Slurs, Little Tokyo and the first 360 days of JACL’s president

Vol. 72, No. 23, June 11, 1971. 6 pages. View this issue

A New York Times ad that used the term “Jap” drew protests from JACL and Asian American groups, and the paper returned to it in several places. A news story reported the protests, Harry Honda wrote on how bold such slurs had become in the East, and his column “When will it cease?” called for an end to the word. On the front page, National JACL President Raymond Uno looked ahead to the July 23 National Board meeting and the first 360 days of his administration.

Also in this issue: models of the Little Tokyo redevelopment, Mike Masaoka’s reports on trade tensions with Japan and on the repeal of Title II, and Bill Hosokawa’s column on the film Tora! Tora! Tora! Henry Hibino’s win in Salinas, a Nisei minister barred from South Africa, and Issei artists at the Pioneer Center round out the six pages.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• The First 360 Days, by Raymond Uno, page 1. JACL National President Raymond Uno reviews the first 360 days of his administration ahead of the July 23 National Board meeting. He stresses that committee reports must be submitted and reviewed on schedule so board members can vote intelligently.
• Five special events for delegates planned by Washington, D.C., hosts, by Cherry Tsutsumida, page 1. Washington, D.C. convention hosts announced special events for the 1972 JACL Convention, including a White House reception, Capitol Hill visits, a Japanese Embassy reception, and an Arlington Cemetery tour. Evening sessions and the Shoreham Hotel venue were also described.

National

• Inheritance tax referees take over, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California’s 161 state inheritance tax appraisers will be replaced July 1 by state inheritance tax referees under a 1970 reform law. Bruce T. Kaji, the only Japanese American appraiser, was among those affected.
• South Africa bars entry of Nisei minister from Canada for visit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. South African police declared Rev. Tadashi Mitsui, a Japanese Canadian minister, a prohibited immigrant and ordered him to leave within eight hours. The Canadian embassy’s response was criticized as weak by Rev. Garth Legge of the United Church of Canada.
• Wage credits to evacuees backed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Charles Gubser’s bill HR 8206 would provide wage credits of $30 per month for Americans interned during World War II toward Social Security benefits. Debs noted internment camp wages were only $18 per month.
• Economics strain U.S.-Japan ties, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Trade tensions between the United States and Japan have strained relations to a degree not seen since World War II. Masaoka examines the economic issues and what they mean for Americans and Japanese Americans.
• JACL, Asians protest use of ‘Jap’ in New York ad, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Bonwit Teller boutique ad in the New York Times called ‘Kenzo for JAP’ sparked protests from JACL and Asian American groups. Store representatives reportedly were unavailable for comment as complaints poured in.
• Slurs seem bolder in East, by Harry Honda, page 1. A New York Times ad using the term ‘Jap’ is the most blatant such incident since Spiro Agnew’s 1968 slur against a Nisei reporter. Honda reviews JACL’s long campaign to have newspapers and dictionaries recognize the term as offensive.
• City commission endorses state human relations bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission endorsed AB 878, a bill by Assemblyman John Dunlap that would expand the duties of local human relations commissions. The bill provides for working agreements with the state Fair Employment Practices Commission.

Community

• Nisei Olympics and Relays results, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Orange County JACL won the 20th annual PSWDC Nisei Relays with seven records broken, including George Pagan’s open mile record. Gardena Valley and West Los Angeles finished second and third.
• Little Tokyo redevelopment models displayed at June 15 banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An exhibit of working models depicting Little Tokyo’s redevelopment will be shown at the Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee banquet at the Biltmore Hotel. The display covers four action areas including a commercial area, hotel, senior housing, and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.
• Hibino No. One in Salinas city council election, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACLer Henry Hibino was elected to the Salinas City Council, becoming the first non-Caucasian elected to that body. He finished first in 14 of 19 precincts.
• Budget cut jeopardizes Los Angeles city human relations commission work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles City Council finance committee voted to eliminate the $284,076 budget of the Human Relations Bureau. Officials warned the cut would end the only equal opportunity program serving city residents.
• State school supt. backs Asian bid for United Way funds, by P.C. Staff, page 1. State Superintendent of Schools Wilson Riles supported Asian American demands for United Way funding while about 75 demonstrators picketed the Fairmont Hotel event. The protest sought greater Asian representation in community funding decisions.
• Two new buildings for S.F. Nihonmachi started, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Construction began on two new buildings on Buchanan Street in San Francisco’s Nihonmachi, a three-story building for Fujiya Store and a two-story restaurant for Otafuku. Yoshiaki Tajima is the architect.
• Maryknoll school carnival due June 18-20, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Maryknoll 2001 carnival-bazaar in Los Angeles runs June 18-20 to raise funds for the Japanese Catholic mission school. Little Tokyo attorney Kenji Tio will address graduates.
• Salt Lake panel to discuss minority issues, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Salt Lake JACL will host an ethnic workshop on June 19 addressing education, employment, housing, and intermarriage for black, brown, and Asian communities. Panelists include Raymond Uno and community leaders.
• Asian American studies supported in Richmond, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Alliance of Asian Americans and Contra Costa JACL held a community meeting in Richmond to rally support for expanded Asian American studies. Dr. Harry Kitano of UCLA spoke at the event.
• Selanoco to honor Issei at movie program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Selanoco JACL chapter will honor its pioneer Issei at an Issei Appreciation Movie Night on June 19 in Whittier. Transportation assistance is available for Issei who need it.
• Little Tokyo’s Pioneer Center is a lively joint, by Kats Halter, Kash Machida, page 6. The Japanese Community Pioneer Center in Little Tokyo hosts an active group of Issei artists who meet regularly to share and discuss their work. Profiles include Roy Matsui, Nobu Shigeta, and Frank Nakamura, among others.

