Redress and a commission: JACL debates its path in 1979

Vol. 88, No. 45, June 1, 1979. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress was the question running through this 12-page issue. Bill Hosokawa argued in a column that Japanese Americans held in the World War II incarceration (often called internment) were never fairly compensated, and he backed a congressional commission on reparations. Two other pieces took the other side: a letter writer criticized the JACL Redress Committee for dropping individual payments, and the Chicago and Seattle redress committees laid out an alternative bill of $10,000 per person plus $15 per day of incarceration. The front page also covered the Addabbo Law amendment, which restored Asian Americans to the minority definition in Public Law 95-507.

Elsewhere, Clifford Uyeda and Karl Nobuyuki criticized Senator Hayakawa’s remarks on gas prices. The paper also ran a note on the JACL Tule Lake Plaque dedication, a report on Dr. Harvey Itano’s election to the National Academy of Sciences, an excerpt from Yankee Samurai, and a Hosokawa column on finding his family crest.

What’s in this issue

National

• Wendy Yoshimura files with Supreme Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Wendy Yoshimura filed an appeal with the California Supreme Court to overturn her 1977 conviction. She was arrested with Patricia Hearst in a San Francisco apartment in 1975.
• Addabbo Law (PL 95-507) amended, Asians renamed among ‘minorities’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House approved without objection an amendment restoring Asian Americans to the socially and economically disadvantaged minority definition in Public Law 95-507. The measure now goes to the Senate.
• Hayakawa Comment on Price of Gas, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 2. JACL denounced Senator Hayakawa’s remarks on gasoline prices as thoughtless and cruel toward the poor and elderly. The statement called on him to apologize to the American public and Californians.

Community

• Spring cleaning clears office debt, by Harry Honda, page 1. The Pacific Southwest JACL District Council meeting authorized $3,500 to pay outstanding regional office bills and allocated funds for various programs. Delegates also discussed redress fundraising and the Little Tokyo Towers senior apartments.
• Harvey Itano: first Nisei named to Nat’l Academy of Sciences, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Harvey Itano, UC San Diego pathology professor, became the first Nikkei elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He is known for his sickle cell anemia research and was honored by National JACL in 1954.
• Historic Japanese photos in Denver, page 10. An exhibition of more than 100 historic photographs of Japanese in Colorado opened at the Colorado Heritage Center in Denver. Compiled by Tom Masamori, the display runs through June 23.
• Nishinaka receives NCSW Distinguished Service Award, page 11. George Nishinaka, director of Special Services for Groups in Los Angeles, received the 1979 Distinguished Service Award from the National Conference on Social Welfare. He is the first Asian American recognized with the award.
• MIKE ISHIKAWA GUEST SPEAKER AT AWARDS, page 11. San Fernando Valley JACL and the Japanese American Community Center will honor graduating Nikkei students with scholarships on June 2. Mike Ishikawa will speak on affirmative action.
• Ex-prime minister Kishi favors abolition of Japan Constitution, page 12. Former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi called for revision of the postwar constitution on Constitution Day. Socialist and opposition parties held rallies to oppose the change.

Incarceration & Redress

• Tule Lake Plaque Dedication, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL Tule Lake Plaque Dedication Committee raised its goal to $15,000 and nearly reached it before the May 27 dedication. Donor lists were published.
• A Question of Leadership, by Redress Committees of Chicago and Seattle, page 6. Chicago and Seattle redress committees criticize the JACL proposal for a presidential commission instead of individual payments. They present their alternative bill offering $10,000 per internee plus $15 per day of incarceration.

Commentary

• Reparations Are Owed to Japanese Americans Interned in WWII, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. The author argues that Japanese American internees were never adequately compensated for lost property, psychological harm, and lost careers. He compares their situation to West German restitution to Jews and supports a congressional commission on reparations.
• Non-westerners, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. JACL President Uyeda observes that the West Coast dominates JACL membership, while members elsewhere are highly committed. He proposes strengthening district offices and expanding the Washington, D.C. staff.
• Enchantment in Albuquerque, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 4. Nobuyuki reports on the Mountain Plains District Council meeting in Albuquerque and its workshops on the future of JACL and redress. He praises the cultural pride he observed in New Mexico.
• Sgt. Frank Hachiya (Another View), page 4. A former MIS classmate reflects on Sgt. Frank Hachiya’s death at Leyte and the unexpected discovery that he had read a book by Earl Browder. The writer reflects on the lack of communication between Nisei soldiers.
• Redress: Pro and Con, page 4. A letter writer criticizes the JACL Redress Committee for abandoning individual payments in favor of a congressional commission. Quoting Issei and community groups, the writer argues the committee has retreated from justice.
• High Price of Gas, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. The editorial rebuts Senator Hayakawa’s claim that high gas prices affect only a few poor drivers. It argues that all Americans except the very rich would suffer.
• A Garden Full of Memories, by Sachi Seko, page 5. The columnist reflects on the garden planted fifteen years earlier with the help of nurseryman Russ Kano, who is now deceased. Memories of Kano’s patient advice shape the author’s view of the yard.
• Family Crest, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes how he located his family’s kamon after doubting such crests existed for humble families. A visit to his grandparents’ grave in Hiroshima confirmed the mon.
• Chapter Action Memos, by Ronald Ikejiri, page 5. Washington representative Ikejiri outlines JACL’s legislative advocacy role and efforts against Yves St. Laurent’s Opium perfume. He also reports on International Year of the Child activities and refugee resettlement support.
• Yankee Samurai excerpt: Chapter 15, by Joseph D. Harrington, page 8. This excerpt describes Nisei linguists in the Pacific theater, including their work on Okinawa and Japanese surrender arrangements. It recounts intelligence successes and personal experiences of soldiers at the war’s end.
• Proud of America Nikkei, by Masayoshi Ohira, page 10. Japanese Prime Minister Ohira’s remarks at a JACL-sponsored Congressional reception honoring Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week praise Asian American contributions. He also stresses the importance of US partnership with Asia.

Arts & Entertainment

• Political Thoughts, page 10. A review of Authority and the Individual in Japan, a collection of essays by Japanese scholars on political thought in prewar and postwar Japan. The book is edited and translated by J. Victor Koschmann.

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