Court tests for Issei naturalization and thanks to officials who aided stranded Nisei

Vol. 37, No. 21, November 20, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

The JACL’s plan to take the Issei male naturalization problem to court led the news. The organization said it would challenge the denial of naturalization to certain Issei men based on their World War I draft status, and carry the case to the Supreme Court if necessary, with Edward Ennis arguing for the JACL in Denver and San Francisco. Also on the front page, Japan Bureau chief Tamotsu Murayama paid tribute to Japanese government officials, including Koichi Suzuki and Shintaro Fukushima, who protected stranded Nisei during the war years. Mike Masaoka’s column made the case for Tomoya Kawakita.

District conventions filled the inside pages, with notes on the Mountain Plains meeting in Denver, where Medal of Honor winner Hiroshi Miyamura was guest of honor, the Intermountain meeting in Pocatello, and the Central California meeting. Larry Tajiri’s Vagaries and Bill Hosokawa’s column on author Shelley Ayame Ota appeared on page 8.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• Helping Nisei Stranded in Japan, by TAMOTSU MURAYAMA, page 1. Japan Bureau chief Tamotsu Murayama pays tribute to Japanese government officials who protected stranded Nisei in Japan during the war years. He names several officials, including Koichi Suzuki and Shintaro Fukushima, who risked their positions to help them.

JACL

• JACL Announces Plans for Court Tests of Issei Male Naturalization Problem, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL will challenge the INS denial of naturalization to certain Issei males based on World War I draft status, taking the case to the Supreme Court if necessary. Edward Ennis will argue on the JACL’s behalf in Denver and San Francisco hearings.
• Miyamura Guest of Honor at Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Medal of Honor winner Hiroshi Miyamura will be guest of honor at the Mountain Plains JACL convention banquet in Denver on November 29. Masao Satow will give the main address.
• Central Cal District Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Tom Nakamura of Sanger was elected chairman of the Central California JACL District Council at its biennial convention. Other officers and convention arrangements were also reported.

Military & Veterans

• ROTC Instructor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. M/Sgt. Albert K. Kariya, a Boise-born Nisei veteran of the 442nd RCT, has become ROTC staff instructor at Eastern Washington College. He was transferred from the Army Language School at Presidio of Monterey.
• Secret Weapon Commander, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Col. Kai E. Rasmussen, who commanded the Military Intelligence Service Language School, was honored by former Nisei MIS students during a brief Honolulu reunion. The Nisei linguists he trained contributed significantly to Pacific war efforts.

Community

• It’s a Miracle, Says Father of Son Adrift 29 Hours, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two young men, Tsukasa Kawamoto and Ernest Torres, drifted for 29 hours off Maui before being rescued by a Navy destroyer. Kawamoto’s father called the rescue a miracle.
• Birth Rate Among Japanese Rising in Hawaiian Islands, Health Records Show, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii Department of Health statistics for 1952 show Japanese births (4,831) exceeded other major groups. The data also breaks down illegitimate births and interracial marriages among Japanese Americans.
• Never Too Old to Learn English, Says Aged Issei Farmer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Heiko and Kameko Kakazu, Issei farmers in Honolulu, enrolled in Kaimuki Adult School four years ago to learn English after decades of raising 11 children. Mr. Kakazu encourages other older Issei to pursue learning.
• Nisei Shot in Head Mysteriously Survives, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Shigeru Masunaga, shot in the head while working on his fishing boat at Alert Bay, was discharged from Vancouver General Hospital after emergency surgery. The bullet had lodged in his forehead.
• Death Verdict of Issei Changed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kosaburo Masuda, a Kamloops Issei originally sentenced to hang for murdering his daughter, was retried and found guilty of manslaughter instead. He received a 10-year prison sentence after the defense argued he had been provoked.
• New Yorkers Honor Issei at Pioneer’s Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Issei over 65 in the New York area were honored at a program at Joan of Arc Jr. High School organized by the local Buddhist church. Gifts from Tokyo were presented and a talent show was held.
• Mountain-Plains Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Mountain Plains JACL district convention in Denver will address organizational issues including the regional office, JACL financial support, Issei memberships, and evacuation claims. Activities include a special $5 package deal for registrants.
• Nisei Buddhist Priest Assigned to Fresno Church, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Rev. Hogen Fujimoto was announced as head of Nisei work at the Fresno Buddhist church. He had studied in Kyoto and worked for the U.S. occupation after the war.
• Placer County JACL Fete Attracts 350, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Placer County JACL chapter held its 13th annual Goodwill dinner in Roseville, attended by over 350 people including state and county officials. National JACL president George Inagaki spoke and the chapter celebrated its 25th anniversary.
• Intermountain District Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 5. About 200 delegates are expected at the seventh biennial JACL Intermountain District convention in Pocatello, Idaho, November 27-29. George Inagaki is the principal speaker and officers will be elected.

National

• Senators Investigate Alien Property Policies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Dirksen’s Judiciary Subcommittee opened an inquiry into whether Harry Dexter White and associates shaped U.S. wartime enemy property seizure policies to suit Russia. The investigation examines their influence on these policies.

Commentary

• The Case for Tomoya Kawakita, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka argues that President Eisenhower’s commutation of Tomoya Kawakita’s death sentence prevented a miscarriage of justice shaped by racial prejudice. He lists seven reasons, including doubtful treason findings, racially discriminatory sentencing, and likely damage to Japanese American goodwill.
• Tats Kushida Column on Convention Life, by Tats Kushida, page 6. Kushida reflects on the JACL Central California District convention and the outgoing chairman Kenji Tashiro’s leadership. He also recounts humorous roommate arrangements among JACL officers at conventions.
• Are We Proud?, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial reflects on Mike Masaoka’s remarks at the Central California JACL convention about the Nisei political record. It urges greater political participation beyond voter registration to protect hard-won gains.
• Vagaries, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. Tajiri comments on a Jet magazine article about Japanese wives of Negro servicemen and on Japanese rice straw raincoats. He also shares a light family anecdote about his daughter’s lost tooth.
• Does It Pay to Write?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Shelley Ayame Ota, author of the novel Upon Their Shoulders, reflects on the reception of her book and the value of writing about the Nisei experience. She discusses her second novel in progress and her desire to preserve Japanese heritage.

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