JACL and Japan-U.S. relations, and a new civil rights commission

Vol. 45, No. 20, November 15, 1957. 8 pages. View this issue

Japan-U.S. relations ran through this eight-page issue. Delegates to the Pacific Southwest District Council debated JACL policy with Washington representative Mike Masaoka and reached no conclusion, and the 1954 policy statement on international relations was reprinted in full. Tamotsu Murayama reported from Tokyo on the first International Nisei Convention, and Mike Suzuki wrote in from Hollywood urging a dynamic national program. President Eisenhower also named a six-member commission, led by retired Justice Stanley Reed, to study civil rights.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote on Nisei and food and a Virginia marriage law, and Larry S. Tajiri reported Oscar talk for Miiko Taka and Sessue Hayakawa. Tommy Kono won the middleweight world weightlifting title, and a Toronto protest ended airings of an anti-Nisei film. Local news came from Central California, Denver, Cincinnati, Idaho Falls and Detroit.

What’s in this issue

Community

  • Central Cal Ready to Tackle Problems, by Tom Nagamatsu, page 1. The Central California District Council is organizing new Junior JACL chapters and preparing for its annual convention on Dec. 8 at the Fresno Hacienda. Topics for discussion include a tri-district council meeting, a joint convention, and JACL-Japan relations.
  • Clam Diggers Swept to Sea, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Iwanaga brothers were swept out to sea while clam digging at Moss Landing, and a search by sheriffs and the Coast Guard found no trace of them. The brothers are members of the Gilroy JACL.
  • Sansei Co-ed in Bid for Rose Queen Bows, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Christine Nomura of Pasadena was not among the 25 finalists for the Tournament of Roses queen after the third round of selections. She had survived eliminations from an original 1,700 applicants.
  • Nisei-Designed Orange Packing Device Promises to Save Labor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A rapid pack method for oranges, first designed by Nisei assistant Haruo Najima at UCLA, reduces reaching and body turns for packers. It has been put into operation at the Limoneira ranch near Santa Paula.
  • Permanent Committee Voted of Nisei Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The first International Nisei Convention in Tokyo adopted a resolution to form a permanent committee on United States-Japan relations. Delegates also planned a Pan-Pacific Festival in Honolulu in 1960 and other exchange programs.
  • Denver Pioneers Honored at Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pioneer Japanese who came to Colorado at the turn of the century were honored at a dinner marking the 50th anniversary of the California St. Methodist Church in Denver. Honorees included Dr. K. K. Miyamoto and M. Terasaki.
  • Toronto Film Protest Succeeds, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WBEN-TV’s program director pledged to stop airing racist films after the Toronto JCCA protested the anti-Nisei film Little Tokyo, U.S.A. The station director wrote that he agreed with the protest.
  • Pointing Southwestward, by Fred Takata, page 4. Takata reports on the Los Angeles County Conference on Community Relations dinner, where Senator Richard Neuberger spoke on Soviet advances in science. He also covers the PSWDC quarterly meeting in Santa Ana, including decisions on chapter quotas and youth programs.
  • System Fires Up PSWDC Delegates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. San Diego delegates urged the PSWDC to consider a per capita basis for allocating chapter quotas, arguing that rates were uneven across chapters. The matter was referred to a special reallocation committee.
  • Turkey Hop for Teen Group Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pasadena JACL is sponsoring an informal Turkey Hop for teenagers and young people on Nov. 27 at the local community center. The event promises fun and refreshments.
  • Hawaii Club Entertains at General Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Hawaii Club entertained the Cincinnati JACL with music and dances at a general meeting and buffet on Oct. 19 at the Northeastern YM-YWCA. Dr. William S. Clark II also spoke about his recent trip to Japan.
  • Fishing Derby Offers $20 First Prize, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Contra Costa County JACL will hold a fishing derby on Nov. 17 with weigh-in at Bob’s Bait Box in Antioch. Tickets are $1 and prizes include cash, turkeys, and hams.
  • Attorney Heads Fowler JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Attorney Mikio Uchiyama will be installed as Fowler JACL president at the Central California District Council convention on Dec. 8. George Teraoka was named president-elect for the coming year.
  • Idaho Falls Hosts IDC Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Idaho Falls JACL completed plans for the ninth biennial Intermountain District Council convention on Nov. 29-30 at Hotel Rogers. The convention theme is Focus on the Future, and the 1000 Club will mark its tenth anniversary.
  • Jazz Band Keeps 150 Teen Clubbers Jumping, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A crowd of 150 danced to a five-piece jazz band at the Detroit Teen Club Halloween benefit dance at the Fisher Y. Rumiko Sakow emceed and John Kimoto chaired the event.
  • Los Angeles Newsletter: Delinquency Postscript, by Henry Mori, page 7. A letter from the International Institute responds to earlier columns about rising juvenile delinquency among Nisei and Sansei youth in Los Angeles. The Institute plans a Parent-Teen Forum and invites JACL participation.
  • Chicago Corner: PC Holiday Greetings, by Smoky H. Sokuroda, page 7. Sokuroda reports on the campaign to solicit holiday greetings for the Pacific Citizen holiday issue, noting Chicago leads in advertising received. He thanks numerous local businesses for their support.
  • Old Men’s Home Aided by Denver Mothers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A fashion show benefit sponsored by the Denver Nisei Mothers Club netted $270 for the Issei Old Men’s Home. Mrs. Beatrice Iwasaki is club president.

