Issei citizenship, a 100th Battalion commander, and Japan’s elections

Vol. 36, No. 20, May 15, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

Issei citizenship ran through the front page of this eight-page issue. Kihaki Saibara, 68, a Houston-area grower whose three sons served in the U.S. armed forces, passed his preliminary examinations. Similar reports came from Denver, Oregon, Seattle, New Mexico and La Junta. Farrant Turner, who led the 100th Infantry Battalion in World War II, was sworn in as Secretary of Hawaii. Mike Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter and an editorial both looked at Japan’s recent elections, and the National JACL board agreed to ask the Attorney General to remove 21 Japanese organizations from the subversive list.

Other things to find: Bill Hosokawa’s column on the return of Pfc. Susumu Shinagawa from Communist captivity in Korea, and Harry K. Honda’s family trip to a Denver Bears game. Sports pages cover the first National AAU judo tournament in San Jose and the Zenimura brothers’ contracts with the Hiroshima Carps. A reader’s letter asks about citizenship examinations for Issei over 50 under the McCarran-Walter Act.

What’s in this issue

National

• Issei Grower May Be First in Texas to Gain Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kihaki Saibara, 68, a prominent Houston-area grower whose three sons served in the U.S. armed forces, has passed his preliminary citizenship examinations. He came to Harris County 50 years ago and his youngest son Harvey was killed in training in 1951.
• Sociological Study of Japanese Communities in Santa Clara Valley to Be Made, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two San Jose State College juniors, Dean C. Taylor and Lawrence Y. Yonemura, won Social Science Research Council awards to study Japanese communities in Santa Clara Valley. The project will be supervised by Dr. Alexander Vucinich this summer.
• Denver Issei Quizzed on Draft, Citizenship Held Up, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harry G. Matoba passed his naturalization exam but his citizenship papers were delayed when the local INS office checked his selective service records. The draft board had not recruited him during World War II because of his alienage.
• Eastern Oregonian Passes Citizenship Examinations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kango Wada, 66, became the first Issei to pass his citizenship examination in the Ontario, Oregon area after attending an Americanization class taught by Rev. Norio Yasaki. He will be sworn in June 4.
• Stigma of Proscribed Japanese Organizations Seed for Suspicion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL board and staff agreed to submit a blanket protest to the Attorney General seeking removal of 21 Japanese organizations from the subversive list. Chuman argued that no evidence exists of subversive activity and that the listing should be lifted.
• Increase Reported for Immigration Office Budget, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congressional leaders responded favorably to PSWDC convention resolutions urging evacuation claims compensation and expedited Issei naturalization. Rep. Chauncey Reed reported a $1,851,000 increase in the INS appropriation for fiscal 1954.
• Arizona Photog Shoots for Miss Universe Search, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Photographer John Hirohata holds the Arizona franchise to conduct the statewide contest selecting a candidate for the Miss Universe pageant. It marks his second consecutive year running the contest.
• Washington Newsletter: Japan Elections Post-Mortem, by Mike Masaoka, page 3. Masaoka analyzes Japan’s recent parliamentary elections, in which Prime Minister Yoshida’s Liberal Party won the most seats but fell short of a majority. He notes that many pro-American and prewar U.S.-connected candidates were defeated.

Military & Veterans

• Farrant Turner, Original Commander of 100th Bn., Named Secretary of Hawaii, by By L. Nakatsuka, page 1. Farrant Turner, who led the 100th Infantry Battalion in World War II, was sworn in as Secretary of Hawaii after nomination by President Eisenhower. The 100th veterans cheered his appointment, and he became acting Governor within hours.
• Nisei PW in Red Hands, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Detroit Times reported names of 62 U.S. prisoners of war alive and held by Communists in Korea, including Sgt. Tadashi Kaneko of Hawaii. The names were smuggled out by Sgt. Albert Howard.

