JACL board debate, Little Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan and Manzanar

Vol. 78, No. 10, March 15, 1974. 6 pages. View this issue

The JACL National Board meeting in San Francisco ran through this six-page issue. Two columns looked at it: one praised the new Governors’ and NYCC caucuses, and another argued that JACL must elect national officers willing to speak out for Japanese Americans. The board also adopted a 50-50 split of convention net profits between the sponsoring chapter and National JACL. Portland and Gresham-Troutdale were preparing to host the 23rd Biennial National Convention, July 23-27, 1974.

Elsewhere, a $4 million Bunka Kaikan was planned for Little Tokyo, and Delano pledged $5,000 to the National Building Fund in honor of the Issei. Edison T. Uno wrote about the bronze plaque placed at the Manzanar site. Bill Hosokawa reviewed Dr. Dennis Ogawa’s book on Hawaii’s Japanese Americans, and Dr. Harry Kitano wrote on the middle-man minority. Local news covered Tom Kitayama’s election as mayor of Union City and police outreach in Milpitas and San Mateo.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Cleveland, page 1. The columnist recounts a series of encounters on recent travels, including a Cleveland Heights zoning dispute and conversations with fellow JACL members. The piece closes with reflections on the JACL National Board meeting in San Francisco.
• Jan Ken Po: The World of Hawaii’s Japanese Americans, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reviews Dr. Dennis Ogawa’s book on Hawaii’s Japanese American subculture and the role of family image in shaping behavior. He quotes at length on the pressures of maintaining family honor.
• Kitano: Of ‘a middle-man minority’, page 5. Dr. Harry Kitano analyzes the position of Japanese Americans as a middle-man minority and the hazards of remaining in that position. He argues the group risks becoming a political and social scapegoat.
• Tanaka-Plan for National Rebirth, by Richard Gima, page 5. Richard Gima reviews Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka’s book Building a New Japan, which lays out a plan for remodeling the Japanese archipelago by 1985. The review notes the book’s optimism and the criticism it has drawn, particularly over land price inflation and pollution.

JACL

• Board Meeting, page 1. The author praises the formation of Governors’ and NYCC caucuses within JACL and reports on board debate over officers’ authority to issue public statements. The column argues JACL must elect national officers willing to speak out on behalf of Japanese Americans.
• Weeks remain till JACL Convention week in Portland, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Portland and Gresham-Troutdale JACL chapters are co-hosting the 23rd Biennial National Convention July 23-27, 1974. The announcement previews the upcoming convention in Portland.

Community

• Reagan appoints Furuto, Hanki to municipal bench, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Governor Reagan appointed Los Angeles deputy district attorney Fukuto and public defender Hanki to the municipal court bench in Los Angeles judicial district. Both are Republicans and will receive an annual salary.
• Delano community pledges $5,000 in honor of Issei to Bldg. Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Community of Delano pledged $5,000 to the JACL National Building Fund to build an exhibition area in the main lobby honoring Issei pioneers. The gift came from a group of about 50 Nisei and Issei that had once owned property which funded the local Japanese school.
• Norm Mineta to speak before his own chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Jose JACL will hold its installation dinner March 16 at the Ramada Inn in Santa Clara, with Mayor Norman Mineta as guest speaker. Mike Honda will be installed as chapter president.
• Profits of Nat’l conventions to be shared 50-50, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Board adopted guidelines under which the sponsoring chapter and National JACL will share convention net profits equally, with National JACL assuming liability for any net loss. The change was approved at the February board sessions in San Francisco.
• $4 million Bunka Kaikan planned for Little Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A $4 million cultural and community center, the Bunka Kaikan, is planned for Little Tokyo, with half of the funds to be raised locally. Fund drive subcommittees have been formed with goals assigned to local businesses, Japanese community groups, Japanese corporations, and others.
• Tom Kitayama elected mayor of Union City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tom Kitayama, 50, was elected Union City’s first publicly elected mayor after serving as vice-mayor and being chosen by the council under the old system. Several other Nisei candidates also took local office in recent elections.
• Sacramento drops plan for community center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Community Center of Sacramento Valley shelved its large-scale building plans and will instead continue its existing programs in a modest structure. The group plans community fund raising and building through renovation.
• Milpitas police open door policy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Milpitas police Lt. Tom Nishisaka, a Kauai-born officer, runs a police riders program in which community members ride in patrol cars to better understand police work. The open door policy aims to build understanding between the police and the community.
• Group formed to fight Seinan purse snatching, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese American residents in the Los Angeles southwest area formed a group to combat a rash of purse snatchings targeting the community. Meetings were held to coordinate with police and community organizations.
• San Mateo police respond to ‘dorobo’ calls, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Mateo police advised Japanese American residents they would respond to calls reporting dorobo, or robbers, after a series of crimes against Japanese Americans since September 1973. A $500 reward was also offered for information leading to the arrest of bandits.
• Aspirant wants election code invalidated, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. S.I. Hayakawa sought a federal court order declaring the California Election Code unconstitutional so he could file as a Republican Senate candidate. His emergency appeal was rebuffed by Justice Douglas.
• Judge: Long Beach JACLer Ben Okamoto sentenced in stock fraud, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two former owners of the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas were fined $5,000 each and placed on probation for defrauding a brokerage firm in a 1969 scheme. The case involved a stock broker and a third defendant who had threatened a witness.
• The Twin Cities’ newest arts center: Minnihon, by Dean S. Potter, page 3. Reiko Shellum founded Minnihon Arts Center in Minneapolis to teach Japanese arts and culture, with volunteer instructors and visiting Japanese students. The center opened in January 1974 and faces a move because its building is being torn down.
• Million dollar theft of Asian art reported, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Police discovered that a burglary at the Sea Cliff home of Alexis and Katherine Yermakov involved $1,062,455 worth of Oriental art. It was believed to be the largest theft in San Francisco’s history.
• Kats Kunitsugu: On the Margin – To whistle while you work, by Kats Kunitsugu, page 4. Columnist Kats Kunitsugu reflects on the drudgery of housework compared with the satisfaction of paid work and newspaper employment. She argues that taking pride in one’s work matters, though recognition and appreciation are also needed.
• A Minority of One, by Edison T. Uno, page 5. Columnist Edison Uno discusses his position as a minority of one within the community and the problems of tokenism. He reflects on identity and how Japanese Americans are perceived.

Military & Veterans

• Manzanar ‘Informals’, by Edison T. Uno, page 5. A bronze plaque was placed at the former Manzanar camp site and designated a California Registered Historical Landmark. Greeting cards depicting Manzanar were produced by the committee to raise funds and publicize the campaign.

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.