The end of the Vietnam war and the Nikkei servicemen it cost

Vol. 76, No. 5, February 9, 1973. 6 pages. View this issue

The Vietnam cease-fire of Jan. 23 shaped this issue. A front-page list named 61 Japanese American servicemen killed in Southeast Asia, 22 of them from the mainland states, and a separate story reported seven Nisei on the Defense Department’s list of 555 living prisoners. Rep. Patsy Mink welcomed the cease-fire, a Pacific Citizen editorial called “Peace in Our Time” looked back at JACL’s changing positions on the war, and a JACL column recorded its resolutions against it.

There is more to find on Hawaii’s concern about growing Japanese investment, with a Honolulu Advertiser editorial on mixing economics and emotion. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Rev. Paul Hagiya of Denver, and Rev. George Aki’s letter praised Mary Kawachi. Chapter news covered installations in Stockton, Venice-Culver, Monterey Peninsula and Washington, D.C., where the Eastern District Council met.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Vietnam war dead: 61 Nikkei servicemen killed in Southeast Asia, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Citizen compiled a list of 61 Japanese American servicemen killed in Southeast Asia, 22 from mainland states and the rest from Hawaii. The first Nisei killed in action was CWO James H. Ishihara in 1963, and most deaths were reported after 1967.

National

• 7 Nisei reported on prisoner list in No. Vietnam, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seven Japanese Americans were included on the Defense Department’s list of 555 living American prisoners in Southeast Asia. The list gave service, rank, and hometown details for those named.
• Growing tide of Japanese investment worries Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii legislators from both parties and both houses expressed concern over growing Japanese investment, particularly in tourism. A Senate resolution sought a study of the economic and social impact, while House Republicans called for similar assessment and federal action.
• Private clubs can ban member due to race, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Britain’s House of Lords ruled that private clubs may exclude members on racial grounds, reversing the Court of Appeals decision in the case of Amarjit Shah. The Law Lords held that the test is whether membership is a mere formality.
• Bicentennial plans may not relocate Salt Lake Nihonmachi, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Utah legislation creating an American Revolution Bicentennial Commission could allow eminent domain over property, potentially affecting two Japanese churches west of the Salt Palace. The Japanese Community Improvement Program Committee urged amendments to protect the churches.
• Cease-fire hailed by Rep. Patsy Mink, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Patsy Mink, a longtime opponent of the Vietnam War, welcomed President Nixon’s cease-fire announcement. She urged that the nation now turn its attention to the needs of its own people.
• Room & board in jail better than welfare, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A 70-year-old Tokyo man, Yoshitaro Ito, repeatedly returns to prison because he finds life there better than on his welfare allowance. He has been imprisoned 47 times since 1950.
• Bank branches OK’d, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California State Banking Department approved a Sacramento branch of the Bank of Tokyo of California and a Gardena branch of the Mitsubishi Bank of California. Both approvals were reported in brief.
• Full tax deduction on medical expense may be restored for seniors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Hiram Fong proposed legislation to restore full income tax deductibility of medical expenses for the elderly. He noted that Medicare covers less than half of medical costs for people over 65.
• Non-bias sought for liquor permit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman John Miller introduced a bill that would strip liquor licenses from clubs, such as the Elks, with discrimination clauses. The measure would require a nondiscrimination statement to obtain a license.

Commentary

• Editorial fears mixing economics with emotion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Honolulu Advertiser editorial on Japanese investment and tourism noted the difficulty of separating economics from emotion. It identified limits of growth and racial prejudice as the two major factors confronting the issue.
• Peace in Our Time, page 1. A Pacific Citizen editorial reflects on the end of the American role in the Vietnam war and the unsettled peace in Southeast Asia. It also reviews JACL’s evolving positions on the war from 1967 onward.
• For Men: Part X, page 2. A Nisei scientist on a stay in Japan describes gender relations, arranged marriages, and the after-work drinking culture among Japanese men. He observes that wives often control household finances.
• Mary Kawachi tribute letter, by Rev. George Aki, page 2. Rev. George Aki writes in praise of Mary Kawachi, describing her activism on behalf of the disadvantaged and her early support during detention camp days. He argues she would have been an activist anywhere she lived.
• Stockton Community Center memories, page 3. A Nisei writer reflects on running a family store in Nihonmachi and the Issei men who gathered there for warmth and meals. The column stresses the community’s obligation to care for its aged and needy.
• Uncommon Men—These Christians (Bill Hosokawa column on Paul Hagiya), by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa recounts how Rev. Paul Hagiya was elected student body president at Southwestern College in 1943 and was later honored with a Doctor of Divinity degree. Hosokawa highlights Hagiya’s ministry and the Simpson United Methodist Church in Denver.

Incarceration & Redress

• Nisei Vietnam veterans and the war dead, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Japanese American Citizens League column notes the Vietnam war’s toll and the Nisei’s role in the national debate. It records JACL resolutions opposing the war.

Community

• Installation: Stockton JACL seats 1973 officers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Ted Yoneda and cabinet officers of the Stockton JACL were installed at the Prime Rib Inn on Jan. 21. Dr. James Tanaka emceed the event, and Dr. Douglas Matheson gave a talk on hypnosis and parapsychology.
• Venice-Culver elects John Asari president, by P.C. Staff, page 4. John Asari was elected president of the Venice-Culver JACL. The chapter held its installation event at a community gathering.
• Lt. Gov. Ariyoshi predicts focal point of world affairs shifting to Pacific, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Hawaii Lt. Governor George Ariyoshi spoke at the Monterey Peninsula JACL installation dinner. He argued that tourism should preserve local charm and that the Pacific Basin would become central to world affairs.

JACL

• Eastern District Council meets in Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Eastern District Council held its session in Washington, D.C., with delegates from several chapters attending. Speakers addressed discrimination against Japanese Americans and JAYL activities, and new officers were installed.
• D.C. Chapter installation features ‘Now Generation’, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Barry Matsumoto’s keynote at the D.C. Chapter installation argued that JACL’s future depends on partnership between Nisei and Sansei. Claire Minami passed the chairmanship to Lary Nakatsuka at the banquet.

Obituaries

• Rev. Taro Goto remembered, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Rev. Taro Goto, a Methodist minister and Japanese American pioneer, died in December. Tributes included a message from President Nixon, and his wife recalled his wartime service helping evacuees at Tanforan and a camp near Salt Lake City.

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