Deportation stay bill signed; Japanese Canadians gain new rights

Vol. 27, No. 1, July 3, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

Rights for Japanese people on both sides of the border led the news. President Truman signed HR 3566 on July 1, placing Japanese aliens on an equal basis with Europeans under the law on stays of deportation. In British Columbia, Japanese Canadians gained four new rights, including their first vote, in a Greenwood school plebiscite. Larry Tajiri wrote about Nisei and politics, and Tosuke Yamasaki reported on a congressman’s praise for Mike Masaoka during a House debate. Two editorials took up housing for minorities in San Francisco and the 442nd Combat Team’s record.

Elsewhere in the eight pages: testimony in the Tomoya Kawakita treason trial, Bill Hosokawa’s columns on fireworks and the American Legion, and word that Iva Toguri D’Aquino’s case was awaiting a government decision. Sports pages followed Nisei boxers, swimmers, pitchers and bowlers, including Hawaii’s Olympic hopefuls.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Canadian Nisei Gain Four New Rights in British Columbia; First Japanese Canadian Votes Cast in Greenwood School Plebiscite, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese Canadians in British Columbia gained four new rights in recent weeks, according to the JCCA. Among them, Japanese Canadians voted for the first time in a Greenwood school board plebiscite, setting a precedent.
• Government Witnesses Testify on Acts of Brutality Charged to Prison Camp Interpreter, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Witnesses testified in the Tomoya Kawakita treason trial that he beat and mistreated American prisoners at the Oeyama camp, including Einar Latvala. The defense argued Kawakita was frozen in his interpreter job by wartime law.

National

• President Truman Signs Bill Eliminating Race Bias from U.S. Deportation Procedures, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Truman signed HR 3566 on July 1, extending deportation stay benefits to Japanese aliens on an equal basis with Europeans. The bill will affect at least 1,500 American citizen children and spouses of Japanese aliens.
• Damage Suits Expected in O’Connor Blast, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Claims are expected from heirs of two Nisei girls and others killed in the February 1947 O’Connor electroplating plant explosion in Los Angeles. Judge Henry M. Willis set a four-month deadline for claims to be submitted.
• Government Expected to Decide Whether Tokyo Rose Will Stand Trial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The government is expected to decide soon whether Iva Toguri D’Aquino, identified as Tokyo Rose, will be returned to the United States for treason charges. Government lawyers were reportedly divided on whether the evidence would hold up in court.

Military & Veterans

• Hawaii War Dead Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The remains of Cpl. Noriyuki Masumoto, the first war dead returned to Hawaii under the Army reburial program, were honored with a procession and ceremony in Hilo. Hundreds lined the streets as dignitaries eulogized him and the other Big Island men who died in World War II.
• Hawaii Public Service Attracts Nisei Attorneys, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A growing number of Nisei lawyers are joining Hawaii’s territorial and city-county government legal departments, including Thomas Okumura and Russell Kono. Taro Watanabe was appointed a deputy city-county attorney.
• Army Sergeant Ordained Baptist Minister in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sgt. Masao Hironaka was ordained a Baptist minister at First Baptist Church in San Jose on June 23. He plans to serve as an Army interpreter in Japan and then seek a church there.
• Editorial: On Segregated Units, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Senator Richard Russell for citing the 442nd Combat Team’s record to defend Jim Crow military units. It argues the 442nd was formed as a weapon against segregation and notes the unit is now non-segregated.
• Congressional Record Prints Eulogies to Nisei War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Eulogies for Pfc. Fumitake Nagato and Pfc. Saburo Tanamachi, Nisei soldiers interred at Arlington National Cemetery, were printed in the Congressional Record. The tributes were delivered by Representatives McDonough, Gossett, and Judd and General Devers.

