Issei business rights and evacuee claims in the 1948 news

Vol. 26, No. 25, June 19, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

Court rulings and bills about the rights of Japanese Americans filled the news in this eight-page issue. The California Supreme Court upheld the right of Japanese aliens to lease commercial property in the Stockton Theater case, and an editorial called the ruling a significant step toward equal treatment. The Senate passed the Evacuation Claims bill, with Tosuke Yamasaki reporting on it, and a separate Carran bill for small claims of up to $1,000. Roger Baldwin wrote about the 5,000 Nisei stranded in Japan who lost U.S. citizenship, and Larry Tajiri’s Nisei USA column took up the Kawakita and Tokyo Rose cases.

Elsewhere, the paper covered relief for Japanese American families displaced by the Vanport flood, with an editorial praising JACL chapters that responded. Bill Hosokawa’s column described taking his children to a baseball game, and Bill Akaka recalled a childhood friend. The sports page followed Chester Yasui, Tak Iseri and Jimmy Wasa, and the community pages reported on chapter news across the country.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• California Supreme Court Upholds Business Rights of Japanese Alien Residents, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California State Supreme Court upheld the right of Japanese aliens to lease property for commercial purposes in the Stockton Theater case. The ruling affirms business rights for Issei throughout the state.
• Tomoya Kawakita Will Face Treason Charges as Case Opens in Los Angeles Court, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The treason trial of Tomoya Kawakita opened in Los Angeles on charges of mistreating American prisoners of war at the Oeyama camp in Japan. Forty-five former POWs were expected to testify.
• Arrange Temporary Housing for Japanese American Refugees from Vanport City, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese American evacuees displaced by the Vanport City floods of May 30 were reestablishing themselves in Portland. Relief work was transferred to a new committee and aid continued from JACL and community groups.
• Five Thousand Stranded Nisei in Japan Have Lost American Nationality, Says Baldwin, by Roger Baldwin, page 4. ACLU director Roger Baldwin reports that about 5,000 Nisei stranded in Japan during the war lost U.S. citizenship through technicalities. He describes the tragedy of their situation in Common Ground magazine.
• Japan’s Stranded Nisei, by Roger Baldwin, page 5. Baldwin reflects on the Nisei in Japan who wished to return to America and the tensions between Nisei and Japanese society. He argues that ending the Oriental exclusion act would strengthen U.S. credibility with Japan.
• Report Issei to Be Welcomed Back by Fishing Industry, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Resident alien Japanese fishermen may face a two-month wait before obtaining commercial fishing licenses following the Supreme Court decision. San Diego tuna boat operators reportedly welcomed their return to the industry.

National

• Carran Bill for Small Claims of Evacuees Passed by Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate passed a bill allowing the Attorney General to settle evacuee claims up to $1,000 for property deposited with the government in 1942. The bill now goes to the House.
• Nisei Veteran Refused Home in Maryland City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Maryland civil liberties group said it could not help Nisei veteran Toyo Sakamoto after a house sale fell through due to restrictions. The seller’s approval clause left the group without recourse.
• Legion Group Urges Passage of Judd Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Hugh A. Carlisle post of the American Legion in Albuquerque endorsed the Judd bill granting naturalization equality to resident Japanese and other aliens. Telegrams were sent to New Mexico’s congressional delegation.
• U.S. Senate Passes Evacuation Claims Bill, by Tosuke Yamasaki, page 1. The Senate unanimously approved the Evacuation Claims bill HR 3999 with minor amendments, sending it back to the House for concurrence. The bill would compensate persons of Japanese ancestry for wartime property losses.
• Japanese Artist Wins Right to Live in United States, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House passed a private bill granting permanent residence to Atushi Jun Iwamatsu, a Japanese artist and author who aided the U.S. war effort, along with his wife and son. Iwamatsu had published books under the pen name Taro Yashima.
• Congress Approves Revised Deportation Stay Measure Affecting 400 Japanese Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Congress passed HR 3566 allowing deportation stays for aliens ineligible to citizenship, affecting about 400 Japanese aliens. A possible presidential veto was discussed due to Senate amendments requiring congressional approval.
• Socialist Party’s Platform Urges Naturalization Equality, Payment of Evacuee Losses, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 1948 Socialist Party platform endorsed naturalization rights for Japanese immigrants and indemnification for wartime evacuee property losses. The party also nominated Norman Thomas for president.
• Judge Rosenthal Hails Takahashi Case Decision, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Judge Ben Rosenthal praised the Supreme Court decision invalidating the California anti-Japanese commercial fishing ban in the Takahashi case. He said the Constitution guarantees all lawfully present aliens the right to work.
• Nisei Attends GOP Conclave From Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. George Nakagawa of Honolulu is believed to be the first official delegate of Japanese ancestry at a Republican national convention. Thomas Ouye was also reported selected as a Democratic convention delegate from Hawaii.
• Methodist Church Records Favoring Naturalization Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The 1948 General Conference of the Methodist Church endorsed the Judd naturalization bill and condemned racial discrimination. The conference also approved a resolution favoring Hawaii statehood.

