1949: burial of Nisei veterans and the push to repeal exclusion

Vol. 28, No. 7, February 19, 1949. 8 pages. View this issue

Chicago cemeteries that refused to bury Nisei war dead were the subject at the top of this eight-page issue. A meeting found that some cemeteries would bury Nisei veterans while others would not, and a sectarian cemetery’s board agreed to consider changing its policy. Beside it, Cpl. Eiichi F. Haita was laid to rest in Fukuoka prefecture, with former 442nd comrades as honorary pallbearers. Evacuation loss claims awaited a congressional appropriation, and Mike Masaoka urged approval of Senate bill S29. Japanese leaders welcomed House committee approval of the Judd bill on naturalization.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about disciplining children and the first daffodils of spring, and Edward J. Ennis answered reader questions on claims. Lawrence Nakatsuka looked at Hawaii’s Issei and citizenship. Page 7 covered the National Nisei bowling tournament in Salt Lake City, and page 8 reported on JACL chapter dinners, a ball and membership drives.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Chicago Cemeteries Continue Policy of Refusal to Bury Remains of Nisei War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Several Chicago cemeteries still refuse burial to Japanese Americans despite a meeting convened by the Commission on Human Relations. Some non-sectarian cemeteries admit Nisei veterans while a sectarian cemetery’s board will consider amending its restrictive policy.
• Settlement of Evacuation Loss Claims Must Await Passage of Appropriation by Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Claims for property losses from the 1942 evacuation cannot be paid until Congress appropriates funds, and roughly 500 claims have been filed so far. Claims over $2500 require separate congressional action, and a Senate bill covering lost radios, cameras and firearms awaits House consideration.
• Japan to Seize Dollar Credits of Repatriates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese government will seize dollar credits impounded in the Bank of Japan from Tule Lake repatriates and other former U.S. residents, repaying them in yen. The foreign funds will be sold on world markets to finance Japan’s economic recovery.
• ACLU Asks Investigation as Eight Nisei Among First Nine Drafted from Placer County, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ACLU of Northern California asked state selective service officials to investigate whether the Placer County draft board discriminated against Japanese Americans, since eight of the first nine inductees were Nisei. State officials found no irregularities, explaining that the board drew from older age groups where Japanese Americans were concentrated.

Military & Veterans

• Impressive Rites Mark Burial of Nisei GI Hero in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cpl. Eiichi F. Haita, killed in Italy, was laid to rest in his family tomb in Fukuoka prefecture after the U.S. Army returned his ashes at his parents’ request. Former 442nd comrades served as honorary pallbearers and a Buddhist-Christian memorial service was held with full military honors.
• Army General Says Two Nisei Recruited for Roles in Sorge’s Pro-Soviet Spy Ring in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Gen. Charles Willoughby disclosed that the Sorge spy ring recruited two Nisei Communist party members, including Los Angeles artist Yotoko Miyagi, to spy in Japan. Miyagi died in prison during trial and another Nisei was reportedly the weak link through which the ring was exposed.
• First Nisei Shriner Provides Example of Individual Action, by I. H. Gordon, page 6. Dr. Henry Minami, a Washington D.C. dentist, is profiled as the first Nisei Shriner and a model of combating prejudice through individual participation in civic and fraternal organizations. The article describes his career, his JACL membership, and his work with the D.C. Health Department.

Community

• Chicago Chapter Sends Speakers to Civic Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago JACL chapter is supplying speakers for Brotherhood Week events across the city. Gladys Ishida, Mari Sabusawa and Hannah Tani are among those scheduled to address civic and community organizations.
• Four Nisei Girls Marry Japanese Nationals in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Four Nisei brides were among 498 Americans whose marriages were registered in Japan during 1948. The report also noted an unstated number of marriages between Nisei service personnel and war-stranded Japanese American women.
• Army Will Permit 60-Day Visits to Japan for Issei, Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Army and SCAP announced a program allowing Nisei, Issei and other individuals to visit immediate relatives in Japan for up to 60 days. Visitors must bring or buy their own food, secure housing certified by the Japanese government, and follow strict currency and conduct rules.
• Large Stranded Group Aboard Gen. Gordon, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The second largest group of war-stranded Japanese ancestry persons to return from Japan is due in San Francisco aboard the General Gordon on Feb. 21. The group includes 125 Nisei and Issei, plus travelers bound for Canada and Mexico.
• Hawaii Residents Will Send Relief Goods to Hiroshima, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About $75,000 has been collected from Japanese in Hawaii, mostly Issei formerly of Hiroshima, to buy relief goods for atomic bomb sufferers. Hiroshima prefecture officials will distribute the goods to the hardest-hit households.
• Former JACL Unit Reactivated in South Alameda County, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The former Washington Township JACL was reactivated as the Southern Alameda County JACL at a meeting of about 40 local community members. Kazuo Shikano was elected president and a full slate of officers and governors was named.
• Grand Ball Held by San Mateo JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The San Mateo County JACL held a grand ball at the Hotel Benjamin Franklin, featuring the installation of its 1949 officers under President Hiroji Kariya. Joe Grant Masaoka conducted the installation and proceeds from the hat check went to the March of Dimes.
• Salinas JACL Holds Successful Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Salinas JACL held a successful installation dinner at the Blue Rock Inn with guest speaker Joe Grant Masaoka. Masaoka spoke on the wartime service of Nisei soldiers in the Pacific and European theaters.
• JACL Chapters Report Big Increase in New Memberships, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Several JACL chapters reported membership gains over 1948 during the ongoing membership drive. The Twin Cities chapter reported the largest jump, with 108 members compared to 11 the previous year.

