Preparing for the 1974 JACL board meeting and a new headquarters

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

The JACL National Board was getting ready to meet in San Francisco on Feb. 22-24, and Henry T. Tanaka laid out the agenda: regional offices, the Washington JACL office, public relations and an $82,000 deficit budget. Fundraising for the new National Headquarters Building ran alongside it. Edward M. Yamamoto of Moses Lake, Washington, gave $4,000 in memory of his parents, and the Washington, D.C. Chapter passed $8,000 against a $3,000 goal.

Elsewhere in these six pages, Bill Hosokawa wrote on Colorado Governor Ralph Carr and on Nisei identity, and Mike Masaoka and Jerry Enomoto contributed columns. Property owners in Little Tokyo asked to stop planned street widening. San Jose Mayor Norman Y. Mineta announced a run for Congress. Shig Sakamoto previewed the National JACL Bowling Tournament in Sacramento, and a book review looked at Japan-U.S. relations before Pearl Harbor.

What’s in this issue

National

• Board Meeting Agenda Full of Issues Facing JACL in 1974, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 1. The national board meets in San Francisco Feb. 22-24 to address a range of issues including regional offices, the Washington JACL office, public relations, and an $82,000 deficit budget. Board members have prepared advance reports to enable informed decisions on these matters.

Community

• JACLer Donates $4,000 for Office Room in Memory of Parents, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Edward M. Yamamoto of Moses Lake, Washington, donated $4,000 to sponsor a room in the new JACL National Headquarters Building in memory of his parents. He said JACL has always been an important part of his life and hoped his gift would encourage others to contribute.
• D.C. Chapter Raises Over $8,000 for National Headquarters, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Washington, D.C. Chapter has raised over $8,000 toward the National JACL Headquarters Building as of Feb. 1, well above its original $3,000 goal. The chapter hopes to complete its drive by March 1, and the Eastern District Council is expected to raise at least $15,000.
• Buddhists Don’t Go for Exorcism, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bay Area clergymen and psychiatrists responded to a Chronicle question about whether demonic possession is possible following the film The Exorcist. Bishop Kenryu Teuji of the Buddhist Churches of America said Buddhists advise seeking medical help rather than believing in exorcism.
• Northsiders Want to Stay in Little Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Ad Hoc Committee for the Northside, a group of property owners and tenants on East First Street in Los Angeles, sent a letter to Councilman Gilbert Lindsay urging an end to the planned street widening and redevelopment of the area. The group argues the buildings can be made sound and that Little Tokyo should be preserved.
• Japanese American Film Producer Writing on ‘Tokyo Rose’ Trial, by Yasuo Wm. Abiko, page 1. Antonio Montanari Jr., a San Francisco television producer, is preparing a documentary on the Tokyo Rose case in hopes of securing a pardon for Iva Toguri d’Aquino. He has spent over a year researching and is seeking records and witnesses.
• Orange County Nisei Parents Worried by High School Antics, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei parents in Orange County are concerned about anti-Japanese leaflets and jokes directed at students at Dana Hills High School, linked to a campaign urging boycotts of Japanese products over whaling. Assistant principal Philip Grignon explained the campaign’s aim was to pressure Japanese industry to support a whaling moratorium.
• Canned Whale Meat Seized from Grocery, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A San Francisco superior court suit accused a Nihonmachi grocery store of selling canned whale meat in violation of state law, and police seized prohibited cases of the meat. Attorney Wayne Collins denied the charge, arguing the meat was legally imported.
• Carol N. Thomas Appointed Community Relations Coordinator in Colorado, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Carol N. Thomas, a Hilo-born Nisei communications specialist, began serving as community relations coordinator for Lakewood, Colorado. She was selected from 30 applicants and plans to improve communication between city hall and residents.
• Three Nisei Honored with Silver Beaver Award, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Frank F. Chuman, Harry Yamamoto, and Dr. Benjamin Kondo received the Silver Beaver, the highest Boy Scout honor of the Los Angeles Area Council, at a dinner Feb. 6. Each has contributed decades of service to Scouting.
• Korean American to Run for Third Term; Was First Asian State Legislator, by P.C. Staff, page 3. State Sen. Alfred H. Song announced he will campaign for a third four-year term in the State Senate representing the 26th District in the Los Angeles area. He cited legislation on consumer protections and family physician training as key accomplishments.
• Eastern Seaboard Membership Expected to Raise $15,000, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Eastern District Council has exceeded its voluntary goal of $10,000 for the new JACL headquarters building based on preliminary totals from New York, Philadelphia, and Seabrook. Remaining chapters are expected to raise at least $15,000 during February.
• East Los Angeles JACL Installation and Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The East Los Angeles JACL chapter held its installation of officers and recognized outgoing leaders. The event was part of the chapter’s February activities.
• Record Turnout Attends San Mateo JACL Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 4. San Mateo JACL held its installation dinner Jan. 19 with a record turnout of members and guests. Officers for the coming year were installed during the event.
• Cleveland JACL Booth Set for Home Show, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Cleveland JACL will participate in the Home & Flower Show Feb. 16-24 with a booth selling Japanese gift items and offering origami and calligraphy demonstrations. Sho Jo Ji dancers are scheduled to perform.
• Wilshire JACL to Host ICCC Theater Party, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Wilshire JACL scheduled a theater party Feb. 23 for the multi-racial musical Earthquake at the Inner City Cultural Center. The cast includes three Asian American performers.
• Kojima Enters Board of Directors, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Gov. Masamune Kojima was installed as a chapter officer and welcomed into leadership. The chapter also acknowledged door prize donors.
• Three Scouts Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Three long-serving Scouting volunteers were honored with recognition from their local council. Their dedication to youth programs was highlighted.
• Shapteen Years Later: Noguchi Case Revisited, by Kats Kunitsugu, page 5. Columnist Kats Kunitsugu reflects on the Noguchi case nearly five years after it occurred, noting the list of Defense Fund contributors and the conduct of Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. He concludes that the courage of Dr. and Mrs. Noguchi deserves recognition.
• Japanese Consul General Donates Japan Foundation Grants to Universities, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Japanese Consul General Toshikazu Maeda presented $1,000,000 grants each to Stanford University and UC Berkeley from the Japan Foundation to expand Japan studies. In appreciation, the universities donated books to the Consulate library.

