Nisei casualties in Korea and the renunciants’ citizenship appeals

Vol. 33, No. 14, October 13, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

The war in Korea and the long aftermath of the incarceration shared the front page. The Department of Defense told the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee that fourteen more Nisei had been added to the casualty list, five of them killed in action, and that three Nisei bodies had come home aboard the USS Exmouth Victory. The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeals of about 4,000 Tule Lake renunciants, sending their cases back to the District Court. Mike Masaoka welcomed a Justice Department ruling on dividing community property claims, and the first evacuation claims award under the compromise plan was signed.

Elsewhere in the eight pages, Elmer Smith wrote about Japan’s postwar problems, and Bill Hosokawa described a film shoot that used Denver Japanese Americans as extras. The JACL 1952 national convention was announced for San Francisco, and a long sports page followed Nisei football players, bowlers and a fishing derby.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

  • Defense Department Reports Five Nisei Soldiers Killed in Action in Korean War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense notified the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee that fourteen more Nisei were added to the casualty list in Korea, including five killed in action. Three Nisei bodies were also returned to the United States aboard the USS Exmouth Victory.
  • Return Body of War Hero for Reburial, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The remains of First Lieut. Bill Masayuki Otomo, posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, were returned to the United States for burial. He was killed in action in Korea on Feb. 7 while leading his men into a heavily defended enemy area.
  • Korea Veteran Asks Blood Donations for War Wounded, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Corp. George J. Fujikawa of Berkeley, wounded by a grenade in Korea while serving with the 24th Infantry Division, urged hometown residents to donate blood for other wounded soldiers. He credited blood transfusions with aiding his recovery.
  • Nisei Leaves for Coast Guard Officer School, by P.C. Staff, page 4. William Sadao Fujitsubo, 22, is believed to be the first Nisei accepted for officer training by the Coast Guard and left for the academy at New London, Connecticut. He worked his way through the University of Michigan and high school.
  • Nisei Who Survived A-Bombing Returns as U.S. Army Soldier, by Charles Regal, page 8. Pfc. Shogo Kusumi, whose brother Joe was killed in the Hiroshima atomic blast, is returning to the Far East in U.S. Army uniform. He recounts being at an aircraft factory outside Hiroshima when the bomb fell and his path to returning to the United States.
  • Final Rites Set for Nisei Who Died in Famous 442nd, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Final services were scheduled in Seattle for Pfc. Masao Ikeda, a 442nd Regimental Combat Team soldier reported missing in 1944 near La Petite, France, whose remains were recovered in July. The funeral was held at the Japanese Methodist church.

National

  • Community Property Claims May Be Divided in Filing for Compromise Settlement, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Justice ruled that community property claims over $3,600 may be divided between husband and wife so both can use the compromise formula. JACL ADC national legislative director Mike Masaoka welcomed the ruling as a sign the department wants to speed up evacuation claims settlements.
  • Dr. Ige Named Officer on Wage Stabilization Board, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Thomas Ige, associate professor of economics on leave from the University of Minnesota Duluth branch, was named associate director of analysis with the regional wage stabilization board. He will serve alongside director Harvard D. Borchardt.
  • President Signs Two Bills for Japan Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The President signed two private bills admitting alien Japanese: Megumi Takagi, a half-Japanese adopted child of an Air Force officer in Japan, and Kiyoko Matsuo, the Japan-born fiancee of a World War II veteran. Sponsors were Congressmen Edward Rees and Walter Brehm.
  • Mrs. d’Aquino Says Prejudice Influenced Verdict of Court, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the 1949 treason conviction of Iva Toguri d’Aquino, known as ‘Tokyo Rose,’ who is serving a ten-year sentence. Her counsel is expected to seek a rehearing and possibly Supreme Court review.
  • Rep. Rankin Drops Objection, Pass Bill to Admit Child, by P.C. Staff, page 3. After Representative John Rankin withdrew his objection, the House unanimously passed a private bill admitting three-year-old Japan-born adopted child Pascal Nemoto Yutaka. Rankin used the occasion to make broader remarks about immigration and federal employment, which Mike Masaoka criticized.
  • First Claims Award Signed Under New Compromise Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Assistant Attorney General Holmes Baldridge signed the first evacuation claims award under the new compromise settlement law, granting Chicago Issei Takashi Sata $286.50 for household goods claims. Payment was delayed pending congressional passage of the Justice Department appropriations bill.
  • New Rulings Will Ease Border Crossings by Resident Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Immigration and Naturalization Service issued new regulations allowing resident aliens to obtain border crossing identification cards for temporary visits to Canada or Mexico, effective October 22, 1951. Mike Masaoka said the rules make travel easier for resident Issei.
  • Rep. Walter Introduces Bill to Rewrite Immigration Laws, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Congressman Francis Walter introduced a revised omnibus immigration and naturalization bill nearly 3,800 pages long, paralleling Senator McCarran’s bill, both featuring JACL-supported provisions for equality in naturalization and immigration. The Senate Judiciary Committee began consideration of McCarran’s version.
  • Consider Importation of Japan Farm Labor, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Senator Warren Magnuson said the State Department is considering importing Japanese farm labor if western farms face worker shortages.

