HR 5150 hearings for atomic bomb survivors, and JACL’s money troubles

Vol. 86, No. 11, March 24, 1978. 8 pages. View this issue

Health care for American survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings led the news. Congressional hearings on HR 5150, co-authored by Reps. Norman Mineta and Edward Roybal, were set for March 31 in Los Angeles, with Rep. George Danielson saying the proposal deserved a full and fair hearing. Inside, the paper turned to JACL’s finances. Kari Nobuyuki and Paul Tsuneishi wrote about the organization’s budget and priorities, the National JACL Board’s March 10-12 recommendations included a proposed dues increase from $12 to $20, and Clifford L. Uyeda continued his series on the redress campaign.

Also inside: Carol Kawanami in Villa Park and Toru Miyoshi in Santa Maria won city council seats. Sandra S. Tanaka filed a $5 million claim against a school district. Salt Lake JACL members traded letters, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about Issei oral histories. Max Kawano remembered teacher Harry Hoegh for his support of Japanese Americans during the war.

What’s in this issue

National

• Rep. Danielson’s Panel to Hear HR 5150 on Atomic Bomb Survivors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congressional hearings on HR 5150, co-authored by Reps. Norman Mineta and Edward Roybal, will be held in Los Angeles March 31 to address health care reimbursement for American atomic bomb survivors. Rep. George Danielson said the proposal deserves a full and fair hearing, estimating about 750 U.S. citizens or permanent residents were in Hiroshima or Nagasaki during the bombings.
• Sansei Teacher Files Major Civil Rights Claim Against Palos Verdes School District, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii-born teacher Sandra S. Tanaka has filed a $5 million claim against the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, alleging retaliation for First Amendment activity, due process violations, and discrimination based on race, national origin, and sex. The claim follows a series of disputes including a dismissal notice and a prior $1 million claim, with a rescheduled hearing set for June 5.

Community

• Villa Park Elects Nikkei to City Council, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Carol Kawanami became the first Japanese American and second woman elected to the Villa Park city council, leading the field with 1,193 votes in the March 7 election. A former city commissioner, she campaigned on city planning and spending.
• Refugees in New Status, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Forty Indochinese refugees in the Dallas area applied for permanent resident status following a new congressional law, and immigration officials expect many more applications. Dallas is believed to have the third largest refugee population after Los Angeles and San Diego.
• Santa Maria City Council Seats Its First Minority in 73 Years, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Realtor Toru Miyoshi won a four-year term on the Santa Maria city council, becoming the first minority elected to the body in 73 years with the most votes of any candidate. Miyoshi said he focused on balancing growth with preserving the town’s rural environment and atmosphere.
• San Jose to Hold One-Day Matsuri, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Nikkei Matsuri spring festival will be held April 2 in San Jose, featuring twenty community groups selling Japanese and American foods, continuous entertainment, and artisan displays. The event celebrates Japanese American cultural heritage.
• Hoegh Remembered by Selma JACL, by Max Kawano, page 3. Harry Hoegh, a Selma High School teacher who opposed the wartime evacuation of Japanese Americans, died at 88 and is remembered for visiting former students in Gila River and helping evacuees return. He was honored with Selma’s Citizen of the Year award and the Selma High School library was named after him.

Commentary

• Funatos Receive Apology from Nova Academy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Nova Academy in San Francisco apologized to the family of a 12-year-old Japanese American student whose history teacher allegedly told the class his parents bombed Pearl Harbor. The apology followed requests from JACL regional director George Kondo and the boy’s mother.
• Down to Earth: A Pro-Active Line for JACL, by Kari Nobuyuki, page 4. The column argues that JACL’s financial difficulties require members to increase their support so the organization can respond to community needs. It urges the organization to adopt a pro-active rather than reactive or maintenance-oriented approach.
• View from the Bamboo Tower: Salt Lake JACL Responds, by Jimi Mitsunaga, page 4. Salt Lake JACL president Jimi Mitsunaga responds to a prior article criticizing the chapter’s leadership, defending the board’s record and noting the chapter’s recent awards. He invites members to raise concerns through involvement and dialogue rather than apathy.
• Desperate Plight of JACL, by Paul Tsuneishi, page 5. PSWDC Governor Paul Tsuneishi warns that JACL’s budget cannot fund key priorities, including support for HR 5150, reparations, and the Okubo-Yamada fund, after the Sacramento convention budget omitted them. He notes that inflation and cash flow problems leave no room in the budget for the needed expenses.
• P.S. to a 1973 Incident, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Sachi Seko responds to Salt Lake JACL president Jimi Mitsunaga, clarifying her membership history and describing her 1973 intervention on behalf of a white teacher wrongly accused of racism by a local JACL speaker. She explains her disillusionment with the Salt Lake chapter’s refusal to apologize.
• Reparation, by Nobuyuki Nakajima; Shuji Kimura, page 5. Two readers write letters on reparations: Nobuyuki Nakajima criticizes Masaru Odoi’s position against seeking reparation as reflecting feudal thinking, while Shuji Kimura questions the idea that past wrongs justify payment. The letters debate whether seeking compensation is an assertion of rights or an unwarranted demand.
• From the Frying Pan: The March Mailbag, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa shares mail he received, including a Japanese word clarification from a reader, a booklet about a Nisei family from Oki Island, and an oral history project by the Rev. Heihachiro Takarabe recording Issei experiences. He reflects on the value of preserving these first-person accounts.

JACL

• National JACL Board Recommendations and Actions from March 10-12 Sessions, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The National JACL Board met March 10-12 in San Francisco and made recommendations including a separate legislative arm, a standing committee on discrimination against Asian Americans, and a proposed dues increase from $12 to $20. Other actions addressed staff compensation, the JACL seal, scholarships, and a Founders Award.

Obituaries

• Eiji Eddie Tanabe, 67, Little Tokyo and JACL Leader, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eiji Eddie Tanabe, a longtime Little Tokyo community leader and former JACL staff member and Los Angeles regional director, died March 10 after nearly ten years of ill health. He was a founder of Nisei Week, headed the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and led numerous community and relief projects.

In-Depth

• What Is Our Goal? Part XVIII, by Clifford L. Uyeda, page 4. Uyeda continues his series on the redress campaign by addressing public misconceptions that Japanese Americans were disloyal and that evacuation was necessary and justified. He argues that congressional compensation is needed to correct the record and deter future abrogation of civil rights.

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