Obituaries

• Frank Mura Sakemi Funeral Rites Held in Coachella Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Funeral services were held for Frank Mura Sakemi, a pioneer in developing the Coachella Valley who was a founding president of the Farmers Association and Coachella Valley Growers Cooperative. He was survived by his widow, sons, daughters, and siblings.
• Funeral Rites Held for Archbishop Matsukage, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Services were held in San Francisco for Archbishop Matsukage, head of the Buddhist churches of America, who died in Los Angeles on June 21. Forty-three priests attended, and his ashes were divided among temples in Japan and Cypress Lawn.
• Funeral Rites for John Narimatsu, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Services were held at the Dinuba Buddhist church for Corp. John T. Narimatsu, killed in France in October 1944 during the rescue of the lost battalion. He was survived by his mother, brother, and sisters.

Community

• Nisei GI Returns With Italian Bride, by P.C. Staff, page 1. T/3 Harry Nishimoto returned to Kent, Washington from Trieste, Italy with his Italian bride, the former Edda Rizza of Rome. The couple’s homecoming was noted by the paper.
• Japanese American Among Victims of Champagne Bandits, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three gunmen robbed a Sacramento bar on June 27, forcing employees including Kiiaki Iwaki to drink champagne until unconscious. The bandits escaped with $826 after also cutting the victims’ hair.
• Intermountain Chapters Pledge Continued Support for ADC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Delegates to the Intermountain district council at Mack’s Inn pledged support for the JACL ADC legislative program and the Issei naturalization bill. Bob Mukai won the council’s oratorical contest with a speech on prejudice.
• Eiji Tanabe Resigns JACL Post as Pacific Southwest Director, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eiji Tanabe resigned as Pacific Southwest JACL ADC director effective June 30, with Sam Ishikawa shifting to Los Angeles to serve as director. Tanabe was credited with interpreting the JACL program to Issei and was honored by the Los Angeles Council for Civic Unity.
• Jobu Yasumura Ordained at New York Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Jobu Yasumura, a staff member of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, was ordained to the Christian ministry at Riverside Church in New York. He had previously served as boys work secretary at the Seaman’s House YMCA.
• Okinawa Students Will Get Chance to Study in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Five Okinawan students selected by a committee will study at mainland American universities through scholarships from the Okinawa Relief and Rehabilitation Foundation. Two are graduate students and three are undergraduates.
• Etsuko Arikawa Arrives for Trial Aboard General Gordon, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Etsuko Arikawa arrived in San Francisco to testify in a Los Angeles federal court case seeking to reestablish her American citizenship, which she reportedly lost by voting in the 1946 Japanese elections. She was permitted to return under the Nationality Act of 1940.
• San Francisco JACL Declares Slum Clearance Project Does Not Protect Race Minorities, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco JACL protested a redevelopment plan for the Western Addition, arguing it lacks protections against discrimination and for low-income residents. The chapter requested non-discrimination provisions, low-cost housing, and priority for displaced residents and businesses.
• Chronicle Editor Speaks to JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Scott Newhall, editor of the Chronicle’s This World section, spoke to the San Francisco JACL about post-war conditions across the world. He described suffering in many countries after travelling on the carrier Valley Forge.
• Nisei Presented Award at Illinois, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Dr. William J. Furuta received the Golden Apple teaching award from University of Illinois medical students. Born in Roseville, California, he has been on the medical school faculty.
• Horinouchi Notes Integration of Nisei Into American Life, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Former Japanese ambassador Kensuke Horinouchi, visiting for Moral Rearmament, said he was struck by the integration of Japanese Americans into community life. He also described relief distribution work in Japan.
• Problems of American Indians Told to Washington JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Theodore Haas of the Office of Indian Affairs described the hardships faced by American Indians, including forced removals and land losses. He argued Nisei obstacles seem minor by comparison.
• Kenji Goto Named Administrator of Hawaii Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Kenji Goto, supervisor of veterans’ training with the territorial department of public instruction, was named administrator of the former Japanese hospital in Honolulu effective July 1. He succeeds Uichi Kanayama, who held the post since 1944.
• Canadian Policy on War-Stranded Nisei Remains Unclear, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Japanese Americans and Canadians stranded in Japan by the war have been allowed to return only sparingly, with only one Canadian permitted to return so far. The New Canadian reports the government is acting with extreme caution.
• 442nd Veterans Club Gets Clubhouse in Honolulu, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 442nd Veterans club acquired a gymnasium and 7,200 square feet of land at 933 Wiliwili Street in Honolulu, leased from the Moiliili Young Men’s Association for a dollar a year. The club will renovate the building for community use.
• Reburial Rites Held for Sebastopol Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Services were scheduled in Sebastopol for Staff Sgt. Peter S. Masuoka, a native who died in France while serving with the 442nd Combat Team. Reburial was set for Golden Gate National Cemetery on July 3.
• Thomas T. Hayashi Opens Law Office in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Thomas T. Hayashi, lawyer and president of the New York JACL, opened his office at 175 Fifth Avenue. He was admitted to the bar in June 1946 after serving as research assistant at NYU law school.

