The ‘Tokyo Rose’ verdict and the push for Issei citizenship

Vol. 29, No. 14, October 1, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

The conviction of Iva Toguri d’Aquino in the “Tokyo Rose” trial led the news. A jury found her guilty of one overt act of treason, and her defense counsel, Wayne Collins, announced an appeal to the Ninth Circuit. Larry Tajiri’s editorial looked at the public sympathy shown toward her. Mike Masaoka met with White House staff to urge support for the Walter resolution on naturalization for legally resident aliens, and he also protested the proposed appointment of Col. Karl Bendetsen to an Army post. Another report found Japanese Americans economically worse off than before the war’s forced removal.

Other pages cover Larry Tajiri on the defeat of a Los Angeles fair employment ordinance, Togo Tanaka on British Commonwealth forces in Japan, and Bill Hosokawa on wrestling villains. Mine Okubo won a purchase prize, a Nisei invitational basketball tournament took shape in Chicago, and a lawsuit was filed for Fumi Rokui.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• ‘Tokyo Rose’ Defense to Appeal Conviction, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Iva Toguri d’Aquino was found guilty of one overt act of treason for a 1944 Radio Tokyo broadcast after a 40-hour jury deliberation. Her defense counsel Wayne Collins announced an appeal to the Ninth Circuit on the grounds that the judge’s instructions were prejudicial.

National

• Masaoka Urges White House Support of Early Passage of Issei Citizenship Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, JACL-ADC legislative director, met with White House staff on Sept. 29 to urge support for the Walter resolution granting naturalization to legally resident aliens. He also protested the proposed appointment of Col. Karl Bendetsen as Assistant Secretary of the Army.
• Eastern Buddhists Undertake Traveling Minister Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Eastern Young Buddhist League will sponsor a month-long tour by Rev. Nobori S. Tsunoda, visiting chapters from Chicago to the Twin Cities. The tour aims to reach an audience of at least 50,000 and attract non-Japanese interested in Buddhism.
• Los Angeles City Council Defeats Ordinance Proposing Fair Employment, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles City Council voted 8 to 6 against a fair employment ordinance that would have banned racial and religious hiring discrimination. JACL Coordinating Council members, including Frank Chuman, testified in support of the measure.
• Report Japanese Americans Worse Off Economically Than Before Mass Evacuation, by James C. Anderson, page 8. A United Press report finds that Japanese Americans are economically worse off than before the war despite improved social status. The Hagiwara family’s loss of the Golden Gate Park tea garden is cited as typical of postwar losses.
• File Suit for Nisei Stranded Fiancee of Occupation Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Attorneys A.L. Wirin and Fred Okrand filed suit in federal court on behalf of Fumi Rokui, a Nisei stranded in Japan who was denied return to the United States. She is engaged to a U.S. soldier and the suit seeks restoration of her citizenship status.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veteran Killed as Auto Plunges Off Road, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masaaki Asai, a Pacific war combat interpreter, was killed when his car plunged off the Columbia Gorge highway while returning to Oregon State College. The Hood River American Legion post, which had erased his name from the war memorial in 1944, paid tribute at his funeral.

Community

• Eastern District JACL Officers Plan Activities for 1950, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Newly elected officers of the JACL Eastern District Council met in New York on Sept. 24 to plan the November meeting in Washington, D.C. The agenda includes the district’s 1950 program and participation in the national convention.
• Federal Housing Agency Will Employ Qualified Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Federal Public Housing Administration announced it will actively seek qualified minority applicants for secretarial and administrative positions. Interested Nisei were directed to contact Mike Masaoka at the JACL Washington office.
• Professor Oyama Faces Japan Trial as Occupation Critic, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former Northwestern professor Ikuo Oyama was arrested by American military police in Tokyo and turned over to Japanese police. He faces charges of making false statements against the occupation.
• Select Okada to Lead L.A. Ex-GI Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Frank S. Okada was elected chairman of the Nisei Veterans Association of Los Angeles, the largest Nisei veterans group in the country with 1,100 members. Other cabinet officers were named to assist him.
• Start Chicago Drive to Raise Funds for National Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chicago JACL launched its pre-convention fundraising drive for the 1950 national convention, with district committees organized across the city. Hirao Sakurada chairs the campaign, assisted by co-chairman Hiram Akita.
• Yanagita Takes Presidency of Twin Cities JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. George Yanagita, former first vice president, assumed the presidency of the Twin Cities chapter after Tomo Kosobayashi resigned. He will serve until the end of the original term in January.
• Delegates to Paris Conference Meet Prejudice in West States, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A group of twelve San Franciscans bound for a UNESCO conference in Paris were refused service at restaurants in Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming because of their mixed ancestry. The group was intended to demonstrate American tolerance abroad.

