Evacuation claims and Issei citizenship, January 1949

Vol. 28, No. 4, January 29, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

Evacuation claims led the news. JACL officials met in Los Angeles on Jan. 21 and 22 and reported that Japanese Americans had been very slow to file with the Justice Department. Larry Tajiri’s column looked at the slow filing under Public Law 886, and Edward J. Ennis answered readers’ questions on what the law covers. Letters to the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee showed how strongly Issei wanted American citizenship. The Senate Judiciary Committee also reported favorably on a bill for contraband articles, and a 30-day extension was granted in the Tule Lake renunciants case.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote from Denver about cold weather and Japanese food labels. California bills against race prejudice, Chicago’s cemetery ban, and Vancouver’s vote for Japanese Canadians each got a story. Sports pages covered the National JACL bowling tournament in Salt Lake City and a Seattle bowling classic. This issue ran eight pages.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Report Evacuees Slow in Filing Claims for Evacuation Losses with Department of Justice, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL officials held an emergency meeting in Los Angeles on Jan. 21 and 22 and reported that evacuees have been very slow to file evacuation claims with the Justice Department. Discussion also covered coordination of regional and chapter programs with the JACL ADC legislative program, alien land laws, a proposed central California regional office, and chapter visits.
• Chicago JACL Forms Board for 1950 National Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Plans for the 1950 national JACL convention in Chicago are underway with the formation of a fifteen-member executive board. Dr. Randolph Mas Sakada was named chairman and will be assisted by Noboru Honda, and the board will appoint committee chairmen and handle all convention activities.

