Vol. 81, No. 23, December 5, 1975. 6 pages. View this issue
A six-page issue led with the Central California JACL District Council, whose 26th annual convention adopted four resolutions. They included support for the Wendy Yoshimura Fair Trial Fund and a call to seek reversal of the Korematsu decision. Gardena Valley JACL installed officers at a Nov. 22 dinner built around a Bicentennial theme, and Jerry Enomoto told a San Francisco forum that equal protection under the law was still an ideal for many Americans. Rep. Norman Mineta also warned about San Jose’s city funds.
Elsewhere in the issue, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center was still looking for $1.25 million. The 1976 JACL-California Blue Shield plan needed an 11 percent rate increase. Inside are a profile of the Tamura brothers and their Idaho onion farms, a reunion of former residents of Poston Block 221 in Fresno, and a remembrance of James Nakagawa, Denver’s first Nisei policeman.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- CCDC Seeks Farm Board Changes; Wendy Yoshimura Fair Trial Fund Endorsed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Central California JACL District Council adopted four resolutions at its 26th annual convention, including urging changes to the State Agricultural Labor Relations Board and support for the Wendy Yoshimura Fair Trial Fund. The resolutions also called for contributions to the Carr Memorial Fund and for seeking reversal of the Korematsu decision.
Community
- Gardena Valley JACL Installs Officers Under Bicentennial Theme, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Gardena Valley JACL chapter installed new officers at a dinner held Nov. 22 under a Bicentennial theme, with certificates presented to past presidents. The event was endorsed as a local Bicentennial activity and marked the chapter’s 36th year.
- Tokyo Community Center Still Looking for $1.25 Million, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACCC board members met with Councilman Gilbert Lindsay and CRA administrator Richard Mitchell, who said the Center and nearby hotel project were equally important. CRA staff are exploring funding sources to meet the remaining monies needed for the cultural center.
- Aged Issei Beaten to Death at Home in South San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Keno Mukai, 83, was found beaten to death in her home after her son became concerned when he could not reach her by phone. Police found the apartment ransacked and the coroner said she apparently died Nov. 20 of severe injuries.
- Pueblo Nikkei Dentist Re-elected Council President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Melvin H. Takaki, 36, was re-elected president of the Pueblo city council in the Nov. 4 elections with a 4-1 margin. The dentist practices with his father and first won a council seat in 1971.
- San Gabriel Valley JACL Hears Takei on Consumer ’76, by P.C. Staff, page 2. State Consumer Affairs Director Dr. Takeshi Takei spoke at the San Gabriel Valley JACL installation dinner on Nov. 15 about his department’s efforts to address consumer concerns. Proceeds from the dinner went to the chapter’s scholarship fund.
- Denver’s First Nisei Policeman James Nakagawa Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 3. James Nakagawa, Denver’s first Nisei policeman, joined the force about 24 years earlier and served as a walking beat officer and head of a storefront unit. He served with the 442nd Infantry and 101st Airborne in World War II and died of a heart attack Oct. 14.
- Former Residents of Poston Block 221 Reunite in Fresno, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Former residents of Poston Block 221 held a reunion at the Fresno Betsuin on Nov. 15 with Tokuo Yamamoto as emcee. The gathering was a chance for former camp residents to reconnect.
National
- Blue Shield Health Plan Rates to Rise 11 Percent, Benefits Expanded, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1976 JACL-California Blue Shield health plan will require an 11 percent rate increase due to rising hospital and medical costs. Benefits were expanded effective Jan. 1, 1976, including full intensive care coverage and an ambulance allowance.
- Equal Rights Still Unreal: Enomoto, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jerry Enomoto of Sacramento told a San Francisco forum that equal opportunity and equal protection under the law remain ideals rather than reality for many Americans. Municipal Judge Earl Warren also spoke on the need for each generation to fight for its rights.
- Judge Kimura OKs Pulling Plug on Life Respirator, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hilo Judge Shuichi Kimura allowed life support to be removed from Alice Cameron, 27, after five of seven doctors testified she was dead. The case was distinguished from the New Jersey Karen Ann Quinlan litigation because the issue was what constituted death.
- Kenne Chang Ouster at UC Davis Aired, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Kenne Chang Support Committee forum at UC Davis called for review of the tenure system after Chang, an assistant anthropology professor, was denied tenure in June 1974. Chang is unemployed and has filed a lawsuit alleging unequal treatment.
- Congressman Mineta Warns on City Funds, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta warned that San Jose could suffer the same financial troubles as New York if a default occurs there. He said a New York default would trigger a depression in the investment market affecting city bond financing.
- Japan Whaling Industry Accepts New Harvest Formula, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Japan’s whaling industry agreed to respect a new IWC harvesting formula adopted at the June 1975 meeting, which sets limits on whale harvesting below sustainable yield levels. The Japan Whaling Association argued that anti-Japan campaigns in the US were unjustified.
Military & Veterans
- Tamura Brothers: Boise Valley JACLers Synonymous with Onions in SW Idaho, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Brothers Ken, George and Ben Tamura operate a farm complex in Homedale, Idaho, growing onions, alfalfa seed, grain and beans. They also run an onion packing plant in nearby Parma after moving from Utah in 1963.
Commentary
- Notes from Japan: Sapporo and Its Forests, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A visitor describes Sapporo’s wide, square streets, its shoeshiners, and a visit to Hokkaido University, where a bust of W.S. Clark stands. The writer also recounts being told by a Japanese film director that English-speaking ability earns respect in Japan.
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