Sports

• Nat’l JACL Bowling Tournament: An ‘Inside’ View of a Fun-Filled Week, by Shig Sakamoto, page 1. The 24th National JACL Bowling Tournament will be held March 4-9 at Country Club Lanes in Sacramento, and this article describes the event’s structure including unattached entries and ragtime doubles. It explains how the week’s schedule of singles, doubles, teams and all-events competition unfolds.
• Bowling Tournament Preview: Schedule of Play, by Shig Sakamoto, page 4. This article describes the day-by-day schedule of the National JACL Bowling Tournament in Sacramento, from the ragtime doubles through the Sayonara Ball. It explains how bowlers can enter unattached and form teams.

Commentary

• Mineta Now Candidate for Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Jose Mayor Norman Y. Mineta announced he will run for Congress instead of a second term as mayor, seeking the 13th District seat being vacated by Rep. Charles Gubser. He pledged to address national urban policy and local home rule issues.
• Las Vegas Incident, by Jerry Enomoto, page 2. A letter to the editor describes a Las Vegas cab driver hurling racial insults at an elderly Japanese American couple, including the writer’s 74-year-old father-in-law who was in pain from arthritis. The writer asks that the prejudice be brought to JACL and public attention.
• Changes in Corrections, by Jerry Enomoto, page 2. Jerry Enomoto, superintendent of the California Correctional Institution at Tehachapi, discusses the evolving field of corrections and the changes in treatment of offenders. He describes reforms in legal redress, community programs, and the balance between security and rehabilitation.
• Washington Newsletter, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka writes on the controversies surrounding Japan-U.S. relations, the energy crisis, and the position of Japanese Americans caught between the two nations. He argues JACL should focus on public relations and emphasize its role for Japanese Americans in the United States.
• Perspectives: Hard Questions About Japanese American Identity, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reflects on the Nisei generation and the challenge of defining community identity as the Issei fade and the Sansei emerge. He calls for JACL leadership to address stereotypes and the future of the grassroots.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa recounts Colorado Governor Ralph Carr’s 1942 stance on accepting Japanese American evacuees, noting Carr’s statements framed the decision as a wartime duty rather than a humanitarian gesture. Carr later lost a Senate race partly due to his stance, though he remained a humanitarian figure.
• Who Is Community?, by Edison T. Uno, page 5. Edison T. Uno, writing in A Minority of One, questions how JACL and various communities define themselves and expresses disappointment at the lack of visible young Nisei leadership in the national organization. He praises CANE for its community activities.

Obituaries

• New York Attorney Tom Hayashi Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tom Toshio Hayashi, a Sacramento-born attorney, died Feb. 9 in New York after a long illness at age 56. He had been active in the New York JACL and the Japanese United Church, and served on its board.

In-Depth

• Japanese Buddhism Discussed by Five Professors, by Richard Gima, page 5. Five Buddhist professors in Japan discussed the present state and future of Buddhism in a round-table, examining its relation to Christianity, its many doctrinal facets, and whether its current organizational forms will endure. They concluded that Buddhist thinking may spread even if the term Buddhism fades.
• A Nisei Visits Israel, by Dr. Roy Doi, page 5. UC Davis researcher Dr. Roy Doi describes his September 1973 trip to Israel for a bacteriology congress, reflecting on security, the warm reception he received as a Nisei, and Israeli agricultural achievements. He reflects on how Western cultural influences shaped his identity.
• Japan-U.S. Estrangement Probed in Pearl Harbor Book Review, by Allan Beekman, page 5. This book review examines a collection of essays on Japan-U.S. relations in the decade before Pearl Harbor, covering the Japanese Exclusion Act, the League of Nations withdrawal, and economic sanctions. The reviewer notes the uneven quality of the essays but praises certain contributions.

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