The Takahashi fishing case and a Nisei soldier’s journey home

Vol. 26, No. 8, February 21, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

The fight over California’s ban on commercial fishing licenses for Japanese aliens led this eight-page issue. Tosuke Yamasaki reported from Washington that the state urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to review the Takahashi case, calling the law a conservation measure. Another story said the CIO and NAACP planned friend-of-court briefs backing the JACL, and a P.C. Staff editorial, “Unsteady Ground,” argued the law grew from anti-Japanese prejudice. On the front page, the parents of Eiichi Hata, a Nisei soldier killed in Italy with the 442nd Infantry Combat Team, learned the Army would send his remains to them in Japan.

Page two reported that an omnibus civil rights bill would open naturalization to about 90,000 Japanese and other Asian aliens, and that committees were set for the 10th biennial National JACL convention in Salt Lake City. Bill Hosokawa wrote on romaji, and Lawrence Nakatsuka covered a Hawaii staging of The Defeated. Local JACL news on page seven covers voter registration and help with citizenship forms.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Japanese Parents Receive Remains of Nisei Soldier Eiichi Hata, page 1. The parents of Eiichi Hata, a Nisei soldier killed in Italy with the 442nd Infantry Combat Team, were informed the Army would return his remains to them in Japan. The Army approved their request in line with its policy of honoring next-of-kin wishes.
• Army Ship Will Be Renamed for Sadao Munemori, Nisei Hero, page 1. The Army cargo vessel Wilson Victory will be renamed the Pvt. Sadao S. Munemori in a Brooklyn ceremony on March 5. The JACL offered to pay travel expenses so the hero’s family could attend.

National

• State of California Opposes Review of Takahashi Case, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 1. California urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to review a state supreme court decision upholding the 1945 law barring Japanese aliens from commercial fishing licenses. The state argued the law is a conservation measure and not discriminatory, and that fishing is a privilege rather than a right.
• CIO, NAACP To File Briefs in Fishing Case, page 1. The CIO and NAACP plan to file friend-of-court briefs supporting the JACL position in the Takahashi case. They argue the California fishing law is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
• Issei Citizenship Proposal Incorporated in President’s Omnibus Civil Rights Bill, page 2. An omnibus civil rights bill incorporating President Truman’s recommendations would remove race restrictions from naturalization law, opening citizenship to about 90,000 Japanese and other Asian aliens. The bill also proposes civil rights commissions and anti-lynching and anti-poll tax measures.

Incarceration & Redress

• Japanese Canadian Evacuees Find New Homes in Interior, page 1. A survey of Japanese Canadian evacuees found most prefer not to return to the British Columbia coast even if allowed. Many report better employment and friendlier communities in their new interior locations.
• Collins Seeks U.S. Protest on Peruvian Issue, page 2. Attorney Collins asked President Truman to break relations with Peru over its refusal to readmit nearly 300 Peruvian Japanese detained in the U.S. He also asked the United Nations to intervene.
• GIs Will Receive Chance to Bring Brides Home to U.S., page 2. Nisei GIs and other American servicemen married to Japanese nationals may return home to establish residence before the Dec. 27 congressional deadline. The Eighth Army said the homecoming will be permitted regardless of completion of tours of duty.

JACL

• Committees Set for National JACL Parley, page 2. Shigeki Ushio named a five-member coordinating committee for the 10th biennial National JACL convention in Salt Lake City. Each member was assigned responsibility for specific convention committees.

Commentary

• Unsteady Ground, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that California’s fishing ban on Japanese aliens is rooted in anti-Japanese prejudice, despite the state’s claim otherwise. It notes the law was reworded to cover all aliens ineligible for citizenship while preserving its discriminatory effect.
• The Fight for Justice, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Vancouver Consultative Council, which closed after defending Japanese Canadian rights during the war. It notes the fight continues through the Canadian Civil Liberties Union.
• Decline of the Yellow Peril, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial observes that organized anti-Japanese groups in California have largely disbanded and that public opposition to civil rights measures for Japanese Americans has faded. It attributes this to Nisei wartime service and the end of Japanese militarism.
• You Want to Gamble?, page 5. A columnist recounts stories of Nisei and Japanese gamblers, including a financier who lost a fortune and a chauffeur who became a famous bettor. The piece uses these tales to reflect on the lure and ruin of gambling.
• Romaji and Democracy, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa discusses Dr. Robert King Hall’s criticism that Allied authorities failed to adopt romaji for written Japanese. Hall argues the opportunity for reform has passed and conservative forces have regained control of education.
• From the Frying Pan, page 6. A light column recounts a family dinner where a young boy resists extra salad and later reveals a snowball-fight romance. The writer also reflects on aging out of competitive basketball.

Arts & Entertainment

• Postwar Japanese Play Presented on Hawaii Stage, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 6. The University of Hawaii Theater Guild staged The Defeated, a postwar Japanese play about defeated Japan, to strong audience response. Author Pearl Buck expressed interest in bringing the production to the mainland.

Community

• Shigeru Motoki Enlists in U.S. Army as Alien With First Papers, page 7. Shigeru Motoki of Salt Lake City enlisted in the Army after previous rejections because he lacked citizenship. He had filed first papers and scored the highest intelligence test results ever recorded at Fort Douglas.
• JACL to Aid Issei in Filling Out Citizenship Forms, page 7. The Idaho Falls JACL will provide stenographers to help local Issei complete their first citizenship papers. The service is offered at chapter headquarters on February 24.
• Los Angeles JACL Begins Campaign to Register Voters, page 7. The Los Angeles JACL launched a campaign to register all eligible Nisei voters for the 1948 elections. The effort includes deputized registrars and a house-to-house canvass of returned evacuees.

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