Community

• Box Elder Group Gives Funds to Aid JACL, ADC, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Box Elder Nisei Civic Welfare League disbanded and donated nearly $250 to JACL national president Hito Okada for the JACL ADC. The funds were raised from Nisei and Issei in Box Elder county.
• Peter Ohtaki Edits Minnesota Democratic Party Newspaper, by P.C. Staff, page 2. St. Paul Nisei Peter Ohtaki became editor of the Northwest Democrat, a Twin Cities political publication supporting Hubert Humphrey. Ohtaki is a Macalester College student and army veteran.
• New L.A. Chapter Elects Nishikawa First President, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Roy Nishikawa was elected president of the newly formed Los Angeles Southwest JACL chapter at a June 16 meeting. The chapter is the third formed in the Los Angeles area.
• Florence Akiyama Scholarships Go to Four Fresno Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Four Fresno students received 1948 Florence Akiyama memorial scholarships at Fresno State College. Two other Nisei also received Fresno State scholarships.
• Salt Lake CL Backs Vanport Relief Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Salt Lake JACL chapter sent $436 to the Portland JACL to aid flood victims of Vanport, Oregon. The fund was raised by a committee headed by Jiro Sakano.
• Nisei Named Salutatorian, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fred Horiuchi was named salutatorian of his graduating class at Marshall High School in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was also elected senior class president during the past year.
• Ryusaku Tsunoda Will Give Lecture Series in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ryusaku Tsunoda, former curator of Columbia University’s Oriental library, will give lectures in Hawaii sponsored by the Young Buddhist Association. The lectures will cover Buddhism, Eastern philosophy, and Oriental cultures.
• Japanese Alien Initiates Test on Naturalization, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Masuo Hiura of Watsonville filed a second naturalization application as a test case, reported by the Northern California Civil Rights Defense Union. Japanese aliens are still barred from citizenship.
• Midwest Council Urges Change in JACL Nominations Method, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL Midwest District Council met in St. Louis and recommended abolishing mail-based nominations for national officers. The council also commended Larry and Bette Tajiri for editing the Pacific Citizen.
• Rescue Child from Boulder Irrigation Ditch, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two Colorado university students rescued 18-month-old Richard Sato Jr. from an irrigation ditch in Boulder. Doctors reported the child was unharmed.
• Julia Yoshioka Named Queen of Chicago Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Julia Yoshioka was chosen queen of the Chicago JACL chapter and will represent the chapter at the national Miss JACL contest in Salt Lake City. Her selection was announced recently.
• Intermountain JACL Council Plans West Yellowstone Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Intermountain District Council will hold a meeting June 26-27 at Mack’s Inn in West Yellowstone, Montana, to plan participation in the September national convention. The agenda includes business sessions, a fishing contest, and a park tour.
• Rev. Komuro Leaves for Mainland on Sabbatical Visit, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Rev. Harry S. Komuro, pastor of Harris Memorial Church in Honolulu, departed for a year’s sabbatical on the mainland. He will attend several church conferences and then enroll at Union Theological Seminary in New York in September.
• UC Student Wins Atomic Commission Research Fellowship, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Jerry K. Aikawa, a University of California medical student from Alameda, was named a research fellow by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. He is one of three UC men receiving such fellowships.
• Kusaka Fund at Princeton to Aid Students, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Princeton University established a memorial fund honoring physicist Shuichi Kusaka, who drowned while on vacation. The fund will reward and aid young science students, largely raised by Japanese Canadian friends.
• Denver Cabinet Holds Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Denver JACL cabinet discussed membership growth, treasury status, and plans to sponsor Nisei girls at a YWCA summer camp. Bessie Matsuda presided over the June 9 meeting.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veteran Heads DAV Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Daniel Inouye, a decorated Nisei veteran, was elected commander of Oahu Chapter No. 1 of the Disabled American Veterans. Several other Nisei veterans were also elected to chapter offices.
• Six Nisei Names to Be Listed on Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Six Nisei from Colorado will be included among 1,200 war dead on a bronze memorial plaque at General Rose Memorial Hospital in Denver. The JACL ADC requested information about other Nisei war dead.
• Reburial Rites Held for Pfc. Kunio Hattori, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Reburial rites were held for Pfc. Kunio Hattori of San Rafael at Golden Gate National Cemetery. Hattori died in action in October 1944 while serving with the 442nd Combat Team.