National

• Urge House Group’s Approval of Evacuee Damage Claims Bill, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. JACL’s Mike Masaoka urged the House Judiciary Committee to approve Senate bill S29, which would let the Attorney General settle claims for personal property lost or damaged after deposit with authorities. Masaoka argued that receipts were rarely issued during the wartime hysteria, leaving many evacuees without proof of their losses.
• Japanese Hail U.S. Action to Repeal Exclusion Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese leaders welcomed the House Judiciary Committee’s unanimous approval of the Judd bill, which would allow naturalization of resident Japanese and set a quota for Japan. Former Premier Shidehara and Hiroshima officials praised the measure, and Yokoyama hoped it would help Nisei stranded in Hiroshima return home.

Commentary

• Hawaii Issei Chance to Win Citizenship Rights, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Hawaii’s Issei may gain American citizenship through a Truman administration statehood bill provision or the Judd bill, both of which would open naturalization to them. The author explains that many aging Issei had abandoned hope, though some younger ones remain eager to naturalize.
• Realty Boards and Americanism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors criticize the Los Angeles Realty Board and other real estate groups for seeking a constitutional amendment to protect racially restrictive covenants after the Supreme Court struck them down. They argue the realtors’ code of ethics places discrimination above the Constitution’s guarantee of racial equality.
• Labor and Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors note that discrimination against minorities persists chiefly within railroad and building trades unions, yet labor has also been a major force for racial equality. Leaders like Willard Townsend recognize that including minority workers in unions removes the strikebreaking threat used to justify exclusion.
• Interpreters of Democracy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editors criticize the University of Pennsylvania for apparently ignoring Nisei applications and recall its earlier refusal to let a Nisei honor graduate continue in graduate school. They argue that schools, as teachers of democracy, should not apply racial restrictions.
• Disciplining the Younger Set, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa reflects on the discomfort of spanking his unruly younger family members and remembers his own childhood anger at a licking from his father. He concludes that the parent often suffers as much as the child in such discipline.
• Daffodils a Harbinger of Spring, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa describes daffodils brought by a roomer on Valentine’s Day as an early sign of spring during a harsh winter. He also reflects on how affordable steak has become again after months of high prices.
• Questions on Evacuee Claims, by Edward J. Ennis, page 6. Ennis answers reader questions about evacuation claims, covering a farmer’s crop losses and a broken engagement whose ring was lost due to evacuation. He advises which damages are claimable and what proof the Justice Department will expect.

Arts & Entertainment

• Hayakawa’s Leading Lady, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Tsuru Aoki, Hollywood’s first Japanese actress and Sessue Hayakawa’s wife, got to America through a theatrical troupe led by Kawakami and Sada Yakko. The column traces how a gesture of gratitude by that troupe led to her joining the company and later her film career.
• Screen’s Sojin, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column reports on Japanese film and stage figures, including Sojin Kamiyama, who remains active in Japanese theater, and tenor Yoshie Fujiwara’s opera company. It also comments on the quality of Japanese films compared with Italian postwar cinema and the chances for a Nisei story film.
• Crescent Carnival, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The column previews New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration, describing its parades, costumed balls, and street festivities. The author also explains the high costs of sponsoring a float and the social clubs that organize the events.

Sports

• Leading Oriental American Keglers Enter National Nisei Bowling Meet in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Top Oriental American bowlers from multiple states will compete in the third annual National Nisei bowling tournament in Salt Lake City March 4-6. Prize awards will total $2,500 in the team, singles and doubles events, plus a $900 sweepstakes pot.
• Five Top Keglers in Hawaii Tourney to Bowl in Salt Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dick Tsuji won a 60-game all-Nisei handicap tournament in Honolulu to lead Hawaii’s five-man representation at the national Nisei bowling tournament. Charles Nojima, Larry Mekata, Robert Nitahara and Hal Ogata round out the Hawaii All-Star team.
• Teramoto Takes First Place in Far East Slalom, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Yas Teramoto of the Yosemite Winter club won the Class A men’s title in the Far West Ski association’s slalom championship at Big Pines on Feb. 13. He had previously won the Badger Pass slalom two weeks earlier.

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