Canada’s deportation ruling and a JACL Legal Defense Fund

Vol. 23, No. 22, December 7, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

The Privy Council in London upheld Canada’s orders-in-council for deporting people of Japanese ancestry, and the front page followed what that meant for about 20,000 Japanese Canadians. At home, the JACL national council recommended a Legal Defense Fund for civil rights cases, and Mike Masaoka said filing briefs for other minorities marked a departure from past policy. The Oyama alien land law case was headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the editorials “The Loaded Revolver” and “Our Civil Liberties” looked at the wartime precedents and at civil rights law.

Also inside: Larry Tamiri on Hawaii’s first postwar elections, Bill Hosokawa on Denver’s Larimer Street, and a review of Karon Kehoe’s novel City in the Sun. John Kitasako’s Washington News-Letter reported on the War Relocation Authority’s last unit, and Manzanar was dismantled. Veterans’ news, dances and concerts fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Privy Council Decision Upholds Legality of Canada Program of Deporting Japanese Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Privy Council in London upheld Canadian orders-in-council authorizing the forced deportation of persons of Japanese ancestry, reversing the question left open by the Canadian Supreme Court. The ruling allows Ottawa to deport those who signed repatriation forms, though women and minors under 16 were exempt under the Supreme Court decision.
• Canada Cabinet to Review Effect of Court Edict, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Canadian officials said the future treatment of about 20,000 persons of Japanese ancestry would be studied following the Privy Council ruling. About 4,000 have already been moved to Japan voluntarily, and officials suggested dispersal may have reduced the need for wholesale deportations.
• Racial Prejudice Menaces U.S., World Security, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ben Kuroki told a Washington audience that racial discrimination in America threatens national and world peace. He said the country would jeopardize its leadership in justice and democracy unless minorities receive fair treatment.
• Japanese Students Still Excluded From British Columbia Coast University, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A University of British Columbia student forum passed a resolution calling for the return of Japanese Canadian students to the coastal area. The university dean replied that return was outside the university’s hands and under federal control.
• Kenny Opposes Race Restrictions on Housing, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California Attorney General Robert Kenny called for abolishing restrictive property covenants in a speech at a Colorado conference. He noted test cases were pending in California courts.
• Our Civil Liberties, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial recounts anti-Nisei terrorism in California after the war, including arsons and shootings, and notes that federal authorities were powerless to act. It praises President Truman’s new civil rights committee and calls for strong national civil rights legislation.

JACL

• JACL Establishes Defense Fund for Civil Rights Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL national council recommended a Legal Defense Fund to protect civil and property rights of persons of Japanese ancestry and to join litigation affecting other racial minorities. Mike Masaoka said the filing of amicus briefs for other minorities marks a departure from traditional JACL policy.
• Delegates Arrive for JACL’s West Coast Action Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Delegates from across the Pacific coast gathered in San Francisco for the first West Coast action conference of JACL chapters on December 7 and 8. The meeting aims to coordinate chapter membership, fundraising, and public relations activities with national objectives.
• Intermountain JACL Chapters Will Hold Post-War Conference, by Alice Uda, page 3. The first post-war convention of the JACL Intermountain District will be held in Weiser and Boise, Idaho, on December 14 to 16. The program includes business sessions, an oratorical contest, a panel on Nisei social outlook, and a banquet.

Military & Veterans

• Hawaii Legion Post Named for Nisei War Hero, by P.C. Staff, page 1. American Legion Post 27 in Honolulu was renamed the Joseph Shigeo Takata Post after the first American of Japanese ancestry killed in action in Italy with the 100th Infantry Battalion. Takata was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
• Citizens of Colorado Mining Town Honor Nisei War Hero, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ralph Yamaguchi received the Silver Star at a VFW meeting in Durango, Colorado, for gallantry in Italy with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He lost part of a leg and suffered a mangled arm in combat.
• War Veterans Feted by Nisei in Utah Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei war veterans of Utah Valley were honored at a pre-Thanksgiving dinner at the Alpine Grill in American Fork. Priscilla Yasuda, the only Nisei woman honored, had served on General Eisenhower’s staff in Germany.
• Northwest Area JACL Council Reactivated, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Representatives of four Oregon and Washington chapters reactivated the Pacific Northwest District Council on a temporary basis in Seattle. Mac Kaneko was elected temporary chairman and an organizing committee will draft a constitution.
• Nisei Veterans Interviewed on KNX Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. George Inagaki and Ike Masaoka, a wounded 442nd veteran, were interviewed on KNX’s Meet the Guest program. They discussed the evacuation, resettlement, and the program of the National JACL.
• Nisei Veterans Will Not Form Own Group in Palo Alto Area, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dr. California Ushiro said Japanese American veterans in Palo Alto will join established American Legion posts rather than form their own organization. Ushiro, a former 442nd surgeon, also announced a medical practice in Palo Alto.
• Nisei With Mother in A-Bomb City Enlists for Army Service, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ted Kagimoto, a Los Angeles-born Nisei whose mother was in Hiroshima during the atomic bombing, enlisted in the Army at Waterbury, Connecticut. He will serve in the counter intelligence corps and will likely be assigned to Japan.
• Children Born to Italian War Brides of 442nd Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Stanford Miyamoto and Nitta Mitsuko Oyamadori are the first children born in Hawaii to 442nd veterans and their Italian war brides. The mothers arrived in Honolulu in June 1946 after crossing the Atlantic and Pacific alone.