Incarceration & Redress

  • Supreme Court Denies Hearing to Renunciants Seeking Citizenship Restoration, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeals of about 4,000 Tule Lake renunciants seeking declaration of their citizenship, leaving the Ninth Circuit ruling in place. The cases return to the District Court, where each renunciant must individually prove loyalty or duress.
  • Government Ponders Next Step in Renunciants Test Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Justice Department spokesman said the government had not yet decided its next legal step after the Supreme Court refused the renunciants’ appeals. The article explains the Ninth Circuit reasoning on coercion, the 122-member removal case, and the 302 individuals still facing removal proceedings.
  • Two Renunciants Win Citizenship Case in District Court, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two Tule Lake renunciants, Miyoko Kiyama and Tokio Kiyama, were scheduled for United States nationality hearings in federal court in Los Angeles after the Supreme Court declined review. Their cases are among several being handled through attorneys Wirin and Okrand.
  • Jury Awards $7,500 for Death in Auto Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Colorado jury awarded $7,500 to the estate of John Kurachi, 27, killed in a 1949 automobile collision near Holbrook, Arizona. The trial was unusual because it was held in Colorado under Arizona law.

Community

  • Youth Killed in Collision of Two Motorcycles, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masaji Arima, 21, of Cupertino, Calif., was killed instantly on Oct. 7 in a collision between two motorcycles near Stevens Creek while traveling in a group of about 20 riders. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Atsushi Arima.
  • Monterey JACL Completes Plans for Dinner Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Monterey Peninsula JACL will hold its first autumn dinner-dance on Oct. 14 at the Pebble Beach Surf Room. Guests have access to Beach Club facilities beginning at 5 p.m., with dinner served at 7:30 p.m.
  • New Delay Seen in Restoring Name of Famous Tea Garden, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Despite a Board of Supervisors resolution signed by Mayor Robinson urging restoration of the Japanese Tea Garden’s original name, the Park and Recreation Commission may delay action until after ratification of the Japanese Peace Treaty. The garden has been called the Oriental Tea Garden since the Hagiwara family was removed in 1942.
  • File $20,000 Suit for Nisei’s Death in Plant Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Percy Nakashima filed a $20,000 suit against Campbell Soup Company and employee William Lang over the death of his brother Roy Kiyoshi Nakashima, who was crushed in a plant accident in October 1950. The suit alleges negligence.
  • Los Angeles Nisei Group Will Give Original Drama, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles Nisei Experimental Group will stage its original play ‘Plums Can Wait’ at Gyosei Hall in San Francisco and at Berkeley High School’s Little Theater. The San Francisco JACL is a co-sponsor.
  • Fresno Family Files Suit for Crash Damages, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Four members of the Umekita family filed a $62,000 suit in Fresno court over injuries allegedly sustained in an April 19 automobile accident. B.H. and Allean Hill are named as defendants.
  • Southern Alameda Growers Win Laurels at Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Southern Alameda County JACL growers won numerous awards at the Sacramento State Fair, including eighteen first prizes. The chapter plans a dinner to honor the exhibitors and committee members.
  • Nisei Sergeant, En Route Home, Hopes to Surprise Mother, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Sgt. James Kimura, 25, of Chicago, was wounded three times in Korea and is returning home, according to a Hearst correspondent. He had been assigned as orderly to Gen. Haydon Boatner.
  • A Flag Goes to Bruyeres, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A flag flown over the U.S. Capitol was secured by Rep. Reva Beck Bosone for the 442nd memorial park in Bruyeres, France. It will be unfurled on Nisei Memorial Day, Oct. 30, by townspeople grateful for the unit’s liberation of their town.
  • Alameda County Chapters Hold Joint Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Eden Township and Southern Alameda County JACL chapters met Sept. 28 in Centerville to hear reports on the Northern California-Western Nevada council meeting, evacuation claims questionnaires, and the credit union. Plans for a joint district council meeting in February were discussed.
  • Strandee Will Return Home After War Years in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sumi Kanomata, secretary to Brig. Gen. Andrew C. Tychsen at Northern Command in Sendai, Japan, is returning to Pocatello, Idaho, after 12 years in Japan. She describes wartime bombing in Sendai and her postwar work with the Tohoku Military Government health section.
  • Holds Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The San Diego JACL held a pot luck dinner and square dance at the First Congregational Church on Oct. 12.
  • Chicago Girls Plan Autumn Dance As Resettler Benefit, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Chicago girls clubs will sponsor the Autumn Nocturne dance on Oct. 20 at the McCormick YWCA to benefit the Chicago Resettlers Committee. Admission is a $1 donation from each male guest.