Military & Veterans

• Tad Hirota elected MIS Veterans president, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tad Hirota of Berkeley was elected president of the MIS Veterans Association of Northern California. He succeeds Tom Sakamoto of Saratoga.

Commentary

• Title II repeal, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka reports on the House effort to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act, with JACL-backed HR 234 competing against the opposing HR 820. He warns that public acceptance of preventive detention after Washington demonstrations threatens the repeal effort.
• Washington newsletter: Title II repeal, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka tracks the progress of HR 234, the JACL-backed bill to repeal Title II, through House committees. He warns that public tolerance for preventive arrests during Washington demonstrations threatens the repeal effort.
• Bill Hosokawa column: Tora! Tora! Tora!, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa reflects on the film Tora! Tora! Tora! and its portrayal of the Pearl Harbor attack and the official bungling that preceded it. He laments that younger viewers treated the film as entertainment and that the role of Hawaii’s Japanese Americans went unrecognized.
• Lt. Calley is guilty!, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Progressive Westside board condemns public support for Lt. William Calley after the My Lai massacre. The editorial argues that the attitude toward Vietnamese lives reflects racism and that Calley’s conduct was clearly criminal.
• Ken Izumi column: Sharing of the weird and blowing of mind, by Peggy Sonoda, page 4. Peggy Sonoda previews the August Tri-District Youth Council conference at Bannockburn, aimed at bringing together Junior JACL members from California, Pacific Northwest, and Idaho. The conference emphasizes informal interaction over structured programming.
• Book review: Japanese and Western Literature, by Richard Gima, page 5. Gima reviews Allan Beekman’s comparative study of Japanese and Western literature, which traces how Japanese letters were transformed after Commodore Perry opened Japan. The book is praised as an illuminating look at Japanese literary development.
• Apartheid policy prevails, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Honda comments on South Africa’s refusal to admit Rev. Tadashi Mitsui, noting that even Japanese businessmen are granted only honorary white status there. He observes that apartheid restrictions remain entrenched despite some internal questioning.
• When will it cease?, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Honda calls for an end to the use of the derogatory term ‘Jap’ after its appearance in a New York Times Bonwit Teller ad. He argues that such epithets should be buried from usage as other racial slurs have been.
• Issei pioneers, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Honda eulogizes his uncle Sadazo Yotsukura, an Issei who kept diaries for 30 years. He reflects on the Issei legacy of perseverance and the value of preserving their personal histories.
• Read Myer’s book to appreciate Mineta’s victory, by Edwin McDowell, page 6. McDowell reviews Daniel Okimoto’s American in Disguise and Dillon Myer’s Uprooted Americans, connecting Norman Mineta’s election as San Jose mayor to the history of wartime discrimination. He finds Myer’s account of the relocation program especially significant.
• Letter: Chiaroscuro, by Otto Furuta, page 6. St. Louis JACL board chairman Otto Furuta responds to criticism of his Chiaroscuro column, clarifying that his analogies were meant to describe the chapter’s situation. He invites criticism but asks that articles be judged by their intent.
• A Midwestern view, by Terry Ishihara, page 6. Terry Ishihara, a displaced Nisei in Indiana, reflects on the values instilled by his Issei parents and the Japanese cultural background of his childhood. He argues that being a quiet American reflects admirable humility rather than failure to speak out.

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