Commentary

• Nisei USA: Kawakita and Tokyo Rose, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri examines the Tomoya Kawakita treason case and the Tokyo Rose case, arguing neither reflects on the loyalty of Japanese Americans. He notes both cases stem from individual circumstances rather than group disloyalty.
• Issei Business Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the California Supreme Court’s Stockton Theater decision affirming Issei right to lease commercial property. It calls the ruling a significant step in the fight for equal treatment under the law.
• Relief for Vanport Victims, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises JACL chapters for responding quickly to the Vanport flood disaster with donations and aid. It suggests the National JACL establish an emergency relief fund for such disasters.
• Takahashi Case Aftermath, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges California officials to comply with the Supreme Court Takahashi decision by issuing commercial fishing licenses to Japanese aliens. It warns that delay would confirm the discriminatory nature of the law.
• From the Frying Pan: Taking the Kids to the Game, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa recounts taking his children to their first baseball game in Denver, with humorous observations about their questions. He offers lighthearted advice to parents about managing snacks at ballgames.
• Childhood Memories: My Friend Amichiko, by Bill Akaka, page 5. Bill Akaka recalls his friendship with Michiko Tanaka, a Japanese American girl who visited him at an orphanage when he was eight. He describes the kindness she showed him and the sadness of her departure.

Arts & Entertainment

• Mrs. Sebald Wins Right to Stay in America, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Congress granted permanent residence to Edith DeBecker Sebald, a part-Japanese woman who lost her citizenship through marriage. She worked for the Office of Strategic Services during the war.

Sports

• Chester Yasui Wins Regional Olympic Crown, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chester Yasui of the Waipahu Athletic Club won the flyweight division in the Far Western Olympic trials. He defeated teammate Yoshi Miyamura.
• Coming Champ, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tak Iseri, a 15-year-old breaststroke swimmer from the Sacramento YMCA, is a promising national prospect. He set a meet record winning the 100-meter breaststroke at the Far Western championships.
• Captain Wasa, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Jimmy Wasa, Honolulu Nisei second baseman, captains the Hawaiian All-Star team touring the mainland with the Harlem Globetrotters. He has been on Hawaii’s Senior League all-stars for ten consecutive years.
• Hilo Nisei Named to All-American Prep Grid Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Seikichi Miyashiro, Hilo High School center, was selected to the All-American prep football team for 1947. He will play for the West team in a charity contest in Oklahoma.

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