JACL

  • ADC to Continue Work for California Issei Pension Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Haruo Ishimaru, Northern California regional director of the JACL ADC, said the organization will continue pushing legislation to make resident Issei eligible for California state pension payments. The bill stalled in the State Senate during the 1951 session.
  • JACL 1952 Convention Events Planned for Leading Hotels, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The twelfth biennial JACL national convention will be held in San Francisco June 26 through 30, 1952, with headquarters at the Hotel St. Francis. Dick Saiki, general arrangements chairman, outlined the schedule of board meetings, council sessions, and social events at various downtown hotels.
  • Masaoka Slated to Speak Before District Council, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka, national ADC director, will be the main speaker at the Central California JACL district fall convention on Nov. 4 at the Hotel Californian in Fresno. Other national and regional JACL officials will also attend.
  • JACL Joins in Protest Against Racial Caricature, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL joined numerous civic organizations in protesting a blackface skit at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona that caricatured Black Americans. Protesters called the performance a deliberate insult to a large segment of the citizenry.
  • Southwest Area Convention Will Highlight Controversial Issues, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL Pacific Southwest District Council will hold its Nov. 17-18 convention in Santa Ana with sessions on controversial JACL matters, credit union and health insurance reports, and a panel on compromise settlements. A convention banquet and ball are also planned.

Arts & Entertainment

  • Hiraoka Will Present Final Concert in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Xylophonist Yoichi Hiraoka will give a final Los Angeles recital on Oct. 19 at Koyasan Hall following well-received reviews of his Oct. 7 concert. Plans are also underway for a concert in New York City.
  • Whitney Opportunity Awards Will Be Given for 3rd Year, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The John Hay Whitney Foundation announced its third annual Opportunity Fellowships totaling about $100,000, with preference given to Japanese Americans and other minority groups. Applications are due November 30, 1951, and nine Nisei have received fellowships in the first two years.
  • Haruko Suyama, Teruko Akagi Plan Sonata Recital, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pianist Haruko Suyama and violinist Teruko Akagi will perform sonatas by Mozart, Schumann, Ponce, and Villa-Lobos in a Chicago recital on Oct. 14 at the North Gallery in the Kimball Building. The concert is sponsored by the Women’s Music Committee.
  • Young Pianist Gives First Recital in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Francisco pianist Kewa Okamoto gave a recital on Oct. 12 at the California Club after winning a Music Teachers Association contest. Her program included Chopin, Scarlatti, Albeniz, and works by two modern Japanese composers.
  • Gift of Love, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial describes Monte Irvin, a New York Giants player and civic crusader, and other efforts against housing discrimination and in support of minority rights. It highlights ongoing racial and civil rights challenges in California housing.
  • Yoichi Hiraoka’s American Comeback, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A profile of xylophonist Yoichi Hiraoka traces his pre-war career with NBC, his forced repatriation to Japan in 1942 after Pearl Harbor, and his successful return to American concert halls. The article notes Mayor La Guardia’s ambiguous role in his departure.
  • Film Talk, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A roundup of Japanese American entertainment news, including Sessue Hayakawa’s new film, Japanese American extras in RKO’s Korean Story, and the continued production of Pride of Palomar after assurances that Japanese characters were removed.
  • Violin Recital in New York City, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Masashi Hashida, a Seattle-born violinist resident in New York since 1948, will make his Town Hall debut on Nov. 13. He will be accompanied by Leopold Mittman at the piano.

