Nihonmachi under redevelopment, and Vietnam on the front page

Vol. 62, No. 25, June 24, 1966. 6 pages. View this issue

Japanese American districts facing the bulldozer were the main subject of this six-page issue. Tubber T. Okuda described how redevelopment cleared Salt Lake City’s Nihonmachi on May 15, 1966, and Tomoko Yano wrote a requiem for the street as it was before the war. Elsewhere, the paper followed new activity in San Francisco’s Nihonmachi and a street-widening priority for Little Tokyo. On the front page, Rep. Spark Matsunaga suggested that Buddhists in Hawaii could help bring an early end to the war in Vietnam.

Also inside: Harry K. Honda’s editor’s desk on California’s population growth, a letter from Jerry Enomoto on his JACL platform, and a draft Jr. JACL constitution by Alan Kumamoto for the San Diego convention. Tad Imoto previewed San Diego’s attractions, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about the Rotary convention in Denver. Scholarship and student honors fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Matsunaga says Buddhists in Hawaii might help end war in Vietnam, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Spark Matsunaga suggested that Buddhists in Hawaii could work through counterparts in Asia to help bring about an early end to the Vietnam War. He addressed the Club 100 anniversary banquet, where he also urged a committee to expand the East-West Center’s reach.
• Cesar Nakamura and Toba Sister City exchange gifts in Santa Barbara, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mayor Kokichi Nakamura of Toba City visited Santa Barbara, where the local JACL welcomed him and exchanged Sister City gifts. Consul General Toshiro Shimanouchi spoke on the value of people-to-people contacts.
• Educational TV series on Nisei of Denver started, by P.C. Staff, page 1. KRMA-TV in Denver is producing a half-hour educational program on the local Japanese American community. Consultants from local churches, the American Legion, and JACL are assisting with the project.
• Nisei veterans and JAVA recognition, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Brief notes recognize Nisei veterans and related service activities. The items mark ongoing commemoration of Japanese American service members.

Community

• Other Attractions of San Diego, by Tad Imoto, page 1. Ahead of the San Diego JACL Convention, the author highlights local entertainment, horse racing, dining spots, and Tijuana shopping. The column encourages attendees to explore the city during convention week.
• Redevelopment kills Salt Lake’s Nihonmachi, by Tubber T. Okuda, page 1. Salt Lake City’s Japanese business district was cleared on May 15, 1966 to make way for a civic auditorium. The author describes the JACL committee’s efforts to find relocation options and the obstacles it faced.
• Activity steps up in San Francisco Nihonmachi, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Property owners and businessmen near the new Japanese Trade and Cultural Center planned their next steps through the Nihonmachi Community Development Corp. The group is led by Masao Ashizawa.
• Priority upped for Little Tokyo redevelopment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles Board of Public Works gave priority to a street widening and beautification program in Little Tokyo. Officials also announced a planned Japanese film theater as part of the $50 million renewal effort.
• Minister up for Chicago’s Father of the Year award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. Andrew Y. Oyama of the Japanese Church of Jesus Christ in Chicago was named a finalist for Father of the Year. His daughter Linda’s essay about him was among the top 15 selected.
• Japanese family name seen as asset by two Cal Nisei political candidates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Architect Kaz Umemoto and lawyer Tosh Hiraide, both Nisei candidates who lost in the June 7 primary, said their Japanese surnames helped their campaigns. They discussed the favorable reputation Japanese Americans have earned since the war.
• Bob Kodama memorial adirondack set near Big Bear Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Centenary Y Group will build an adirondack at Camp Whittle in memory of Robert Yohio Kodama, a longtime youth worker who died in 1964. The shelter is being built by volunteers at the all-year camp.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa reflects on the Rotary International convention in Denver, noting the Japanese delegates’ amazement at American size and industry. He observes the language barrier they faced and the value of home hospitality exchanges.
• Salt Lake Nihonmachi memories: Requiem reprint and San Francisco updates, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Brief community updates report on Fresno’s landmark Temple Cafe relocation and other local developments. The items describe changes to long-established Japanese businesses in those cities.
• Yamato’s newest restaurant opens at Century Plaza, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ken Ishizaki, a longtime San Francisco JACL 1000 Club member, opened the Century Plaza Yamato restaurant in Los Angeles. The restaurant offers tatami rooms, Japanese steak, and a seafood hibachi bar.
• San Francisco JACL awards 2 scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Akihiro Kanamori received the $250 San Francisco JACL scholarship and Pamela Nunotani received a $100 second prize. The chapter scholarship committee and judges are recognized.
• $1,450 presented in 8 scholarships at Mile-Hi dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Eight Sansei students in the Denver area received scholarships totaling $1,450 at a dinner sponsored by several local JACL and community groups. Mayor Norma Walker of Aurora was the main speaker.
• Idaho Falls JAYs busy raising travel funds, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Idaho Falls Jr. JACL members raised funds through a winter carnival, a baked goods sale, and a games booth to help pay for the San Diego convention. They also hosted exchange socials with neighboring clubs.
• Chicago 1000er wins UPI’s $100 cameraman prize, by P.C. Staff, page 6. James Ogata of Chicago won first prize in the UPI newspictures contest for May 1966 with a photo of racing cars piling up at the Indianapolis 500 start. Ogata has worked as a UPI photographer at the track for several years.
• Outstanding Nisei students recognized in high school honors, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Several Nisei and Sansei students across California, Hawaii, Utah, and Idaho were honored with scholarships, valedictorian honors, and academic awards. Their achievements were reported in a roundup of graduation news.

Commentary

• Ye Editor’s Desk: California’s Population Explosion, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. The editor warns that California’s rapid population growth could bring new residents unfamiliar with Asian Americans and vulnerable to racist stereotypes. He argues JACL needs a full-scale public relations program and a national public relations specialist.
• Letter: JACL Platform, by Jerry Enomoto, page 2. Jerry Enomoto, a candidate for national JACL president, lays out his philosophy that the organization should move beyond protecting Japanese American rights toward broader social issues. He lists specific priorities including the Japanese History Project, youth involvement, civil rights, and aging.
• Nikkei View: Immigration – What are the prospects of my niece immigrating to the U.S.?, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An immigration question-and-answer column explains that a niece in a heavily oversubscribed country likely must wait until preference categories are exhausted. It notes that a non-preference immigrant may come later if she does not enter the labor market.
• Requiem for a Nihonmachi, by Tomoko Yano, page 3. Yano recalls the bustling Japanese street in Salt Lake City before the war, with its shops, churches, and noodle houses. The piece is a nostalgic tribute to a community that no longer exists.

National

• Civil rights subcommittee approves key provisions of 1966 bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The House Civil Rights Subcommittee approved jury selection, school integration, and criminal penalty provisions but sent the open housing section to the full Judiciary Committee without recommendation. The article explains the Leadership Conference amendments JACL supports and urges members to contact their congressmen.
• FEPC summary: one month after Prop. 14 repeal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. In the first month after the State Supreme Court restored the Rumford Fair Housing Act, FEPC received about the same number of housing complaints as in an average earlier month. Conciliation efforts resolved some cases quickly.

JACL

• Jr. JACL constitution drafted, by Alan Kumamoto, page 4. A draft constitution and by-laws for the National Jr. JACL is presented for delegates to consider at the San Diego convention. Annotated comments raise questions on structure, membership ages, officers, dues, and publications.

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