as a support group and continues to assist refugees. The article describes local efforts to help newly arrived families settle.
• JACL Credit Union Declares 6 1/2% Dividend for Second Half of 1975, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National JACL Credit Union credited members’ accounts with a 6.5% annual dividend for the second half of 1975, totaling $66,058. The annual meeting is scheduled for Feb. 28 in Chicago.
• Kenji Machida Named PSWDC Legal Counsel, by P.C. Staff, page 3. West Los Angeles JACLer Kenji Machida was named legal counsel for the Pacific Southwest JACL District Council, succeeding Louis K. Tin. He is a deputy district attorney.

JACL

• Yatabe Scholarship Campaign Tops $3,500, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago JACL’s Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe scholarship fund reached $3,633 from 98 contributors. The $500 award will be presented to a deserving student.
• Mar. 1 Deadline for JAL Fellowship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Applications are now available for the 1976 JAL-JACL Cultural Heritage Fellowship Program, which offers round-trip airfare to Tokyo, tuition at Sophia University, room and board, and educational materials. Applicants must be JACL members aged 18 to 26 and have not lived in Japan for more than two weeks since high school; the deadline is March 1.

National

• Hispanics Miffed at Rights Body, by Wendy Yoshimura, page 1. El Congreso of Hispanic American Citizens threatened to resign from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights over perceived insensitivity to Hispanic concerns. A joint statement later said both groups would keep working together, though El Congreso declined to attend the annual meeting.
• 2,200 Japanese Cherry Trees for Bicentennial Gift, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japan presented 2,200 cherry trees to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle as a Bicentennial commemoration. Los Angeles began planting its 500 trees at City Hall on Jan. 15.

Arts & Entertainment

• Pacific Overtures Scores High with N.Y. Theater Critics, All Asians in Cast, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Broadway musical Pacific Overtures, opening Jan. 11 with an all-Asian cast, drew differing but generally admiring reviews from New York critics. The show, based on John Weidman’s book with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, depicts Japan’s changes since Commodore Perry’s arrival in 1853.

Commentary

• Sakuma Viewpoint, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A University of Washington landscape architecture professor who died last March is remembered in this tribute. He had served on the faculty since 1963.
• Editor’s Desk: On Making Our Front Page, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. The editor urges JACL chapters to send regular reports and newsletters so their activities reach the Pacific Citizen. He explains deadlines and suggests chapter publicity chairs be encouraged to write news stories.
• Editorial: W. Mackenzie King’s Diary, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial examines Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King’s diary entries about the atomic bomb, which reveal a racist framing of the bomb’s use. It questions whether dropping the bomb was necessary given Japan’s already weakened position.
• Hawaii Five-O, by Edison Uno, page 2. Edison Uno criticizes a Hawaii Five-O episode about a Japanese American accused of treason at Pearl Harbor, calling it racist and damaging to the community’s reputation. He urges readers to protest to the FCC and CBS.
• Minority One: Fugu and $80 Neckties, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Bill Hosokawa describes eating fugu in Tokyo with Dentsu Advertising staff and shopping in Tokyo’s department stores. He recounts a humorous episode involving a manicure sales pitch.
• Letter: Years of Infamy, by Ernest Seko, page 2. Ernest Seko reflects on the Munson Report’s pre-war views of Nisei and questions why the JACL accepted donations from Japanese banks. He raises concerns about foreign influence on the organization.
• Letter: OSS Broadcaster, by Taro Kawakami, page 2. Taro Kawakami responds to a prior letter, arguing Japanese militarism’s worst victims were the Ainu people, and discusses prejudice against them in Japanese history. He concludes that racism must be countered with love and kindness.
• Mottainai: It’s Chic, by Bill Marutani, page 4. The columnist reflects on the Japanese value of mottainai, the avoidance of waste, which he learned from his Issei mother and now sees as fashionable. He traces his lesson to a story about a rice grain.

Incarceration & Redress

• Wendy Yoshimura Trial Date to Be Set This Friday, by Ler Ruttle, page 1. Wendy Yoshimura returned to Oakland court on Jan. 23 for pretrial motions before Judge Martin Pollak, who will set the trial date. Her defense sought dismissal of charges related to alleged explosives, arguing the grand jury failed to establish reasonable cause.
• Seattle’s Reparation Proposal, by Seattle JACL, page 4. The Seattle JACL distributed a questionnaire, cassette tape and transcript urging chapters to take action on redress for the wartime Evacuation. The proposal recommends $5,000 plus $10 per day of confinement, funded either by direct congressional appropriation or a Bootstrap trust fund.
• Years of Infamy Pre-publication Offering, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Pacific Citizen offered Michi Weglyn’s book Years of Infamy at a pre-publication price as a Bicentennial gift. The book examines the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.

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.