Commentary

• Congressman Lauds Masaoka During House Debate, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 2. Representative Frank Fellows praised Mike Masaoka and Nisei loyalty during a June 10 House floor speech supporting displaced persons legislation. The tribute marked the first time a Japanese American’s record was held up in Congress as an example for Americans.
• Editorial: Housing for Minorities, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial supports San Francisco’s slum clearance plan for the Western Addition but warns it lacks protections for minority and low-income residents. It urges non-discrimination safeguards and affordable housing in the redevelopment.
• The Nisei and Politics, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Tajiri traces how Japanese Americans have been political scapegoats since the Yellow Peril era, from alien land laws to wartime evacuation. He argues Nisei have grown more politically sophisticated and now demand candidates’ positions on civil liberties.
• From the Frying Pan: The Annual Firecracker Season, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes buying modest fireworks for his children after Denver banned fireworks within city limits. He reflects on the rising cost of fireworks compared with steak prices.
• Dilemma for Legionnaires, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa criticizes the American Legion national leadership for censuring the Harris post, whose Nisei members distributed a Chronicle article about Kato. He questions the Legion’s position opposing naturalization of Japanese aliens.
• How to Handle a Bigot, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A study by the American Jewish Congress found that answering a racebaiter in public reduces his influence on listeners. The piece advises readers to speak up rather than remain silent.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Veteran Wins Prize for Painting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Neil Fujita won first prize in the National Veterans art exhibit for his watercolor The Flight, depicting the Angel’s Flight cable car in downtown Los Angeles. Fujita was incarcerated at Heart Mountain during the war.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column notes Toho’s planned film about the 442nd, Harry Brown’s permission for a Nisei adaptation of A Sound of Hunting, and other entertainment items. It also mentions Chris Ishii’s political cartoons in the Crossroads weekly.

Sports

• Tsukamoto Outs Are Overlooked, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sacramento College pitcher Jim Tsukamoto is described as one of the top college hurlers on the West Coast, and San Jose’s Jiro Nakamura is also noted. Both Nisei pitchers are overlooked by pro scouts despite strong seasons.
• Barnstormers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Honolulu Hawaiians barnstorming team, with ten Nisei among its fifteen players, is touring with the Harlem Globetrotters. The squad will enter the national semi-pro tournament in Wichita in August.
• Golden Boy, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Honolulu welterweight Robert Takeshita, undefeated in 28 professional fights, is a challenger for Ray Robinson’s crown. Manager Sam Ichinose plans to take him to New York for bouts at Madison Square Garden.
• Okada Captures Summer Crown, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Okada Insurance clinched first place in the JACL summer bowling league with 25 wins and 7 losses. Tadao Sako and Hito Okada led the team in its 2-2 match with Terashima Studio.
• Yasui Eliminated in Olympic Tryouts, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Chester Yasui of Hawaii, the only Nisei boxer to reach the U.S. Olympic team tryouts, was eliminated in the first round of the 112-pound division. He lost to Arthur Brown of Kansas City.
• Honolulu Bowlers Hit Series in Hawaii League, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Honolulu Cafe team recorded a high series in the Hawaii bowling league, led by Matsueda and Sakamoto. The team will compete in the 1949 national JACL tournament in Salt Lake City.
• Five Hawaii Nisei Enter Tryouts for Olympic Team, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Five Hawaiian Nisei swimmers, including Robert Kobayashi and Charles Oda, are training for the U.S. Olympic swimming tryouts in Detroit. Coach Sakamoto will accompany the team.

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