Redress credit bill passes House, and Harry Cain is honored

Vol. 86, No. 4, February 3, 1978. 8 pages. View this issue

Congress and the community both looked back at the wartime incarceration in this eight-page issue. The House passed HR 9471 by a vote of 366 to 12, granting Civil Service Retirement credit for time Japanese Americans spent in World War II camps, with Rep. Norman Mineta among its backers. In Tacoma, the Japanese American community honored former mayor and senator Harry Cain, who spoke out against the forced removal. Columns by Clifford I. Uyeda and a Sansei writer took up the reparation question, and William Marutani wrote about Nisei and other Asian Americans.

Also inside: Bill Hosokawa urged Nisei to record their life stories on tape, and Joe Oyama reviewed a series on UFO beliefs. Japanese Canadians planned a stronger national organization, Judge Robert Higa was sworn in, and the film And the Soul Shall Dance was set to air on PBS February 7. JACL district council agendas and chapter news fill pages 2 and 6.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Tacomans fete WW2 mayor Harry Cain, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tacoma’s Japanese American community honored former mayor and senator Harry Cain, who spoke out against the wartime evacuation. Local residents described his lone public opposition among Pacific Northwest officials.
• Nisei VFW reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 28th Nisei VFW Reunion will be hosted by San Jose Nisei Memorial Post 9970 February 17-19. Sen. Spark Matsunaga will be the principal speaker at the dinner-dance.
• Mineta and car jammed 12 hr. by steel gate at White House, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congressman Norm Mineta’s car was trapped for half an hour by a steel gate at the White House northwest entrance. Freeing the car required unbolting the hinges, leaving it with dents.

Community

• Japanese Canadians seek stronger National organization, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Delegates to the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association meeting in Winnipeg planned restructuring of the national organization for a May conference. Topics included reparations, immigration, and repeal of the War Measures Act.
• Candidacy was not for ‘hometown’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Carson city clerk Helen Kawagoe disputed a Los Angeles newspaper’s account of her assessor candidacy. She said her remarks about hometown consumption were taken out of context.
• Old Kabuki stage restoration underway, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Students are restoring an old Shinto shrine behind a mansion on the Cabrillo College campus in Watsonville. Kabuki dances were performed there during the 1910s and 1920s.
• Judge backs tenants in apt. eviction case, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An Oakland judge ruled for rent-striking tenants who cited unsafe and unsanitary conditions in a 95-unit complex. He ordered the landlord to make repairs and barred rent increases for three years.
• Judge Robert Higa sworn into office, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Governor Jerry Brown appointee Robert J. Higa was sworn in as Los Angeles Municipal Court judge by U.S. District Judge Robert M. Takasugi. Takasugi praised Higa’s integrity and abilities.
• 4th Nikkei wins ‘Order of Canada’, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Roy Kiyooka of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, a poet-artist, became the fourth Japanese Canadian named to the Order of Canada. He joins three previously honored Nikkei.
• Asian teacher in L.A. victimized, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two women teachers, one Asian, were raped and robbed at separate Los Angeles schools this month. Officials believe the same man attacked both and warned teachers to avoid isolated campus areas.
• Iva Toguri thanks Hawaii governor, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Iva Toguri visited Governor George Ariyoshi in Honolulu during a vacation from Chicago. She thanked him for supporting her pardon, which President Ford granted the previous year.
• Cal 1st Bank earnings rise, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California First Bank reported a 14% increase in 1977 net income to $12,302,000. Assets, deposits, and loans all grew, with assets reaching a record $2.52 billion.
• Diablo Valley JACL newsletter, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Diablo Valley JACL newsletter covers local events, the January installation, and a membership drive. It also reviews Bay Area libraries with Japanese American reference materials.
• Carson JACL installs Tom Kawamoto, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tom Kawamoto was installed as Carson JACL president at a January 21 dinner, succeeding Joe Sakamoto. Local officials including Assemblyman Paul Bannai attended the ceremony.
• California First Bank Library on Japanese American history, by Wilma Hayashi, page 7. The California First Bank library in San Francisco houses Japanese American history materials and is open to the public on weekdays. Librarian Seizo Oka is collecting donated photos, books, and wartime camp newspapers.