National

  • Name Six to New Civil Rights Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Eisenhower named a six-member commission led by retired Justice Stanley Reed to study civil rights. The appointments are subject to Senate confirmation when Congress reconvenes in January.
  • Effects of a Little Rock Can Be Elected to U.S. Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Rep. Dalip Saund said in Tokyo that a Japanese American could now be elected to Congress, citing a general change in American views on race. He also argued that the United States has done a poor job of selling its way of life abroad.

Arts & Entertainment

  • Pat Suzuki to Sing on Dinah Shore Show, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Singer Pat Suzuki, featured at Norm Bobrow’s Colony in Seattle, agreed to appear on the Dinah Shore television show on Nov. 24. The invitation came while she was performing on a Canadian telecast.
  • Oscar Nominees, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Columnist Larry Tajiri reports Oscar buzz for Miiko Taka in Sayonara and Sessue Hayakawa in Bridge on the River Kwai. He also profiles other Nisei performers in upcoming films including Miyoshi Umeki and Reiko Oyama.
  • Tokyo Singer Debut Scheduled, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mezzo-soprano Chieko Sakata, a graduate of the Tokyo Music Conservatory, will make her Los Angeles debut on Nov. 29 at the Institute of Music Arts. The Nisei Music Guild announced the recital with Suzie Tamura accompanying.

JACL

  • PSW Clers Explore Japan-U.S. Relations, by Harry Honda, page 1. Delegates to the Pacific Southwest District Council debated JACL policy on Japan-America relations with Washington representative Mike Masaoka at a session in Santa Ana. No conclusion was reached, and the question was referred for further discussion ahead of the 1958 national convention.
  • JACL Policy Statement on International Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The text of the 1954 JACL policy statement on international relations is reprinted, affirming goodwill toward Japan while limiting JACL intervention to matters affecting persons of Japanese ancestry in the United States. It was unanimously adopted at the 1954 national council in Los Angeles.

Commentary

  • From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa reflects on Nisei adaptability to multiple cuisines and comments on the illegality of the Kato-Crockett marriage under Virginia law. He concludes with a reminder of Nisei military service in three wars.
  • Japanese Premier Hopes Ties Stay Friendly, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial praised President Eisenhower’s message to the first International Nisei Convention in Tokyo while criticizing the wartime treatment of Nisei. It recalled the mass incarceration of Nisei in 1941 despite their later military service.
  • Tokyo Topics: Nisei Convention, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama reports that the first International Nisei Convention in Tokyo was largely successful, though some Nisei delegates were criticized for poor attendance. He calls for winning back Nisei in Japan who are bitter over postwar treatment by the U.S. government.
  • U.S.-Japan Relations, by Mike Suzuki, page 2. A Hollywood JACL letter writer argues that JACL must define a dynamic national program rather than rely on past purposes. He urges the organization to move beyond its prologue toward a new direction.
  • Letter: U.S.-Japan Relations, by Mike Suzuki, page 2. A Hollywood JACL member argues that JACL must set a dynamic national program on U.S.-Japan relations rather than rely on past purposes. He warns that the organization risks losing its national prestige without clear direction.
  • Very Truly Yours: Where the Word Yankee Came From, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Honda traces the origin and changing meaning of the word Yankee, which colonists adopted with pride during the Revolution. He compares that shift to JACL’s effort to eliminate the use of the word Jap.

Sports

  • Cagefest Planned by Long Beach-Harbor JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Long Beach-Harbor District JACL plans a Thanksgiving weekend basketball tournament on Nov. 29-30 to encourage youth participation. The tournament will conclude with a victory awards dance.
  • Tommy Kono Wins World Weightlifting Title, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Two-time Olympic champion Tommy Kono of Sacramento won the middleweight world weightlifting title with a 1146.40-pound total. He was tied in total with Russia’s Fedor Bogdanovsky but won on body weight.
  • Marvelous Mentor, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dutch Kawasoe has led the Vale, Oregon high school football team to a top state ranking and a second straight sector championship. The Vale Vikings are in the state playoffs.

Military & Veterans

  • Sanctity of Nov. 11, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Seattle’s Armistice Day observance featured Nisei veteran Patrick K. Hagiwara as the main speaker at Washelli Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The ceremony included a Peace and Friendship fire lit by daughters of Nisei veterans.
  • Larry Takagi Appointed to Seattle VA Post, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Attorney Gordon Takagi, a 442nd veteran, was appointed to a new position with the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C. He previously served as president of the Seattle JACL and chairman of the Pacific Northwest District Council.

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