Commentary

• Mike Masaoka Sees Chance for Walter Bill Passage This Session, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Masao Satow told New York JACL members that passage of the Walter resolution for equality in naturalization remains possible this session. He noted that two of the three JACL legislative goals have already been achieved.
• The Opponents of Fair Employment, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial condemns the opposition that defeated the Los Angeles fair employment ordinance, which relied on reactionary and bigoted rhetoric. It argues that FEPC legislation is democratic and has passed in many states across both parties.
• The Un-American Bowling Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes the American Bowling Congress for its whites-only membership rule, which barred a Nisei team in Seattle. It calls for public pressure to force the ABC to repeal its discriminatory regulations.
• The Public ‘Tokyo Rose’, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial analyzes the Tokyo Rose treason trial and the sympathy shown by spectators toward Iva Toguri d’Aquino. It argues the public reaction reflects the successful reacceptance of Japanese Americans on the West Coast.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This entertainment column notes Nisei performers appearing under Chinese stage names and reports on Nisei activity in show business. It also covers Aloha Maids, Sono Osato, and Nisei documentary filmmakers.
• Nisei in Business, by Roku Suschara, page 5. The column profiles Caro Yamaoka and Harry Inaba, two Nisei leaders in the cultured pearl business in Manhattan. It traces the industry’s origins to Mikimoto and describes the post-war growth of Nisei-run pearl firms.
• Great Togo Has a Good Act, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa comments on the wrestling villain team of Togo and Hata, Nisei performers who play up racial stereotypes for theatrical effect. He traces the history of villains in wrestling and urges audiences to enjoy the show.
• Nisei GIs Encounter British White Supremacy in Japan, by Togo Tanaka, page 5. Togo Tanaka criticizes British Commonwealth Occupation Forces in Japan for barring Japanese and Nisei officers from their hotels. He argues the policy betrays the democratic principles the United States claims to promote.

Arts & Entertainment

• Mine Okubo Wins Purchase Prize at Art Exhibition, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nisei painter Mine Okubo received the $650 purchase prize at the James D. Phelan award show at the San Francisco Museum of Art for her painting ‘Clown and Horse.’
• Yuriko Amemiya Will Teach Dance Course at Rand School, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yuriko Amemiya, a member of Martha Graham’s dance company, will teach the introductory modern dance course in the new Department of Contemporary Dance at the Rand School in New York. The course begins Oct. 18.

Sports

• Berkeley, Salt Lake, Chicago, Hawaii Enter Cage Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Four teams have accepted invitations to the first national Nisei invitational basketball tournament in Chicago over Thanksgiving. The Berkeley Nisseis, Chicago Huskies, Hawaii All-Stars, and Salt Lake Harlems will compete.
• Jim Miyasato Sparks Weber to First Win, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Jim Miyasato, a quarterback from Honolulu, passed for three touchdowns and scored another as Weber College defeated Mesa College 41 to 0. The game opened the Wildcats’ season before 8,000 fans.
• Robert Takeshita’s Coast Debut Delayed as Match Cancelled, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Honolulu welterweight Robert Takeshita saw his mainland debut in Oakland cancelled after a co-main event withdrawal. Takeshita has been denied opportunities in the past, including a planned British appearance.

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