Man-made genes, Vietnamese refugees and the question of redress beneficiaries

Vol. 85, No. 25, December 16, 1977. 12 pages. View this issue

Two Nikkei scientists, Keiichi Itakura and Tadaaki Hirose, were part of a research team that used recombinant DNA techniques to make the hormone somatostatin in bacteria, the lead story of this 12-page issue. Vietnamese refugees in Stockton were also on page one, where a social worker predicted most would hold full-time jobs within a year or two. Inside, the JACL National Reparation Committee asked who should qualify as beneficiaries of redress, in a piece that raised questions about voluntary relocators, Issei and people born in camps. George D. Thow wrote about wartime propaganda films, and Alice Lytle described California’s new fair employment rules.

Columns by Joe Oyama, Sachi Seko and Frank Raspberry offer personal and reflective reading. JACL pages include a Midwest District Council editorial on women on the National JACL staff and Rich Okabe’s report on revived youth chapters. Radio Li’l Tokyo’s 25th anniversary celebration and East West Players’ coming production of O-men, An American Kabuki, round out the community and arts pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Man-made genes form bacterial hormone, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nikkei scientists Keiichi Itakura and Tadaaki Hirose were part of a team that used recombinant DNA techniques to make the hormone somatostatin in bacteria. The researchers said the work could lead to many biological products made in the laboratory.
• Outstanding chemists to be honored, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Five Japanese chemists, including Junji Furukawa, Paul Kuroda, Koji Nakanishi, Satoru Masamune and Hideki Sakurai, are among 22 American Chemical Society award recipients. The awards will be presented at the 175th ACS National Meeting in Anaheim next March.
• Predict most Vietnam refugees to be at work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Stockton social worker predicts most of the 500 to 600 Vietnamese refugees there will hold full-time jobs within a year or two. Observers compare their motivation to that of Japanese Americans who rebuilt after World War II.
• Young-Chin case still on, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court has not decided the petitions of Elizabeth Young and Kenneth Chin on their firearms control convictions. JACL’s Shig Kaneshiro said a previous headline about a refused appeal was misleading.
• Japan cabinet shake-up seen as good for U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former U.S. ambassador James Hodgson told Albuquerque audiences that Japan’s new cabinet is strong in knowledge of the American economy. He also said an extra excise tax on Japanese goods would be unwise.
• Equal Opportunity in California—A New Era, by Alice Lytle, page 5. Alice Lytle, chief of California’s Division of Fair Employment Practices, describes amendments to the state’s fair employment and fair housing laws effective January 1. The changes extend protections to workers over 40 and expand class action authority.
• Others for race by census pending, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Sen. Spark Matsunaga reports that the Census Bureau is considering classifying Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as Others. He also introduced a resolution asking for better data on women in professional fields.
• Asian American-owned businesses small and concentrated in retail, by P.C. Staff, page 9. A Commerce Department study found Asian American firms are mostly small and concentrated in retail and services. Half of the businesses reported under $5,000 in annual gross receipts.

Community

• Gardena Nisei to seek 2nd term on city council, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mas Fukai, senior deputy to Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, announced he will run for re-election to the Gardena City Council. He cited his reform work and his goal of returning city government to the people.
• Refugees continued, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Vietnamese refugees in the United States are finding work, though many take jobs below their former professions because of language barriers. Tensions with the local Hispanic community developed over government aid and job competition.
• New church to be built, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles Japanese Free Methodist Church will break ground on a new church in San Gabriel after its Boyle Heights building was destroyed by fire a year earlier. The congregation has been meeting at the Japanese Retirement Home.
• Eastbay-ers join for Dec. 31 gala, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Alameda, Berkeley and Contra Costa JACL chapters will co-sponsor a New Year’s Eve dance at the El Cerrito Community Center. Tickets are limited due to the size of the venue.
• Las Vegas JACL Festival for Oshogatsu, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Las Vegas JACL will celebrate Oshogatsu with mochitsuki at Heritage Square Community Center on December 18. Japanese food delicacies will also be served.
• Youth and chapter installations, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Liv-Cortez JAYs installed their 1978 officers with national youth director Rich Okabe present. Chapters across several districts also announced new officer slates.
• Faces on San Francisco TV news, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The article profiles Asian American journalists on San Francisco television, several of whom came from Hawaii or China. It notes that few Bay Area-born Asians hold these reporting roles.
• Radio Li’l Tokyo’s silver jubilee, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Matao Uwate’s Radio Li’l Tokyo marked its 25th anniversary with a celebration dinner at the Hollywood Palladium attended by more than 700 people. Assemblyman Paul Bannai was among those who congratulated Uwate.

