Evacuation claims, a Medal of Honor winner and a father’s farewell

Vol. 37, No. 24, December 11, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

Evacuation claims led the news in this eight-page issue. Mike Masaoka explained JACL’s proposed amendments to the claims law to more than 100 claimants in Los Angeles, arguing that only the JACL could win the changes needed to speed payment of about 4,000 remaining larger claims. Hiroshi Miyamura, the Medal of Honor recipient, appeared in several stories, including an Albuquerque Christmas parade, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about his busy schedule since returning from a prisoner of war camp. On the front page, Tamotsu Murayama wrote a reporter’s farewell to his eleven-year-old son Gen.

Also inside: 178 new or prospective citizens honored at the Pacific Northwest district council banquet in Portland, Masaoka’s column on the naturalization court cases, and Larry Tajiri on restrictions in college fraternities and sororities. Chapter news came from Chicago and Fresno, and a Decade Ago column looked back at December 1949.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Japan Costs Too High to Retire, Sudos Return to Miami, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kotaro Sudo, an 80-year-old landscape gardener, and his wife are returning to Miami Beach because high living costs in Japan made retirement there unaffordable. They left Tokyo for the United States after failing to buy land or a home there.
• 178 New, Prospective Citizens Honored in Portland, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At a banquet closing the JACL Pacific Northwest district council convention, 178 new or prospective citizens of Japanese ancestry were welcomed into American citizenship. Speakers including Roy Nishikawa and Masao Satow praised the Issei’s contributions and the JACL’s achievements.
• Chicago vs. Los Angeles, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Honda responds to a Chicago Tribune editorial doubting Los Angeles can surpass Chicago by 1960. He argues that Southern California’s climate, growing peacetime industries, and freeway development favor Los Angeles’ growth.
• Two More Swindled in New York City, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Hokubei Shimpo reports two more cases of a Nisei man falsely claiming Toronto connections to borrow money from New York residents. The swindler used different names each time.
• Albuquerque Parade Honors Miyamura, by Charles Matsubara, page 3. Medal of Honor winner Hiroshi Miyamura served as grand marshal of the Albuquerque Christmas parade before 40,000 spectators. The Albuquerque JACL float was among the most colorful entries.
• Fisherman Saves Fellow Fisherman from Drowning, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Frank Kichiji Nishii rescued Jack McEacherin from a burning boat on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Nishii answered a radio distress call and rammed the burning vessel in an attempt to contain the fire.
• Honolulu Cook Miyoichi Suzuki Serves Governor’s Family, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Miyoichi Suzuki, a 62-year-old cook, answered a newspaper ad and is now chef at the Hawaii governor’s mansion. The Kings praise his cooking and call him Robert.
• Northern California KKD Slates Final Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Northern California Kikaken Kisei Domei will hold a final dinner meeting to wind up its affairs after serving as financial backers of JACL legislative work since 1948. Members will continue supporting JACL through their chapters.
• Hawaiian POW Freed by Reds Returns Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. M/Sgt. Katsuki Tanigawa, the last Hawaiian prisoner of war freed in Korea, returned home with his bride after 34 months of Communist captivity. He plans to remain in the Army.
• Tribute Paid to Issei at Pacific Northwest Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The eighth biennial Pacific Northwest district council convention passed resolutions commending Mike Masaoka and thanking Endowment Fund contributors. The convention also paid tribute to the Issei for their contributions to American life.
• Mikami Elected Head of Fresno Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Fresno JACL elected a new cabinet headed by Mikami, an insurance salesman. Past presidents also serve in advisory roles.
• New Low-Rent Housing Project Planned in S.F., by P.C. Staff, page 4. Construction of the Francisco Plaza low-rent housing project in San Francisco’s Western Addition will begin in February. The project will house 608 families and displace about 10 Japanese American families.
• Yoshinari Heads Chicago Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Kumeo Art Yoshinari and other officers were installed for the 1954 Chicago JACL cabinet at an inaugural ball. Trustees were also elected to the reserve fund board.
• Shotgun Blast Injures Nisei Farmer, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Two men were arrested for shooting Acampo Nisei farmer Kazuto Ito. The pocket watch they left behind led investigators to them.
• Around Chicago, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. Chicago JACL plans a Christmas-spirit holiday dance and carolling event. Local women’s groups and war brides also announced new officers and club names.
• Cherry Blossom Festival Plans Take Shape in Honolulu, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 5. The Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce plans another Cherry Blossom Festival, following last year’s profitable event. Planned attractions include a queen contest, cooking demonstrations, and a fireworks show.
• Repeat Train-Auto Accident at Same Stockton Corner Injures Nisei Family, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A Nisei family of four was seriously injured when their car collided with a Southern Pacific switch engine at a Stockton crossing. The crossing had been the site of a fatal accident months earlier.
• Condolence: Gen Murayama, by Sam Ishikawa, page 7. Sam Ishikawa mourns eleven-year-old Gen Murayama, who died from rheumatic fever. He praises Gen’s father Tamotsu for his devoted care and his work promoting Boy Scouts and Nisei reputation in Japan.