Community

• San Jose Nisei Heads Students at High School, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Norman Mineta, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kunisaku Mineta, was elected president of the San Jose high school student body for the spring term. He was one of three candidates for the office.
• Nisei Student Elected to Class Post at Yale School, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ted Tsukiyama, a second-year Yale Law student from Honolulu, was elected one of four class representatives on the Yale Law School Student Association executive board. At the board’s first meeting he was chosen as association treasurer.
• Install Kawahara as Student Prexy in San Leandro, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harry Kawahara was installed as student body president of San Leandro high school along with 12 other executive board members on Jan. 19. He had previously been head yell leader and class president, and transferred from the Topaz relocation center high school.
• Sioux Falls College Girl Wins National Oratorical Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Lilyan Hijikata, a freshman at Sioux Falls College, placed first in the Intercollegiate Women’s Oratorical Contest. She also won first place in the freshman oration category with her speech on the new patriotism.
• Nisei Student Wins Illinois Spelling Bee, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Carrie Kadoyama, a 13-year-old Nisei from Arlington Heights, won the Chicago Daily News spelling bee for Lutheran schools after defeating 34 other champions. She is an honor student and the daughter of George and Mrs. Kadoyama.
• New Idaho Falls Officers Installed, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Charles Hirai was installed as president of the Idaho Falls JACL chapter at its annual banquet on Jan. 21 at the Rogers hotel. A dance followed at the American Legion hall.
• Deseret Magazine Proposes Restoration of Goto Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Deseret News Sunday magazine invited Utah citizens and civic organizations to help restore the vandal-damaged memorial to aviator Masashi Goto, who died in a 1929 crash in the Uinta mountains. The Salt Lake JACL chapter, through president George Sakashita, announced it would participate in the restoration effort.
• JACL Invites Mayor to Grand Ball in San Mateo, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Mateo County JACL will hold a grand ball on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Hotel Benjamin Franklin, with Mayor and Mrs. Creed B. Haberlin among the special guests. Joe Grant Masaoka will install the chapter’s new officers during the intermission.
• Young Buddhists Slate Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Western Young Buddhists League will hold its annual conference April 30 to May 1 in Fresno, its second gathering under the new name. Committee chairmen have been appointed and contests in amateur photography, oratory, and queen selection are planned.
• Nisei to Address Jewelers’ Meets, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ken Matsumoto, president of a jewelry display firm, will speak at three midwest jewelers association conventions this year on display problems and techniques. His program will include a demonstration window with colorful theme settings.
• Ogden JACL Sets Valentine Social, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Ogden JACL will hold a Valentine social at the American Legion hall on Friday, Feb. 11 to climax its 1949 membership drive. All Nisei in northern Utah are invited to attend.
• Denver Hospital Officials Seek Whereabouts of Nisei Mascot, by P.C. Staff, page 3. St. Luke’s Hospital staff in Denver are seeking news of Suki, a girl born prematurely there in 1929 to a touring Japanese acrobat troupe. The hospital cared for her after her parents left, and Denver’s Japanese community later reunited her with her parents in California.
• Membership Drive Initiated by East Bay JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The East Bay JACL launched its 1949 membership drive with a goal of 300 members, with vice presidents directing efforts in Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond. Members are asked to send $2 renewals to treasurer Bill Fujita.
• Ellis Center Cabinet, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Min Ogasawara was elected president of the Ellis Community Center Workcampers in Chicago at the organization’s semiannual election. Other officers were named including first and second vice presidents, secretary, treasurer, and publicity chairman.
• Grand Junction Girl Active in Music Circles in Honolulu, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ruth Hayashi Gallegos, daughter of Grand Junction residents, is active in Honolulu music circles and recently directed a 200-voice student nurse choral group. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado College of Music.
• Parlier Chapter Is Reactivated, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Parlier JACL was reactivated with 54 members under the direction of Byrd Kumataka. The reactivation raises the number of National JACL chapters to 69.
• First Birthday, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Ellis Community Center in Chicago will hold a first anniversary open house and worship service on Feb. 13, with Rev. Jitsuo Morikawa as main speaker. The center serves over 2,500 persons monthly with education and recreation programs for all ages.
• Language School Reopening Reactions, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Continuing the language school study, Hawaiian social workers and Nisei opponents argued that reopened schools were burdening children and disrupting social programs. By end of 1948, 34 schools had reopened but attendance remained below prewar levels.
• Army May Relax Restrictions on Issei, Nisei Visits to Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. General MacArthur’s headquarters announced tourist visits may be extended to 25 days and plans are underway to allow 60-day visits for Japanese nationals and persons of Japanese ancestry. Visitors may need to bring their own food or buy it with dollars at designated stores.
• Nisei Girl Heads Cooperative House on Wisconsin Campus, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Emi Kuzuhara, a senior from Chicago, is house president of the Groves Co-op at the University of Wisconsin, an interracial women’s residence. The co-op admits members regardless of race or religion and has discussed the SDA resolution to ban discriminatory fraternal groups.
• Ogden JACL Endorses CARE Packages for Japanese Relief, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Ogden JACL is taking orders for CARE packages for relief in Japan, including food, blanket, knitting yarn, and suiting packages priced at $10 each. Orders are taken at 24th Street Barber shop and delivered from stockpiles already in Japan.

