Issei naturalization and citizenship rulings in a 12-page issue

Vol. 38, No. 23, June 4, 1954. 12 pages. View this issue

Citizenship and immigration ran through the news in this 12-page issue. Rep. Francis E. Walter accepted the Washington, D.C., JACL invitation to a June 27 banquet marking the second anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Federal judges in Honolulu and Los Angeles ruled for Robert Terada and Shinsaku Wakamoto, who had lost citizenship after voting in occupied Japan. Another story reported that more than 800 Issei were being examined weekly in Los Angeles, and that about 330 more would be sworn in on June 21.

Columns include Bill Hosokawa on his father and a Memorial Day fishing trip, Larry Tajiri on Earl Warren’s changing views since 1942, and Lawrence Nakatsuka on race relations in Hawaii. A reprinted profile by J. P. Cahn tells the story of Pfc. Joseph Hisato Kato, remembered alongside his sister Sumi Kato. Editorials urge voting in California’s June 8 primary and early planning for the national convention.

What’s in this issue

National

• Rep. Walter Accepts Invitation to Attend Commemorative Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Francis E. Walter accepted the Washington, D.C., JACL invitation to attend the June 27 banquet marking the second anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Staff members Walter Besterman and Ruth Miskell also accepted invitations.
• Federal Judge Rules Citizenship Loss for Voting in Occupied Japan Unconstitutional, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge J. Frank McLaughlin of Honolulu ruled unconstitutional a law stripping citizenship from native-born Americans who voted in occupied Japan, in the case of Robert Terada. The judge held Congress lacked power to expatriate a citizen without his consent.
• Shinsaku Wakamoto Regains Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles federal judge William M. Byrne restored citizenship to Seattle-born Shinsaku Wakamoto, who had lost it after voting in occupation-sponsored elections in Japan in 1947. The court cited the great pressures exerted to encourage voting.
• Los Angeles I&NS Examining 800 Issei Weekly, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 800 naturalization petitioners are being examined weekly at the Los Angeles I&NS office with temporary examiners, according to JACL Regional Director Tats Kushida. The speedup aims to reduce a one-year backlog.

Military & Veterans

• West Point Tradition Set by Nisei Replacing Brother as Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert Matsumoto of Bakersfield will enter West Point, replacing his brother Glenn, who graduates June 8. It is the first time in the academy’s history a new cadet has replaced his brother, and Robert finished first in a competitive examination.

Incarceration & Redress

• Chicago Guided Missile Site Moved Out of Garden Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Park and army officials signed a lease moving a Nike missile installation from Wooded Island, site of the Columbian exposition Japanese gardens, to 10 acres east of it after public protests.

Community

• Sutter County Elects First Nisei Official, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mas Oji, a rancher, was elected to the Central Gaither Union school board in Sutter County, the first Nisei elected to a school board there. He topped four other candidates for two openings.
• Expect 300 More Issei to Be Sworn In June 21, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Some 330 Issei examined in a week-long naturalization hearing in April will be sworn in June 21 in San Francisco. Nearly 1,700 Issei have been naturalized in Northern California since the 1952 act.
• Increasingly Mixed-Up Racial Breakdown of Hawaii Births, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Territorial Health Department stopped publishing racial breakdowns of Hawaii’s population because past figures and classification methods proved inaccurate. Intermarriage has made consistent racial classification increasingly difficult.
• Sports Notes: Nisei Olympics and Placer JACL Baseball, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Nearly 125 athletes from San Francisco and Sequoia are set to compete at the Nisei Olympics at Kezar Stadium. The Placer County JACL nine also won two recent games.

Commentary

• Very Truly Yours: Nakamura vs. Yamamoto, by Harry Honda, page 2. Harry Honda examines the most common Japanese surnames in the Los Angeles telephone directory, with Nakamura leading at 71 listings. He also comments on trends in naming Nisei children.
• Hawaii’s Harmonious Race Relations, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Nakatsuka discusses Hawaii’s alertness in improving race relations, including the World Brotherhood chapter’s campaign against racially exclusive organizations. He also notes editorial calls for issues-based politics and debate over the Hawaiian Civic Club membership.
• Grandpa Would’ve Enjoyed It, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recalls his late father’s love of fishing and reflects on Memorial Day spent on a fishing trip. He describes the trip as unsuccessful but meaningful as a remembrance.
• Warren: Growth in Stature, by Larry Tajiri, page 12. Tajiri traces Earl Warren’s evolution from a 1942 advocate of Japanese American evacuation to a Chief Justice supporting civil liberties. He credits Warren’s changing views to Nisei wartime loyalty and his political independence.
• Primary Voting, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The editorial urges strong voter turnout in California’s June 8 primary because cross-filing often decides general election outcomes. It notes low public interest so far in primaries across the country.
• Three More Months, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The editorial notes that only three months remain before the National JACL Convention in Los Angeles in early September. It urges chapters to finalize delegate selection and prepare for the major issues.

In-Depth

• What Makes Kato Fight?, by J. P. Cahn, page 6. Reprinted from the San Francisco Chronicle, this profile of Pfc. Joseph Hisato Kato, the first Japanese American war dead returned to the U.S. from Europe, traces his family’s history and the Nisei paradox of fighting for a country that imprisoned them. It was reprinted in memory of his sister Sumi Kato.

Obituaries

• In Memoriam: Sumi Kato, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 6. Haruo Ishimaru pays tribute to Sumi Kato, a sister of Pfc. Joseph Kato, who died suddenly and was remembered as a proud and dedicated Nisei. He requests the reprinting of the Cahn article about the Kato family.

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