Vol. 79, No. 11, September 13, 1974. 4 pages. View this issue
Shigeki Sugiyama opened this four-page issue with his column “Japanese Galore,” about the 75th anniversary of the Buddhist Churches of America and the World Buddhist Women’s Conference in San Francisco. He emceed the Buddhist memorial service for Japanese American war dead at Golden Gate National Cemetery. The front page also covered Little Tokyo, where the Community Redevelopment Agency approved a 300-unit senior housing project, and San Francisco’s Japantown, where a committee planned a demonstration against evictions. Seventeen JACL National Scholarship winners from the class of 1974 were named, with profiles of the winners.
Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about the death of his father and about a family conversation with his grandson. Ben Frank Masaoka described a summer as an intern at JACL National Headquarters. Allan Beekman reviewed a guide to contemporary Japanese literature and wrote about Hawaii’s gubernatorial primary. News items covered Korean immigration, Colombian flower exports and the case of two Vietnamese students held in El Centro.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- Japanese Galore, by Shigeki Sugiyama, page 1. Sugiyama reflects on attending the 75th anniversary of the Buddhist Churches of America and the World Buddhist Women’s Conference in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend. He notes how difficult it was to distinguish Japanese Americans from visitors from Japan, and draws lessons about JACL cooperation and mutual acceptance of differences from an interfaith panel.
- Sequoia JACL seeks Asian counselor at Foothill College, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sequoia JACL chapter protested the college’s failure to appoint a full-time tenured Asian counselor for day students at Foothill College. The chapter argues the counseling staff should reflect the Asian American student population and be sensitive to their unique problems.
- Loss of a very special person, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa writes about the death of his father, a gentle and loving farmer who struggled with illness and poverty but gave his family love and affection. He reflects on how his father’s contribution was measured not in success but in the bonds he built with his children.
- Time for truth, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa humorously describes a friend’s secret mushroom-hunting spot and the dilemma of sharing or hoarding finds during a dry summer. He also recounts a family conversation in which his grandson Patrick asked about death and the family struggled to explain it.
- Letter Box: Whales, by Naomi Kashiwagi, page 2. A reader argues that criticism of Japan’s whaling does not justify the practice simply because Western nations also killed animals. The letter contends that the everybody’s-doing-it argument is not a valid defense.
- Ise-Japanese citizenship proposal passed by subcommittee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A subcommittee passed a proposal related to citizenship for Japanese Americans in the Ise area. The item is brief and part of a news roundup.
Community
- 16-story housing project signed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Community Redevelopment Agency in Little Tokyo approved a 300-unit senior citizen housing project after a public hearing. The CRA agreed to sell the 1.8-acre site to Little Tokyo Towers, Inc. at the HUD-mandated price of $500 per unit.
- S.F. Nihonmachi evictions protested, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Committee Against Nihonmachi Eviction planned a demonstration against continuing urban renewal destruction of San Francisco’s Japantown. The group argues residents should not be forced to move until absolutely necessary and should have the right to remain in Nihonmachi.
- Cook’s re-entry from Japan into U.S. baffling, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Immigration officials in San Francisco are examining the mysterious re-entry of deported cook Yukio Udagawa into the United States. The Kiku Restaurant where he works is under state and federal investigation.
- Vietnamese students case interests JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Vietnamese students, Nguyen Quoc Tuan and Le Tan Ngoc, were arrested and confined to an immigration detention camp in El Centro after their opposition to the Saigon regime. The case has prompted JACL concern about the treatment of students who oppose the Vietnamese government.
- Henry Takahashi retires after 48 yrs. in optometry, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Dr. Henry M. Takahashi retired from his optometry practice in Berkeley after 48 years. He was the first Nisei to graduate from the UC Berkeley Optometry School and was a founder of JACL.
- SCLC adjourns early, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference ended its 17th annual convention a day early due to lack of funds and poor attendance. The organization founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been unable to meet its payroll since June.
National
- Colombia removes subsidy aiding cut flower exports to U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Under threat of a countervailing duty, Colombia eliminated its subsidy to flower growers exporting to the United States, according to William Enomoto of the U.S. Flower Growers trade policy committee. The article explains how subsidized Latin American imports have seriously harmed California flower growers, many of whom are Nisei.
- Korean immigrants to U.S. continue to mount, by P.C. Staff, page 1. INS figures show 22,930 South Koreans emigrated to the U.S. in FY 1973, a 994 percent increase over FY 1965. The article also notes 3,602 South Koreans became U.S. citizens in the same period.
- Japanese case intrigues INS officials in S.F., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Immigration officials are investigating how deported alien Yukio Udagawa returned to the United States, possibly with the help of a rolled yellow paper. He was readmitted at Honolulu after being pulled from the line by a middle-aged man and now works at a San Francisco restaurant under investigation.
- What would happen if Ariyoshi is dubbed ‘Tojo’, by Allan Beekman, page 4. Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi objected to former Lt. Gov. Thomas Gill calling him a Mussolini in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The article compares Fasi’s authoritarian tendencies to Mussolini’s and notes that Acting Governor George Ariyoshi has quietly built a strong front-runner position.
JACL
- JACL scholarships awarded to 1974 high school graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seventeen National JACL scholarships were awarded to high school graduates selected by chapters, with women dominating the list 10-7. Winners and their chapters, scholarship amounts, and accomplishments are profiled across the issue.
- JACL-JWRO fund drive progress report, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL-JWRO Fund reported contributions toward its $15,000 goal in a weekly progress update. The fund supports the Japanese American Citizens League and the Japanese Women’s Religious Organization in their work.
- Summer at headquarters, by Ben Frank Masaoka, page 3. A JACL summer intern describes his work at National Headquarters assisting the youth program and evaluating K-8 textbooks. He reflects on the constant criticism the national staff receives and endorses the student internship program for future participants.
Military & Veterans
- Border incident involves Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A US Army war resister, Robert Anderson, who emigrated to Canada was seized at the Peace Arch International Park, sparking a debate over sovereignty at the US-Canada border. Canada complained the seizure violated its sovereignty, and the State Department returned Anderson to Canada.
In-Depth
- Analysis of newest Japan writers, by Allan Beekman, page 4. A review of Introduction to Contemporary Japanese Literature, a compilation summarizing works by 72 authors from 1956 to 1970. The reviewer notes the growing translation of Japanese literature into English, following Yasunari Kawabata’s Nobel Prize in 1968.
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