Redress options and the 1979 Day of Remembrance

Vol. 88, No. 30, February 16, 1979. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress and the Day of Remembrance filled this 12-page issue. On the front page, five JACL representatives met with four Nikkei members of Congress on Feb. 1 and aired three concepts: an IRS check-off plan, direct appropriations, and a congressional study committee. Harry Honda wrote about February 19 and Executive Order 9066, and his column on page 4 continued the history. Programs were listed for Portland, San Bruno, Sacramento and Los Angeles, with Minoru Yasui as a keynote speaker, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors proclaimed the day. Letters from Mark Abe and Eiji Suyama debated redress.

Elsewhere, sculptor Isamu Noguchi visited Little Tokyo, and a fund opened for a Tule Lake plaque and time capsule. Bill Hosokawa reviewed John K. Emmerson’s memoir, Clifford Uyeda told the story of Iva Toguri’s pardon, and Joseph Harrington’s Yankee Samurai ran two more chapters. Chapter installation news fills page 7.

What’s in this issue

National

  • Four Nikkei legislators in Washington support JACL redress; air 3 concepts, by Special to The Pacific Citizen, page 1. Five JACL representatives met with four Nikkei congressional members on Feb. 1 to discuss redress options. Three concepts were aired, including an IRS check-off plan, direct appropriations, and a congressional study committee.
  • Mineta calls for support of Taiwan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta co-sponsored a House resolution calling for continued social and economic support for the people of Taiwan. The resolution was also introduced in the Senate by Sens. Cranston and Kennedy.

Incarceration & Redress

  • Feb. 19: A Day of Remembrance, by Harry Honda, page 1. February 19 marks the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the mass removal of about 110,000 Japanese Americans to concentration camps. The article traces the order’s history and notes the 1976 termination of its presidential powers by President Ford.
  • Day of Remembrance programs to feature Minoru Yasui and other speakers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Minoru Yasui, who first tested the military curfew in 1942, will keynote Day of Remembrance programs in Portland and San Bruno. Other speakers include Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and Oregon judge Robert Thornton.
  • $900 tallied to open Tule Lake Plaque fund, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The initial report for the Tule Lake Plaque dedication fund shows $905 from 42 contributors as of Jan. 31. Donor recognition levels and the donation address are listed.
  • Names compiled for Tule Lake capsule, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former Tule Lake internees are asked to submit family names for a time capsule to be placed at the May 27 plaque dedication. Mary Tsukamoto is compiling the registry, and the fund drive aims to raise $10,000.
  • Feb. 19 – A Day of Remembrance event listings, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Day of Remembrance programs are scheduled in Portland, Tanforan, Sacramento, and Los Angeles on Feb. 17 and 19. The events include speakers, entertainment, and motor caravans.
  • Honda: Day of Remembrance background and history, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Continuing his Feb. 19 column, Honda describes how Executive Order 9066 led to the removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast. He contrasts the situation in Hawaii and notes the timing of the Pacific war at the time.
  • Day of Remembrance (Los Angeles County resolution), by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors proclaimed Feb. 19 as A Day of Remembrance, with Supervisor Kenneth Hahn as author of the motion. The JACL sponsors its first annual program in front of the old Nishi Hongwanji.
  • Uyeda tells inside story of President’s pardon for Toguri, by Clifford L. Uyeda, page 11. Uyeda describes the campaign that led to President Ford’s unconditional pardon of Iva Ikuko Toguri, the wrongly alleged Tokyo Rose. The report appears in the fall/winter issue of Amerasia Journal.