National

• Nisei in Japan May Enlist as U.S. Interpreter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Regular Army enlistment was opened to U.S. citizens of Japanese descent stranded in Japan without dependents who qualify as interpreters, according to 8th Army Headquarters. Applicants must show proof of citizenship, fluency in spoken English, and pass Japanese language tests.
• Utah Farm Group Urges Naturalization of Japanese Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Weber County Canning Crop Association of Utah unanimously passed a resolution on Jan. 26 advocating revision of the naturalization law to allow resident aliens of Japanese ancestry to become citizens. The resolution praised the wartime loyalty and food production contributions of local Japanese American farmers.
• Nisei in Japan Seeks to Aid Injured Actress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Nisei civilian worker and a U.S. Army major are working to arrange a trip to the United States so artificial feet can be fitted for actress Kiku Yoshikawa, who lost both feet after being pushed in front of a train in Tokyo. The 20-year-old Shochiku star was injured in the October 2 accident.
• Stranded Nisei Will Testify in Hawaiian Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. William Ishikawa, a Hawaii native who served in the Japanese army during the war, returned to Honolulu to testify in his suit to regain American citizenship. His case may become a test case for Americans of Japanese ancestry seeking reentry into the United States, as he claims he was forcibly inducted and remained loyal to the U.S.
• Senate Judiciary Committee Gives Favorable Report to Contraband Articles Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported S. 29, a bill authorizing payment of claims up to $1,000 for contraband articles such as firearms and cameras surrendered by persons of Japanese ancestry after Pearl Harbor. The bill supplements the Evacuation Claims Act and is expected to reach the Senate floor soon.
• California Assembly Considers Bills to Outlaw Race Prejudice, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Several California legislators introduced bills to combat racial discrimination, including a proposed repeal of the Alien Land Law, a measure penalizing racial restrictions in real estate, a bill barring race hate propaganda, and a bill prohibiting racial discrimination in insurance. The alien land law is already largely unenforced since the 1948 Oyama decision.
• Colorado University President Becomes Sponsor of JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert L. Stearns, president of the University of Colorado, became a national sponsor of the JACL, joining other regional sponsors. The announcement was made by the Mountain Plains JACL regional office.
• Vancouver City Council to Give Vote to Orientals, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Vancouver city council unanimously passed a motion to extend municipal voting rights to Canadian citizens of Japanese, Chinese, and East Indian ancestry. The franchise will take effect once the British Columbia legislature approves the necessary amendment, which is expected in February.
• Senate Will Confirm Permanent Status of Capts. Hino, Kobayashi, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two former 442nd Regimental Combat Team officers, Kenji Hino and Thomas Kobayashi, were nominated for permanent Regular Army captain rank. Both earned multiple battle stars in Italian and European campaigns and were later commissioned in the Regular Army.

Obituaries

• Clarksburg Nisei Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fred S. Sakata, 42, of Clarksburg died in a Sacramento hospital on Jan. 25 after being stricken suddenly the previous day. He is survived by his wife Mary, three sons, and his father Matsuki Sakata.

Military & Veterans

• Colorado Sergeant Brings German Bride to Post in Denver, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Master Sergeant Fred T. Kaihara of Lakewood, Colorado arrived in Denver with his German war bride Ellen Heinzelmann, whom he married in Heidelberg on Dec. 7, 1948. He is assigned to Fitzsimmons General Hospital.
• Hawaii University Will Publish Book on Isle War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The University of Hawaii Press will publish In Freedom’s Cause, a memorial volume honoring Hawaii men who died in World War II, with biographical sketches and photographs. A copy will be given free to next of kin, and the book will sell for $5 to others.
• George Miki Heads 442nd Veterans Club in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 2. George Miki was installed as president of the 442nd Veterans Club of Oahu, which has about 1,500 members across 18 chapters. Akira Fukunaga was named executive secretary, and other officers were elected by the chapter directors.

Incarceration & Redress

• Chicago Officials Consider Remedial Action on Cemetery Ban on Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chicago officials are considering action after publicity revealed that Chicago cemeteries refused burial plots to persons of Japanese ancestry, including war dead. Only two Negro cemeteries have offered unrestricted use, while eight others offered segregated plots, and the Japanese American Council has appointed a cemetery committee.
• Ashes May Be Sent to Japan Under New Occupation Ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 2. General MacArthur’s headquarters ordered that ashes of deceased persons may be mailed by parcel post to and from Japan, easing difficulties families of Japanese ancestry had faced. Shipments must be in sealed metal containers and presented by a licensed mortuary.
• 30-Day Extension of Final Judgment Given Government in Case of Tule Renunciants, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Federal Judge Louis Goodman granted the government a 30-day extension in the case restoring citizenship to about 5,500 Tule Lake renunciants. The Justice Department must submit a list of persons it claims renounced under duress by February 25, and the outcome may depend on the appellate court’s ruling in the Inouye case.
• Canadians Ask Repayment for Fishing Boats, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese Canadians asked the Canadian government to extend its evacuee losses inquiry to cover fishing vessels sold by a disposal committee after the 1942 evacuation. The National Japanese Canadian Citizens Association argued the committee lacked legal authority to sell the boats arbitrarily.