JACL

• Speed-up Plan of Larger Claims Revealed; JACL to Expedite Payment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka explained JACL’s proposed amendments to the evacuation claims law to over 100 claimants in Los Angeles. He argued that only the JACL can secure the legislative changes needed to speed payment of about 4,000 remaining larger claims.

Commentary

• A Reporter’s Farewell to His Son, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 1. Murayama mourns his eleven-year-old son Gen, who died of rheumatic fever after a 40-month illness. He recalls Gen’s cheerful courage, his love of stamps and Boy Scouts, and the kindness of friends during his final months.
• Washington Newsletter: Test of a Technicality, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka discusses federal court cases in Denver and San Francisco challenging the INS position that Issei who were 5-F classified in World War I are permanently barred from naturalization. He argues Congress never intended this result under the 1952 Act.
• Denver Editorial: Stuff That Makes Americans, by Jack Foster, page 2. Rocky Mountain News editor Jack Foster recalls Colorado’s welcome of Japanese American evacuees during WWII, when his paper urged Christian charity. He notes their industriousness and the heroism of the 442nd.
• Non-Observance, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial notes that California’s metropolitan press marked December 7 without the sensational coverage of past years and even presented sympathetic accounts of Admiral Nomura. It observes that American public opinion has changed and that Japanese Americans gained from this shift.
• Acid Test, by Fresno Bee, page 8. The editorial praises President Eisenhower’s remarks on the right to face one’s accuser and the right to speak one’s mind. It argues that these principles must be backed by action.
• The Mailbox: Letter on Deportation Relief, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A reader writes that her Issei husband, previously subject to deportation, was able to return under the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952. She urges readers to recognize the law’s broader benefits.
• From the Frying Pan: Nary a Day of His Own, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa describes Hiroshi Miyamura’s busy schedule since returning from a Communist POW camp and his plans to open a restaurant in Gallup. He also reflects on how effectively Nisei advocacy reached ordinary Americans.
• Campus Prejudice, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. Tajiri examines racial and religious restrictions in national college fraternities and sororities. He reports on debates at the National Interfraternity Conference and notes that some local groups and colleges have dropped such barriers.

Military & Veterans

• Draft Evasion Charges Dismissed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masanori Kusuda, a Japanese American who trained as a pilot in the Japanese navy, had his draft evasion charges dismissed by a commissioner in San Francisco. He had been arrested by the FBI after failing to report for induction in Honolulu in 1951.
• Shotgun Blast Injures Nisei; Sheriffs Nab Two Youths, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kazuto Ito, a Nisei farmer in Acampo, was wounded by a close-range shotgun blast while fixing a gas stove. Sheriffs traced a pocket watch found at the scene to two cousins, who were arrested.
• Shotgun Victim Hershey Miyamura Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Heiji Okuda of Seattle was awarded the Fourth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government for promoting Japanese American friendship. Former Japanese consuls in Seattle had jointly requested the honor.

Incarceration & Redress

• Hershey’s Two Lapel Pins, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura, attending the Mountain-Plains JACL convention in Denver, wore the Medal of Honor pin alongside the JACL achievement pin. The article explains the privileges that come with the medal.

In-Depth

• Decade Ago: December 11, 1949 News Roundup, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A look back at news from ten years ago, including the Army’s report on the 100th Battalion’s Italian campaign and protests over dismissed Nisei state employees. Other items cover Supreme Court and civil rights developments.

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