Commentary

  • The Supreme Court, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes that the Supreme Court’s fall docket includes several civil rights cases involving segregation and minority rights. It argues that court rulings are essential to validating social change toward minority rights.
  • The Unrepentant Rankin, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial comments on Rep. John Rankin’s withdrawal of objection to the Pascal Yutaka adoption while continuing his anti-immigrant remarks. It argues that Americans come in every skin color and that Rankin should recognize this.
  • Everything But the Smell, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa describes a Hollywood film production at Camp Carson, Colorado, that re-created a Korean village using Denver Japanese Americans as extras. He notes the authenticity details and the cast and crew living arrangements.
  • Retrospections, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The columnist revisits a 1933 JACL convention remark predicting Nisei public officials, noting Stanley Uno has become a Los Angeles policeman. The column also recalls the TREK magazine published at Topaz and Jim Yamada’s reflections on evacuation.

In-Depth

  • Japan’s Problems, by Elmer Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith analyzes Japan’s postwar challenges, including population pressure, dependence on foreign trade, and the risk of radical nationalist movements. He argues that democratic institutions remain fragile and that Western economic support is crucial.

Sports

  • Benny Aoki Rates Plaudits for Grid Play, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Long Beach City College’s Benny Aoki emerged as a top junior college scorer, with 46 points through three games, after an electrifying performance against Santa Ana College. Aoki was named Southern California junior college player of the week.
  • Don Narike Scores for Occidental, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Freshman Don Narike returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown in Occidental’s close loss to Santa Barbara State. The roundup also covers Nisei performances at Caltech, Compton College, and Sacramento JC.
  • Tanabe Tallies Twice in Prep Game, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Roy Tanabe scored twice as James Lick High opened league play with a 27-0 win over San Jose Tech. The article also reports on other Nisei high school football players across California.
  • Mary Sakashita Leads Round-Robin, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mary Sakashita leads Class A in the Salt Lake City Women’s Round-Robin bowling tournament, with Louise Imai and Dorothy Mukai leading their classes. The article also notes other Nisei bowling achievements.
  • Monterey Nisei Umpires Baseball, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Robert Sakamoto of Monterey, a seven-year umpire and National Association member, has called American Legion, semi-pro, and softball championship games. Friends claim he is the nation’s top Nisei umpire.
  • Kiyama Boosts Lead in Hawaiian Bowling Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Howard Kiyama extended his lead in the 40-game Territorial Match Game bowling championship in Hawaii, with a second straight 1,000 series. Other Nisei bowlers ranked among the leaders.
  • Uyesugi Holds Lead in JACL Fishing Derby, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Ken Uyesugi leads the yellowtail division of the Orange County JACL fishing derby with a 35-pound catch, followed closely by George Osumi. The five-month derby ends Nov. 1.
  • Golf Tourney Will Feature Southwest Area Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A three-flight open golf tournament on Nov. 18 will be held at Meadowlark and Huntington Beach courses as part of the JACL Pacific Southwest District Council convention. Entry forms and prize details were announced.
  • Tommy Umeda Leaves for Tour of Australia, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Honolulu featherweight boxer Tommy Umeda, a 442nd veteran, left for a six-month tour of Australia after Australian authorities reversed an initial denial of his entry permit. He is scheduled to fight in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

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