In-Depth

• Social Scientists Study Effects of Language School Reopening on Japanese in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A University of Hawaii social research survey found that the reopening of Japanese language schools was enthusiastically received by most Issei and many Nisei, especially in Honolulu, who saw the schools as restoring community order and family values. Nisei war veterans were the most vigorous critics, though a 1948 university poll found 80 percent of Nisei students supported the schools.

Commentary

• Charter for Human Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises a proposed Chicago Charter for Human Relations, which outlines citywide action against racial friction, including housing reform, civil rights enforcement through business licenses, and broader human relations goals. It argues that eradicating prejudice requires addressing its underlying causes, such as housing shortages and competition.
• Canadian Evacuee Losses, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines Canada’s liquidation policy for Japanese Canadian property, under which the custodian was empowered to sell homes, farms, and other property at auction without owner consent. It notes evacuees’ protests that sales were compulsory and below value, and calls on Canada to find an equitable solution.
• The Evacuee Claims Program, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri examines the slow filing of evacuee claims under Public Law 886 and the difficulty the government faces in estimating program scope. He notes that wartime WRA records describe the government’s failure to protect evacuee property and recounts widespread losses in farmland, personal property, and insurance.
• Reflections on the Weather, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa writes from Denver about the bitter cold and reflects on Japanese food imports with quirky English labels. He also comments on Nisei weddings and the financial strain of formal ceremonies.
• Issei Desire for American Citizenship Stressed in Letters Received by JACL-ADC Office, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Letters sent to the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee from Issei across the country express their longstanding wish to become American citizens, often citing decades of residence, sons who served in the U.S. Army, and frustrations with being ineligible. The letters support naturalization bills H.R. 4 and H.R. 5004.
• Nakamura Comes Home: Author Tells of Motivation for Short Story on Nisei GI, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Author Harry Hayden explains in a letter to Joe Oyama how he came to write the short story about a Nisei soldier returning to a hostile California town. He describes witnessing the hardships of Japanese Americans after the war and calls the Nisei soldier record an unsurpassed story of the war.
• Questions on Evacuee Claims, by Edward J. Ennis, page 6. Edward J. Ennis answers reader questions on the evacuation claims law, including whether a sister-owned house, a tenant-damaged property sale, storage costs, sold gems, and prewar purchases are compensable. He advises claimants to file claims where the law is unclear.

Sports

• Nisei in Bowling, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaiian support for the National JACL bowling tournament in Salt Lake City on March 4-6 is expected to produce the largest field in the tournament’s three-year history. The article describes the handicap format, expected entries, and a new singles classic with prize money.
• Boise Valley Holds Handicap Tourney for League Bowlers, by Midge Miyake, page 7. The Boise Valley JACL held a handicap bowling tournament on Jan. 23 at the Caldwell Recreation Center, with Homedale taking the team title. Frank Doi won the men’s singles, and multiple doubles and all-events results were posted.
• Takeshita to Meet Cruz in Honolulu, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Nisei lightweight Robert Takeshita will face mainland challenger Rudy Cruz in a ten-round match at Honolulu Stadium on Feb. 1. Cruz previously lost a close decision to Ike Williams for the world title.
• Women Prepare for Bowling Meet in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lylienne Kurisaki will direct women’s events at the National JACL bowling tournament in Salt Lake City on March 4-6, assisted by a committee of volunteers. Events include mixed doubles, singles, doubles, and team competition.
• Idaho Falls Plans Cage Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Idaho Falls annual invitational basketball tournament will be held in the Ammon high school gymnasium on Feb. 24-26. A dance will follow the championship game.
• Northwest Nisei Bowling Classic in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Teams from California, Utah, Oregon, and Washington are competing in the Northwest Nisei Bowling Classic in Seattle on Jan. 29-30 at Main Bowl. Defending champion Okada Insurance of Salt Lake City returns, and a women’s tournament will also be held.

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