Vol. 50, No. 1, January 1, 1960. 8 pages. View this issue
The first issue of 1960 opened a new decade by asking how Japanese Americans had fared since the wartime relocation. Elizabeth Murphy’s front-page report described a community that had rebuilt without bitterness, and it profiled Judge John Aiso. Bill Hosokawa’s forecast for the Nisei in the 1960s came to an optimistic conclusion, and a page 3 piece collected personal accounts of property lost during the forced removal and the work of starting over.
Other pages of this 8-page issue include a note on the 442nd and the 100th Battalion and Pfc. Sadao Munemori’s Medal of Honor action, and Mike Masaoka’s reprint of Ambassador Douglas MacArthur II’s speech on Japan and the United States. Richard Akagi’s satirical Tombstone sketch is here too. Shig Sakamoto offered travel tips for visitors to the 1960 National JACL Convention in Sacramento, and Banning High’s Teruo Yamamoto made the All-City football first team.
What’s in this issue
In-Depth
- Japanese Americans Since the Relocation: A Story of Success Without Bitterness, by Elizabeth Murphy, page 1. Elizabeth Murphy examines how Japanese Americans have rebuilt their lives since wartime relocation, displaying hard work and high hopes despite past wrongs. The article profiles the economic gains of the community and the career of Judge John Aiso as an example of perseverance.
- Prospects of the ’60s, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa forecasts how the Nisei will fare in the 1960s, economically, socially, politically, and in health. He concludes that the generation has made out well and can face the decade with optimism.
Commentary
- Another Decade, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The editorial marks the start of Pacific Citizen’s Volume 50 and the second half of the 1950s. It reflects on Eisenhower’s peace mission and looks ahead optimistically to the coming decade.
- Editor’s Desk: Akiji Yoshimura’s War Story and the Nisei in the Pacific, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial praises Akiji Yoshimura’s story of Nisei Military Intelligence men and urges more such accounts be published. It also criticizes the reruns of the Pacific war TV series for omitting the Nisei linguists.
- What Price Glory?, page 2. The article, reprinted from the Continental Times of Toronto, questions the direction and editorial policy of the Japanese-Canadian press. It argues that the press has become a vehicle for paid publicity and trivial news.
- Hooray for the Red, Caucasian and Blue, by Richard Akagi, page 5. In a satirical sketch set in Tombstone, a Nisei named Tomosuke Donburi exchanges words with a bartender and a bigoted patron named Billy the Creep. The piece mocks the awkward racial language used toward Japanese Americans.
- Japan-U.S. Interdependence, by Mike Masaoka, page 7. Masaoka reprints Ambassador Douglas MacArthur II’s Yokohama Rotary speech on trade and mutual security between Japan and the United States. The speech argues that the two nations share objectives and depend on each other.
Incarceration & Redress
- Stories of Loss and Recovery After Internment, page 3. Several Japanese Americans recount property losses during evacuation, exploitation by false friends, and the difficulties of rebuilding businesses. Their stories reflect a notable lack of bitterness and a sense of belonging in postwar America.
Sports
- Pick Yamamoto Named to L.A. All-City Grid First Team, page 4. Banning High tailback Teruo Yamamoto was named to the All-City first team and outstanding player of the Marine League. Other Sansei gridders also received All-League and honorable mention recognition.
Military & Veterans
- Nisei Veterans Honored and Recognized, page 4. The article notes that the 442nd and 100th Battalion became the most decorated units in U.S. military history and recounts Pfc. Sadao Munemori’s Medal of Honor action. It highlights the Nisei military record as proof of their loyalty.
Community
- Sacramento in ’60: Remember the Rod & Reel, by Shig Sakamoto, page 5. Sakamoto offers Convention visitors travel suggestions for Lake Tahoe, the Delta, and Sacramento-area fishing and recreation. The guide is aimed at those extending their stay after the 1960 National JACL Convention.
National
- Japanese Language Borrowing Grows in Modern Japan, page 8. The article observes how English words and idioms have entered everyday Japanese speech, especially among young people. It gives examples of borrowed terms and idiomatic usage that differ from American meanings.
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