Commentary

• Holiday Issue notes and comments, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors describe holiday production work and preview the 1000 Club Honor Roll for the New Year Special. They also note a five-part NBC-TV series, Japanese Americans: The Way We Are, aired in five cities.
• Propaganda Film, by George D. Thow, page 4. Thow defends KCET’s broadcast of World War II propaganda films, arguing that viewing them critically is more useful than dismissing them. He says the Manzanar Committee shows such films to expose official rationalizations for camp incarceration.
• The Day I Quit Judo, by Joe Oyama, page 4. Oyama recalls training in Judo under his demanding father and the moment he decided to quit while studying in New York. He credits an early lesson in ukemi falling with saving him from injury on an icy street.
• Shoes for Christmas, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Seko recalls her childhood during the camp years, including her mother’s departure and her father’s harsh treatment. The story reflects on guilt carried across generations and her strained relationship with her parents.
• Work ethic, by Frank Raspberry, page 6. The column argues that Nisei and Sansei learned responsibility through early jobs, while many young people today lack work experience. It cites an employer’s experience with minority youths who had never learned to complete specific tasks.
• Consumer spending in Japan staying low, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Fuji Bank economists predict Japanese consumer spending will stay weak through the fiscal year due to rising rice and rail costs. Supermarkets are the one area expected to grow strongly.

Incarceration & Redress

• JACL National Reparation Committee: Reparation Beneficiaries, Part Seven, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL National Reparation Committee introduces its new members and asks who should qualify as beneficiaries of redress. The article raises questions about evacuees, voluntary relocators, Hawaii internees, South American Japanese, Issei and those born in camps.

JACL

• Women in JACL, by MDC Editorial Committee, page 7. The Midwest District Council editorial committee examines the gender makeup of the National JACL staff and finds women concentrated in clerical roles with lower pay. It calls on the National Executive Committee to adopt affirmative action measures.
• Parent Support Needed, by Rich Okabe, page 7. National youth director Rich Okabe reports on revived JAY chapters in Livingston-Cortez, Sacramento and Phoenix. He stresses that strong senior and parent support is essential to sustain youth programs.
• Speaking Out: Chapter public relations and media communications assure greater impact, by Judy Ibarra, page 7. Judy Ibarra, of the Cincinnati Chapter, argues JACL needs a crisis plan and chapter-level public relations officers. She urges chapters to publicize their activities to build recognition with the general public.
• JACL travel program adds South American tour, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The 1978 JACL Travel Program has 21 confirmed flights to Japan and a new 15-day South American tour departing April 21. Sacramento JACL will also administer a European tour and a Caribbean cruise.

Military & Veterans

• Cheap dollars in Japan forcing retired Issei to return to U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 8. Shigeko Kato, 69, has returned to Los Angeles after the rising yen and high living costs in Wakayama made her pension insufficient. Her story shows how currency changes affected retired Issei living in Japan.

Arts & Entertainment

• Over 1,000 MIS veterans help author, by Shigeya Kihara, page 10. Shigeya Kihara reports on author Joe Harrington’s project to record a narrative history of MIS veterans through interviews. The project aims to tell personal stories of Japanese Americans in World War II.
• Tokyo Rose! The Facts are more Fantastic than the Legend, by Rex Gunn, page 10. This book advertisement describes Rex Gunn’s account of Iva Toguri’s treason trial and the myth of Tokyo Rose. It argues that the evidence showed Toguri was innocent.
• Rulemakers of the House, by Spark Matsunaga and Ping Chen, page 10. This book promotion describes a critical study of the House Rules Committee, drawing on Spark Matsunaga’s experiences. It examines how the committee controls debate and amendments in the House.
• East West Players slates third show of rep season, by P.C. Staff, page 11. East West Players will open Karen Yamashita’s play O-men, An American Kabuki, on New Year’s Eve as the final show of its repertory season. Director Mako describes the play as a comedy and a bittersweet look at cultural identity.
• Bookshelf: Treasure in Earthen Vessels, by H.H., page 11. Herbert Nicholson’s memoir describes his decades of service to persons of Japanese ancestry in Japan and in the wartime camps. The anecdotes feature many names familiar to JACL members.

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.