Commentary

• Immigration delays Japanese tourist thought to be ‘gay’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Japanese fashion designer was detained in Honolulu after customs officials suspected homosexuality from letters in his bag. ACLU intervention led to his release, with officials noting the Supreme Court has not ruled homosexuality a sexual deviancy.
• On Being Chapter President, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Seattle JACL’s outgoing president Cherry Kinoshita reported a year of civil rights advocacy, over 400 letters, and service to more than 1,000 people. Her report emphasized making JACL more visible in the community.
• Need Factor in Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A California Student Aid Commission list shows Japanese surnames among scholarship recipients in Assemblyman Paul Bannai’s district. The writer suggests JACL publicize Abe Hagiwara Memorial Student Aid awardees to encourage contributions.
• Sansei Perspective: Reparation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A Sansei writer argues that the camp experience cannot be forgotten by Sansei, who were born in or affected by the camps. Reparation is framed as a constitutional safeguard for all Americans.
• Grounding of Asama letter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A reader comments on Don Estes’s account of the grounding of warship Asama, arguing that racism is emotional and must be addressed at its roots. The letter suggests investigating the ethnic origins of the author Barbara Tuchman.
• A Bitter Pill to Swallow, by William Marutani, page 4. Marutani argues that Nisei must examine whether pride in themselves has become arrogance when working with other Asian Americans. He urges mutual respect and willingness to accept non-Japanese leadership.
• What’s in the Name?, by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 5. Uyeda examines terminology for the reparation issue, including redress, restitution, and reparation. He argues the real question is which term will win support from the American public and Congress.
• UFOs: Is Science Fiction Coming True?, by Joe Oyama, page 5. Oyama reviews a Berkeley Spiritual Counterfeits Project series debunking UFO beliefs from a Fundamentalist perspective. He contrasts its condemnatory tone with the compassion he found in a San Francisco poetry reading.
• Nisei Oral History, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reflects on never knowing his grandparents and urges Nisei to record their life stories on tape. He cites Avrom Dickman’s argument that oral histories preserve an important legacy.

National

• House passes internment credit bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House approved HR 9471 by a 366 to 12 vote, granting Civil Service Retirement credit to Japanese Americans for time spent in WWII internment camps. Sponsor Rep. Norman Mineta and others argued the measure redresses a serious injustice.
• No. Marianas added as U.S. commonwealth, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas officially became part of the United States on January 9. The islands have about 15,000 residents and rely on tourism, mostly from Japan.
• Pacific-Asian American Heritage Week sought, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Reps. Norman Mineta and Frank Horton sought co-sponsors for HJR 540, proclaiming Pacific-Asian American Heritage Week in May. Rep. Philip Burton said the measure would recognize the contributions of over 1.4 million Pacific Island and Asian Americans.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Soul Shall Dance’ airs on PBS, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Wakako Yamauchi’s film And the Soul Shall Dance, about prewar Nikkei in Imperial Valley, airs nationally on PBS. The broadcast is scheduled for February 7.

JACL

• Patsy Mink to address PSWDC Feb. 5 quarterly, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Assistant Secretary of State Patsy Mink will address the Pacific Southwest District Council quarterly meeting in Van Nuys. The agenda includes committee reports on convention, finance, and reparations.
• NC-WNDC agenda at Las Vegas set, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Northern California-Western Nevada District Council quarterly meeting will be held February 11 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The agenda covers national convention reports, constitutional amendments, and nominations for national officers.
• Nominations open for Biennium honors, by P.C. Staff, page 6. JACL National Headquarters is accepting nominations for the Sakada Memorial Award and the Japanese American of the Biennium award. Deadlines are May 1 and March 31, 1978 respectively, with procedures outlined for chapters and districts.

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