Commentary

• Komuro Takes Editorship of Paper on Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tom Komuro assumed the editorship of the English section of the bilingual San Francisco Progressive News, succeeding Howard Imazeki. Komuro previously worked for the Nisei Weekender in New York.
• Korean American War Veteran Will Challenge Legality of Restrictive Housing Covenants, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Yin Kim, a Korean American dentist and war veteran, won the first round in retaining his Los Angeles home against a racial covenant suit. The case may draw JACL and ACLU assistance as it concerns minority Americans broadly.
• The Loaded Revolver, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The military areas on the West Coast were revoked and the relocation camps are closing, but the wartime evacuation remains judicially validated. The editorial urges courts to reconsider the evacuation precedents, citing Justice Jackson’s warning about the loaded revolver.
• Return to the Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Canadians of Japanese ancestry remain excluded from British Columbia more than a year after the war, due to provincial politics and economic competition. The editorial cites Mr. Evans’s rebuttal that feared violence has not materialized where Japanese Americans returned.
• Paradise Goes to the Polls, by Larry Tamiri, page 4. Nisei veterans of the 442nd took part in Hawaii’s first postwar elections on a nonracial basis, supporting candidates of both parties. The article notes that several Japanese Americans were elected and argues the results strengthen the case for Hawaiian statehood.
• Please Dispose of the Articles, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts a Nisei woman who wrote to a U.S. marshal about contraband articles seized from her late mother after Pearl Harbor. The marshal authorized disposal of the items, which included Japanese flags.
• Tomorrow’s Heirs, by Sachi L. Wada, page 5. Wada writes about dreams of an interracial organization uniting minority groups against racial discrimination. She also describes a mixer with guests of varied backgrounds and urges readers to help Japan relief efforts.

Incarceration & Redress

• Oyama Alien Land Law Test Case to Be Appealed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Charles Horsky and A. L. Wirin will present the appeal of the California Supreme Court decision upholding the Alien Land Law in the Oyama case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Several civil rights groups are joining the appeal.
• Washington News-Letter: Liquidation Unit Is All That’s Left of War Relocation Agency, by John Kitasako, page 2. The War Agency Liquidation Unit in Washington is handling the final affairs of the WRA, which ceased operations June 30, 1946. The unit is managing unpaid bills, disposal of camp properties, and the transfer of 115,000 evacuee case files to the National Archives.

Community

• Shimizu Urges Full Support of JACL at Guadalupe Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harold Shimizu, president of the Guadalupe chapter, urged full support of the National JACL’s financial program at the chapter’s first meeting. The chapter agreed to back the national organization.
• Suzanne Tory Will Appear in Chicago Musical Production, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei actress Suzanne Tory will appear in a musical extravaganza to be produced in Chicago. She is a member of the Skyloft Players and Pal Lee Productions and has recently completed engagements in Chicago and Michigan.
• Recreational Program Will Be Expanded in Chicago District, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago Resettlers’ Committee voted to expand recreational and social programs after finding that demand had shifted toward counseling for loneliness, broken homes, and delinquency. A committee will prepare a formal report requesting funds.
• Manzanar Camp Dismantled by Government, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Manzanar relocation center, which housed 8,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, was dismantled this week. The barracks lumber and fixtures are being sold to war veterans for housing.
• Nisei Wife, Child Leave to Join GI Husband Overseas, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Masuko Takano, a Minneapolis resident, sailed from New York with her three-year-old daughter to join her husband in Germany. She is believed to be one of the first Nisei wives to join a husband in the European occupation zone.
• Young People’s Christian Conference Held in Denver, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 250 Nisei delegates from churches in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska discussed problems facing Japanese Americans in the Rocky Mountain area at the 13th annual conference. The meeting was held at the California Street Methodist church.
• Denver Nisei Business and Social Life Remains Centered on Larimer Street, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Rev. Clark Garman worries that Denver Nisei remain confined to the Larimer Street community and will lose the goodwill that now exists toward them. Toshio Yatsushiro argues that the Li’l Tokyo community provides security for many Nisei.
• Chicago JACL Makes Final Plans for Inaugural Ball, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Chicago JACL chapter prepared its inaugural ball for December 13 at the Shoreland hotel, with Bill Rohter’s Northwestern campus orchestra. About 400 couples are expected at the semi-formal event.
• Four Nisei Named to All-State Teams by Utah Paper, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Four Nisei high school football players from Utah were honored on the Salt Lake Telegram’s all-state teams. Dave Aoki of West High and Bingham’s end were among those recognized.
• Salt Lake City Group Pledges Support of Minority Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Salt Lake Council for Civic Unity pledged support for any 1947 Utah legislation promoting minority equality. Saburo Kido recommended a fair employment practices bill modeled on New York’s law.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei War Veteran To Portray Role in Radio Drama, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tak Maruyama, a University of Utah student and veteran of the Germany campaign, will act in an original radio script about discrimination against minorities. The drama will air on KALL within three weeks.
• The Story of Coke Matsuki: Karon Kehoe’s City in the Sun Is a Hard-Hitting Novel About Wartime Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Karon Kehoe’s novel City in the Sun follows Coke Matsuki, a teenager whose family is incarcerated during the war and moves through assembly and relocation centers. The review praises the book’s honesty about camp life and its portrait of staff and evacuees.
• Tubby Kunimatsu Will Sing at New York JACL Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei singer Tubby Kunimatsu will perform at the New York JACL winter ball at the Hotel Commodore on December 18. She previously sang with Art Hayashi’s orchestra in Chicago.
• Masako Ono Will Present Concert in Home Town, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Soprano Masako Ono, a recent University of Michigan graduate, will give a concert in Fresno on December 29 under JACL sponsorship. Her training began at age ten and she earned the Barbour Scholarship.

Sports

• Babe Nomura Given Honorable Mention on All-Coast Team, by P.C. Staff, page 7. San Jose State halfback Babe Nomura received honorable mention on the Associated Press All-Coast team for 1946. He is believed to be the first Japanese American named to an all-coast team.

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