Community

  • Famed sculptor Isamu Noguchi visits Little Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi visited Los Angeles to receive an honorary degree and discuss a proposed sculpture for the JACCC Plaza in Little Tokyo. He met with city officials and community leaders while studying redevelopment in the area.
  • Buddhists to convene Feb. 21-25 in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Buddhist Churches of America Ministerial Association and National Council will hold their annual meeting in Seattle. Key agenda items include Jodo Shinshu education and a proposed $410,000 budget for 1979.
  • Patty Hearst freed by Carter, paper updates lives of others, by P.C. Staff, page 2. After President Carter commuted Patricia Hearst’s sentence, the Los Angeles Times updated the status of others involved, including Wendy Yoshimura. Yoshimura is working in Berkeley and remains free on bond while appealing her conviction.
  • Calls issued for Census workers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Census Bureau is recruiting workers for the 1980 Census, with emphasis on minority communities. Applicants must submit a Personal Qualifications Statement.
  • Nisei elected director of Farm Credit board, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Takashi Moriuchi, a New Jersey fruit grower, was elected to the Farm Credit Board of Springfield for a three-year term starting January 1979. He is also an active Philadelphia JACLer.
  • Las Vegas now in PSW district, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Las Vegas JACL chapter moves from the Northern California-Western Nevada District to the Pacific Southwest District Council. The change was made mainly due to accessibility problems between Las Vegas and Northern California.
  • Day of Remembrance (Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors), by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors proclaimed Feb. 19 as A Day of Remembrance. Supervisor Kenneth Hahn authored the motion, which affirms constitutional protections against removal without due process.
  • Back at the San Jose helm, by Phil Matsumura, page 7. Veteran JACLer Tom Taketa was elected San Jose chapter president for 1979 after serving earlier terms. The installation dinner featured KPIX host Jan Yanehiro as guest speaker.
  • Chapter dues still $10 per family, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Las Vegas JACL chapter kept its dues at $10 per individual or family and installed new officers at its January dinner. Yoko Arana is the new membership chairperson.
  • Past president’s roast on program, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Sacramento JACL installation dinner-dance will be held Feb. 24, with George Kanegai installing new officers and David Takashima succeeding Don Ito as president. Scholarship recipients will also be honored.
  • Keiro-kai draws over 300 people, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Sequoia JACL Keiro-kai honoring pioneers over age 70 drew more than 300 people at the Palo Alto Buddhist Church. The program included entertainment and a slide show of early Issei life in San Mateo County.
  • Stockton installation dinner Feb. 25, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Stockton JACL will hold its installation dinner featuring Jerry Enomoto, director of the California Department of Corrections. George Baba will serve as 1979 chapter president.
  • Installation fete by Union Square, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The San Francisco JACL annual installation dinner will be held Feb. 17 at the Holiday Inn Union Square. Tickets are $13 per person.
  • Chicago JACL inaugural dinner honors Masuda and Honda, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Almost 400 people attended the Chicago JACL inaugural dinner-dance, where Thomas Masuda and Noboru Honda were honored. Hiroshi Tokubo was installed as the new president.
  • Okubo-Yamada fund at 40%, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The JACL Okubo-Yamada Fund reached a total of $9,832.97 as of Jan. 29, 1979, against a $25,000 goal. The fund supports legal expenses in the lawsuit arising from the 1970 Chicago convention attack.

Commentary

  • Pacific Citizen editorial: Korean Americans, by Editor, page 4. The editor reflects on the Korean community in San Francisco through his relationship with the Kim family and Tom Kim of the Korean Community Service Center. He notes that Korean immigrants face challenges similar to those of Issei decades earlier.
  • Letters: Redress debate, by Mark Abe; Eiji Suyama, MD, page 4. Readers respond to Redress discussions, with Mark Abe reconsidering his views after hearing Dr. Clifford Uyeda speak. Dr. Eiji Suyama critiques Redress arguments and JACL’s position.
  • Yen or Trade, by James M. Watanabe, page 4. Watanabe responds to a prior letter about trade, citing Japanese consul general Kenichi Yanagi’s report on U.S. exports and Japanese trade curbs. He calls for a rebuttal article on the subject.
  • Higher Education III, by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 4. Nakajima urges young Japanese Americans to seek scholarships and consider work-study programs to finance college. He suggests special scholarships for those affected by Evacuation.
  • The State of the Union, by Barry Saiki, page 5. Saiki, writing from Tokyo, critiques President Carter’s State of the Union message as out of step with economic realities such as the falling dollar and inflation. He argues that government spending and speculation are burdening future generations.
  • Emmerson’s Story, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reviews John K. Emmerson’s memoir The Japanese Thread, highlighting Emmerson’s diplomatic experiences before and during the war. He notes how pre-war diplomacy failed on both ends of the conflict.
  • DC Legal Counsels, by Lorrie K. Inagaki, page 6. JACL announces a network of District Legal Counsels to handle local legal matters, especially employment discrimination. The article lists appointed counsels for each district and explains the referral process to National Headquarters.

Arts & Entertainment

  • Pork ‘n Beans a la Japonaise, by Jin Konomi, page 5. In this humorous short story, Mr. Y. prepares zenzai for a friend, only to have his landlady add ham to the pot. The result is a disappointing feast that becomes a lasting memory.

Military & Veterans

  • Yankee Samurai: secret role of Nisei in America’s Pacific victory, Chapter 3, by Joseph Harrington, page 9. This serialized chapter describes Nisei linguists in Australia and the Philippines, including Arthur Komori, Richard Sakakida, and Yoshikazu Yamada. It recounts their work interrogating prisoners and the early development of MacArthur’s language intelligence effort.
  • Yankee Samurai: Chapter 4, the Guadalcanal campaign, by Joseph Harrington, page 11. This chapter covers the Guadalcanal campaign and the Allied and Japanese struggle for air and sea supremacy in the Southwest Pacific. It also describes the draft reclassification of Nisei and Nisei language training at Camp Savage.
  • The Story of the 442nd Combat Team reprint available, by Chet Tanaka, page 11. A 52-page reprint of The Story of the 442nd Combat Team is available from Company K Club, with proceeds going to a 442nd scholarship fund. The original 1945 account describes the unit’s campaigns in Italy and France.

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