Community

• Fresno State Collegian Named to Honorary Frat, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Michio Takahashi of Sanger was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi, a national honorary scholastic society, at Fresno State College. He is a senior chemistry major and one of the first initiates after The Key chartered a chapter.
• Two More Seattle Issei Obtain Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bigi Fujitomi and Yoshitaka Ogata of Seattle were reported by the Seattle JACL as the most recently naturalized Issei. Three Issei have now been made U.S. citizens in the area.
• New Mexico Greets Issei as Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Frank Utaro Kuzuoka and Mrs. Chiyoko Miyamura Herrera became the first Japanese naturalized in New Mexico at a McKinley County ceremony May 4. They were among ten aliens from seven countries granted citizenship that day.
• Canada May Relax Strict Immigration Policy Against Japanese Canadians, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Canadian senators and MPs showed favorable attitudes when George Tanaka and Rei Nishio requested readmission of relatives of Japanese Canadians. Sen. Roebuck urged compassionate readmission of Nisei who had served in Japanese forces.
• Mardi Gras Daze Planned June 27, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Club Service Bureau is planning an all-nation talent show on June 27 in Los Angeles. Committee assignments for general arrangements, programs, tickets and publicity were announced.
• Recommend $25,000 to Aid Issei Citizenship Classes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Hawaii House Committee on Education recommended a $25,000 bill to educate aged aliens for citizenship. Many of those affected are retired plantation workers who have lived in Hawaii for decades.
• Expectant Mother Wins $100 Sewing Prize Money, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mrs. Mary Kageyama of Toronto, a mother of two expecting a third child, won a first prize of $100 in the National Sewing Contest in Montreal. She plans to use the prize for hospital expenses.
• Urge Educators to Teach Citizenship in Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 150 persons at a Los Angeles Adult Education Principals dinner called for expanded adult education and Americanization classes. Attorney Saburo Kido asked the Board of Education to consider teaching citizenship classes in Japanese.
• Ryukyu to Issue Perry Visit Commemorative, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Ryukyu post office announced 3-yen and 6-yen stamps commemorating Commodore Perry’s arrival in Okinawa on May 4, 1853. The stamps are reddish brown and marine blue respectively.
• First Nurses from Micronesian Islands Study in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kiyoko Sulia of Palau and Irminia Benevente of Saipan became the first Micronesians to study nursing in Hawaii hospitals on scholarships from the Hawaii Federation of Business and Professional Women’s clubs. Both are receiving on-the-job training at Leahi Hospital.
• Cotton Dealer Harry Naka Recognized, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Harry Naka, who served as a cotton consultant under Gen. William Marquat during the occupation, helped revive Japan’s textile industry. He later became the leading cotton dealer in the Kansai region.
• Shortage on No. Calif. Berry Farms, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hawaiian Japanese American workers were brought to Pajaro Valley strawberry fields to address a labor shortage in Northern California. Growers advanced transportation costs and guaranteed prevailing wages.
• 100 Southwest L.A. Issei File for Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 100 students in the chapter-sponsored citizenship class in Southwest Los Angeles received help filing naturalization petitions. Thirty JACL volunteers assisted, including attorneys and chapter presidents.
• Eight La Junta Issei to Be Sworn In Soon, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eight Issei from the Arkansas Valley area passed citizenship examinations at the La Junta district court. They are scheduled to take the oath of citizenship in early June.
• Kodani Insurancemen Move to New Quarters, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The H.H. Kodani Agency of Occidental Life Insurance moved from Little Tokyo to the eighth floor of 3460 Wilshire Blvd. The new office serves 26 agents with modern furnishings.
• Denver Issei Mother Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Misao Uba of Denver became the first Issei naturalized in ceremonies conducted by Judge Lee Knous. The 62-year-old widowed mother of six children came to the U.S. in 1912.
• Pennsylvania Chapel Orders Rug Designed by Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Alice Hideko Kagawa of Honolulu designed a hand-woven rug for a modern Catholic chapel under construction in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She is studying weaving at the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
• Guide Work Enables Kyoto Student to Study at Michigan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tadashi Ishimaru, a Doshisha student, was guide to three U.S. naval officers in Kyoto, leading a former Michigan professor to sponsor his studies at the University of Michigan. He arrived in the U.S. recently.
• Tokyo Bank Opens Mail Banking Facilities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Bank of Tokyo of California announced mail banking service furnishing papers, envelopes and postage to depositors. The service is aimed at those who work by day or live outside Los Angeles.
• Detroit CL Mystery Tour Winds Up in Canada, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Thirty-three Detroit JACL members took a Greyhound mystery tour honoring recent membership drive participants. The tour ended at Elmwood Casino in Windsor, Canada, with dinner and dancing.

Commentary

• Section Post-Mortem: Japan Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The editorial reviews the defeat of Japanese candidates with American ties in the recent elections, including Frank Matsumoto and Noboru Tanikawa. It urges careful study of the mounting strength of leftist parties.
• Chicago Corner, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. Columnist Smoky Sakurada reports on the Southeast Commission in Chicago, formed after community concern over lax enforcement and juvenile delinquency. He also covers local church news and Nisei achievements.
• The Old Fight, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial urges Japanese Americans to fight discrimination and support the National JACL, arguing that unity and organization give a people a voice. It contrasts defeatist Issei attitudes with those willing to fight for children’s futures.
• From the Frying Pan: The Old Ball Game, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. The columnist describes a family trip to a Denver Bears baseball game and reflects on teaching his son Mike honesty after a clerk assumed a league discount. The piece is lighthearted and personal.
• Very Truly Yours: Shinagawa Comes Home, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa recounts the return of Pfc. Susumu Shinagawa, the only Nisei released by Communist captors in Korea, as reported in Honolulu dailies. His mother and sister wept at Hickam Field as he was reunited with family.
• Insurance, page 8. A letter to the editor supports an anti-discrimination bill that would prevent automobile insurance companies from refusing policies based on race. The writer agrees with the editorial position on the issue.
• Citizenship Query, by Mrs. Yamada, page 8. A reader asks whether Issei over 50 who have lived in the U.S. for 20 years must still take citizenship examinations under the McCarran-Walter Act. The editor responds that the examination may be given in a foreign language for those over 50.

Sports

• Nisei Judoists Star in First National AAU Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Lyle Hunt of San Jose State won the tournament championship and the Hawaiian team took the team title at the first National AAU judo tournament in San Jose. Some 93 judoists competed in over 100 matches.
• Under Par Golf at San Jose Hillview, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Frank Yoshioka won the Nisei division of the Garden City Golf Club tournament with a two-under-par 69 at Hillview course. His net score for the 36-hole medal play was 134.
• Bowling Columnist Warns Nisei Bowlers, by Paul Uyemura, page 6. Umon Nakanishi was disqualified from the Los Angeles city B bowling championship after it was learned he had rolled in a non-sanctioned league. The columnist warns that all Nisei leagues must register with ABC to remain eligible.
• Zenimura Brothers, Mitsuyoshi Sign Pro Ball Contracts with Hiroshima Carp, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Howard and Harvey Zenimura and Ben Mitsuyoshi signed contracts to play for the Hiroshima Carps of Japan’s Central League. It is the first time two brothers were signed by one Japanese team.

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