Minidoka dedication, redress debate and a jury verdict in Honolulu

Vol. 89, No. 54, August 3, 1979. 8 pages. View this issue

Plans for a dedication ceremony at the former Minidoka War Relocation Center near Twin Falls, Idaho, led the front page. It was set for Aug. 18, with Sen. Frank Church among the featured participants and a color detail of 442nd veterans. Redress ran through the opinion pages: Harry Honda looked at how JACL chapters voted on a redress commission, and Bill Marutani estimated the 1942 property losses of Issei and Nisei at roughly $3.2 billion. Clifford Uyeda wrote about the case of Wendy Yoshimura, and a Denver Post editorial argued she should be pardoned.

Elsewhere in these 8 pages, a federal jury in Honolulu awarded two men $15,000 each for civil rights violations. Asian Americans for Community Involvement objected to an FBI memo on Chinese spies and to the film The Deer Hunter. A JACL staff proposal for a Nisei Institute is covered, as is a new adult day care program in Chicago. The Tule Lake plaque dedication report appears on page 7.

What’s in this issue

National

• Pair Awarded $15,000 Each for Arrest Over Job Cutback Demonstration, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A federal jury in Honolulu awarded two men $15,000 each for civil rights violations stemming from their 1977 arrest at a demonstration protesting job cutbacks. The jurors were asked to consider compensation for the anguish, pain and suffering the arrests caused.
• Use of ‘Racist’ FBI Memo on Chinese Spies Blasted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian Americans for Community Involvement objected to an FBI-derived memo circulated at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. that singled out Chinese nationals as technological spies. The group said such racial designations fuel suspicion and asked Lockheed to continue affirmative action.
• Japan’s Refugee Policy Criticized as Inadequate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japan has admitted only about 2,100 Indochinese refugees, far fewer than the United States, France, and Australia. A Yomiuri columnist described the conditions of refugees at a Kamakura facility and the limited government response.
• House Crushes Mottl Amendment, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The House of Representatives rejected the Mottl amendment that would have overridden court rulings on school busing, with a vote of 209 for and 216 opposed. Civil rights and labor groups, including Washington JACL representative Ron Ikejiri, welcomed the outcome.
• Asian Group Demands Apology from Deer Hunter Filmmaker, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Asian Americans for Community Involvement demanded that director Michael Cimino apologize for the stereotypical portrayal of Vietnamese and Asian characters in The Deer Hunter. The group said the depiction was especially harmful amid large numbers of Vietnamese refugees arriving in the U.S.

Incarceration & Redress

• Minidoka Site Dedication Set for Aug. 18, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A dedication ceremony will designate the former Minidoka War Relocation Center near Twin Falls, Idaho, as a historical landmark on Aug. 18. Speakers and a color detail of 442nd veterans will take part, with Sen. Frank Church among the featured participants.
• Salinas ’42-’79, by Harry Honda, page 4. An editorial reflects on the Salinas Californian’s full-page coverage of the 1942 Salinas evacuation and the town’s progress since then. It also quotes four Nisei who support a presidential investigation of the wartime internment.

JACL

• JACL Staff Proposes Nisei Institute to Focus on Education, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A JACL staff proposal called the Nisei Institute would organize seven departments covering youth, media, education, and public education. It must receive a green light from the National JACL Board’s executive committee at its September meeting.
• Tule Lake Plaque Dedication, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Tule Lake plaque dedication was filmed and donations to the fund were acknowledged in a July 18 report. The statement detailed expenses for construction and programs.

Military & Veterans

• Koe Nishimoto Heads Oregon State VFW, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Koe Nishimoto, an MIS veteran and Hood River orchardist, became Oregon state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His VFW career has spanned nearly three decades, and he has been active in youth and scholarship programs.
• Senior Heads Girls’ State, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Patricia Akiyama, a Hood River High senior and daughter of JACLers Saburo and Betty Akiyama, was elected governor of Oregon Girls’ State. She was surprised by the honor, which followed an impromptu speech about her qualifications.

Community

• Adult Day Care Program Starts in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago received $20,000 from the Chicago Community Trust to launch an adult day care program. Additional funding from the Illinois Department of Aging and the Service Club supports the new center on North Clark Street.
• Health Profile of Nikkei in Mile High Altitude Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A summer research project led by Jane Suekama is surveying Japanese American families in Denver on intergenerational health risk factors. The study seeks about $2,000 in donations to complete its cardiovascular health survey.
• Lillian Kimura Ends 62-Year Leadership Role with JASC, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Thomas Teraji was elected president of the Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago, succeeding Lillian Kimura, who had led the organization for 62 years. Under Kimura’s leadership, the agency expanded its programs and budget substantially.
• East Bay Asian Center Remodeling to Start, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The old Lyons warehouse in Oakland’s Chinatown, home of the East Bay Asian Resource Center, will be refurbished beginning September 1. The $2.8 million project is funded through city, state, and private grants.

Commentary

• Denver Post Wants Yoshimura Pardoned, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Denver Post editorial argued that Wendy Yoshimura’s sentence, like that of Patty Hearst, warranted clemency since she poses no danger to society. It urged the California Community Release Board or Governor Brown to act after a few months of imprisonment.
• Wendy Yoshimura’s Case and the Question of Justice, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. National JACL President Clifford Uyeda examines the conviction and prison sentence of Wendy Yoshimura, arguing that guilt by association and mandatory imprisonment under the Tanner decision produced an unjust result. He questions whether equal justice under the law truly applies to Asian Americans.
• Chapter Vote on Redress, by Harry Honda, page 5. The author analyzes the JACL chapter vote on a redress commission, noting that 57 chapters approved and 10 opposed while many did not vote. Translating the vote into membership terms shows a much closer margin than the reported 5-to-1 majority.
• East Wind: Redress – How Much?, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani calculates that the property losses suffered by Issei and Nisei in 1942, adjusted for interest, could amount to roughly $3.2 billion. He proposes that the redress funds be placed in a trust fund to benefit society.

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