Yen debt claims, refugee visas and evacuation claims in early 1955

Vol. 40, No. 5, February 4, 1955. 8 pages. View this issue

Claims and immigration law filled the front page. The U.S. Attorney General asked Congress to dismiss about 17,500 yen debt claims held by Issei and Nisei. Mike Masaoka reported that the State Department might loosen its rules under the Refugee Relief Act for victims of military operations and natural calamities in Japan. A new Committee on Japanese American Evacuation Claims was also formed, and an editorial on page 8 welcomed it while noting it was independent of the JACL. Rep. Walter Judd’s bill for a separate quota of 100 for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands appeared as well.

Elsewhere in these eight pages, Nisei were named to grand juries in Fresno, Sutter and San Benito counties. Columns by Masaoka covered the Formosa resolution and Hawaii statehood, and Tamotsu Murayama wrote about the strandees in Japan. Henry Mori looked at the future of Nisei Week in Los Angeles, and Larry Taijiri wrote about turning 40.

What’s in this issue

National

• Attorney General Asks Congress to Dismiss 17,500 Yen Debt Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Attorney General formally asked Congress to dismiss yen debt claims against the Office of Alien Property, affecting about 17,500 claims held by Issei and Nisei. The government argues the claims are too numerous and small to process, and claimants can seek recovery from successor banks in Japan.
• State Dep’t Ready to Liberalize Refugee Relief Law Procedures, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. After meeting State Department officials and others following a trip to Japan, JACL Washington representative Mike Masaoka reported new advisory opinions that may allow visas under the Refugee Relief Act for victims of military operations and natural calamities in Japan. He criticized earlier strict interpretations that would have excluded nearly all Japanese applicants.
• Seek Immigration Quota of 100 for Okinawa, Ryukyus, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Walter Judd introduced a bill giving Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands a separate annual immigration quota of 100. The measure would relieve pressure on Japan’s oversubscribed quota of 185.
• House Judiciary Committeemen for 84th Congress Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House Judiciary Committee, which handles much JACL-backed legislation, announced its membership for the 84th Congress. Emanuel Celler became chairman, replacing Chauncey Reed, who remains a member.

Incarceration & Redress

• Southlanders Endorse Plan for Japanese Evacuation Claims Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A new Committee on Japanese American Evacuation Claims was formed to press for larger evacuation claims, endorsed by Southern California business and claimant groups. Sixteen specific legislative objectives were announced, including amendments allowing court review and revised valuation standards.

Community

• First Nisei Grand Juror in Fresno Empaneled, Accepts Job in Humility, by P.C. Staff, page 1. June Toshiyuki became the first Nisei grand juror in Fresno County, nominated by Superior Judge Edward Kellas. She said she felt honored but unqualified and hoped to help the welfare of older Japanese men.
• Nisei Named to Sutter, San Benito and Federal Grand Juries, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masanobu Oji was named to the Sutter County grand jury and George Nishita to the San Benito County grand jury, both first postwar Nisei selections. Masahide Nonaka is serving a four-month term on the federal grand jury in San Francisco.
• School Children of Japan Not Much Different from U.S., Says Visiting Wakayama Teacher, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fulbright scholar Masaji Hayashi, observing at Mesa High School in Arizona, said boys and girls in Japan are psychologically similar to American teens. He compared school structures, class sizes and vacation schedules in Japan.
• Army Studies Moving Language School from Presidio of Monterey, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Charles Teague said he would strongly resist any Army move of its foreign language school from the Presidio of Monterey. Army officials said a survey of possible new locations was underway.
• Chapter Asked to Help Community in Solving Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Washington Township JACL chapter in Southern Alameda County heard presentations on immediate community problems. Guest speakers urged Japanese Americans to take significant interest in solving them.
• Sonoma Co. Judge Lauds Issei-Nisei Good Behavior, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Judge Charles J. McGoldrick praised Issei and Nisei in Sonoma County for their law-abiding record and contributions to agriculture at the Sonoma County JACL installation. Fifty newly naturalized Issei were introduced at the event.
• Arkansas Valley Issei Naturalized in Rocky Ford Ceremonies, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Fifteen Issei of the Arkansas Valley were naturalized at Rocky Ford, with local papers highlighting the area’s Japanese American residents as outstanding citizens. Several families were noted for large numbers of children and service in World War II.
• Utah Legislation Would Let Issei Fish and Hunt on Resident Terms, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Utah Senate Bill 42 would allow Issei ineligible for citizenship who have lived in Utah 15 years to buy resident fishing and hunting licenses. The measure would correct a technicality that followed passage of the 1952 naturalization law.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: Restudy Nisei Week, by Henry Mori, page 7. Downtown Los Angeles merchants weighed how to bring the Nisei Week Festival out of the red after three deficit years. Proposals included distributing festival work to other community groups and adding a new theme to the program.
• Frank Tanaka Honored with Silver Beaver Award, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Frank Tanaka, a neighborhood and area commissioner, received the Silver Beaver award at the Los Angeles Area Council dinner, the first person of Japanese descent from the area so honored. He was recognized for reorganizing Koyasan Troop 379’s drum and bugle corps.
• Editorials: New Claims Group, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial welcomes formation of the Committee on Japanese American Evacuation Claims while noting it is independent of the JACL. It argues the JACL should not divert its limited membership-funded resources to benefit only a relative few larger claimants.

Commentary

• Washington Newsletter: Formosa Resolution, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka praises the near-unanimous congressional approval of the President’s Formosa resolution as potentially the most significant action of the administration. He argues Japan remains the key to Far East policy and warns Congress not to overlook it.
• Hawaii Statehood, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka outlines the early stages of the Hawaii statehood fight in both houses, noting Democratic strategy to pair Hawaii and Alaska in a single package. He expects the hearings to remove objections about lack of recent review.
• U.S. Nisei Should Not Judge Strandees Summarily, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama, a Nisei strandee in Japan, recounts his wartime and postwar experiences including a mistaken military labor draft and an espionage investigation. He urges American Nisei to understand the circumstances faced by strandees before judging them.
• Public Education, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Nakatsuka describes Hawaii’s dual educational challenge of absorbing about 5,000 new students yearly while finding jobs for graduates. He argues the community must treat school expansion and employment creation as one concern.
• Life Begins at 40, by Larry Taijiri, page 8. Taijiri reflects on turning 40 by recalling his struggles in first grade, his athletic youth and his past willingness to take on challenges abroad. He concludes that the years ahead will bring their own excitement.
• Nisei Sailors Help Give South Africa Lesson in Racial De-segregation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The U.S. aircraft carrier Midway, with an interracial crew, visited Capetown and its captain worked with officials to ease apartheid restrictions for non-white sailors. The visit included non-segregated official functions and public tours that drew 23,000 visitors.

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