Vol. 81, No. 15, October 10, 1975. 4 pages. View this issue
Reparations for the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans ran through much of this four-page issue. Edison Uno reported from the Tri-District Convention in Anaheim, where John Dean spoke and delegates debated how far JACL should commit its resources. Henry Miyatake of Seattle JACL laid out a plan for an IRS trust fund, and Bill Dei reported on a Midwest District Council survey in which most of 176 respondents favored reparations of some kind. The front page also carried a JACL statement signed by David Ushio, issued as the Emperor and Empress of Japan arrived in the United States.
Elsewhere, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center asked Los Angeles for a $1.25-million matching grant to begin construction in Little Tokyo. Congress moved on a $36-million Japan-United States Friendship Fund, and Sen. Daniel Inouye spoke about Watergate in Utah. Bill Hosokawa’s column looked at the secretive world of matsutake mushroom hunters in Colorado.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Little Tokyo community center asking $1.25-million matching grant from city, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center applied for a $1.25-million matching block grant from the City of Los Angeles for its first construction phase. The funds would help relocate community service groups displaced by redevelopment in Little Tokyo.
- Calif. 1st Bank ranks 5th in state, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California First Bank, formed by merging the Bank of Tokyo of California and Southern California First National Bank, began service with 100 branches statewide. With combined assets nearing $2 billion, it ranks as the eighth largest bank in California.
- Non-English speaking drivers to get help, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A state study identified 20 Department of Motor Vehicles offices that could provide bilingual services to nearly 400,000 non-English speaking customers. The report recommended these offices offer assistance for licensing and vehicle registration.
- Greater LA Community Action Council, COO, gets Viet refugee aid grant, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Greater Los Angeles Community Action and the Council of Oriental Organizations won a $1-million State Department grant to resettle about 2,000 Southeast Asian refugees from Camp Pendleton. The funds will also establish a Southeast Asian Self-Help Multi-Purpose Center.
Incarceration & Redress
- Senate-House conference acts on amity bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senate and House conferees agreed to establish a $36-million Japan-United States Friendship Fund for scholarly and cultural exchanges. The bill was sent back for final passage by both chambers.
- Seattle plan unique among reparations proposals, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Henry Miyatake of Seattle JACL presented a reparations plan calling for an IRS trust fund to pay individuals and community groups. He argued that the government’s mass evacuation of over 120,000 people set a precedent entitling Japanese Americans to similar consideration.
- MDC reparations survey, by Bill Dei, page 3. Midwest District Council survey results show an overwhelming majority of 176 respondents favor reparations of some kind. Responses varied by age group, with some respondents strongly opposing individual payments.
National
- Bank of Tokyo lends $1 million for urban renewal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Bank of Tokyo of California became the first bank to offer San Francisco’s Redevelopment Agency a loan program for rehabilitating homes in the Western Addition A-2 area. The loan enables long-delayed repairs to hundreds of homes.
- Gunshot victim dies after 9 months, autopsy ordered as it may be murder, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fresno liquor store owner Thomas Y. Kubota died after being paralyzed by a gunshot wound received during a robbery attempt. An autopsy was ordered to determine whether his death resulted from complications of those wounds, which could make the incident a murder case.
- Sen. Inouye explains final lesson of Watergate trauma, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Daniel Inouye told a Utah Democratic banquet that Watergate showed the resilience of the American system in holding a president accountable. He said Americans should put national self-doubt behind them and regain the confidence that carried the nation through its earlier history.
Commentary
- A Great Shame, by Edison Uno, page 2. Uno reports on the Tri-District Convention in Anaheim, where John Dean spoke and reparations were discussed. He criticizes the lack of new ideas and urges JACL to act more aggressively while noting that Dean called the wartime evacuation a great American shame.
- Time of Deceit, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa humorously describes the secretive and deceitful behavior of matsutake mushroom hunters in Colorado. He portrays the coded language hunters use to mislead one another about their finds.
Military & Veterans
- Yasui, JACL Tri-District convention reparations debate, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Reparations were a key topic at the Tri-District Conference in Anaheim, where Ed Uno and others discussed the campaign. Speakers debated JACL’s readiness to commit resources to the effort.
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