Vol. 23, No. 10, September 7, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue
California’s Alien Land Law ran through much of this eight-page issue. A Fresno judge dismissed the state’s suit to take the farm of Nisei veteran Wilson Shiba, whose attorney was John Maeno. A new challenge by A. L. Wirin and J. Marion Wright was filed in Los Angeles, and an editorial urged voters to defeat Proposition 15. Elsewhere, hearings opened in San Francisco for nearly 1,000 Tule Lake renunciants, and Larry Tajiri looked back at the decision behind the 1942 forced removal. Bill Hosokawa’s column covered Nisei in the occupation of Japan and in organized labor.
The strike of 25,000 sugar workers in Hawaii drew an editorial and a report on West Coast CIO support. Albert W. Palmer wrote on race relations in Hawaii, and John Kitasako reported on Texans backing Sgt. George Otsuka of the 442nd. Readers will also find Ben Kuroki, news of the 100th Battalion, and sports, dance and community notes.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- California Fails in Attempt to Seize GI’s Farm; Fresno Suit Dismissed for Lack of Evidence, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A California attempt to confiscate the farm of a Nisei veteran, Wilson Shiba, under the Alien Land Law was dismissed by a Fresno judge for lack of sufficient evidence. Attorney John Maeno represented Shiba in the case.
- Back Pay Dispute Holds Up Dismissal of Disloyal Charges Against Japanese American Civil Service Workers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Charges against 88 former Japanese American state civil service employees will be dismissed if agreement is reached on back pay, according to attorney James C. Purcell. Hearings for the former workers were scheduled in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
- Hearing for Renunciants Will Open in San Francisco Court, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Federal hearings on petitions by nearly 1,000 Tule Lake renunciants seeking restoration of citizenship were set to open in San Francisco. Attorney Wayne M. Collins filed the petitions, arguing the renunciations were coerced.
Community
- AVC Opposes Segregation of Nisei Names on Yuba County Honor Roll, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Members of the Yuba-Sutter chapter of the American Veterans Committee protested the separate listing of Japanese American servicemen on a county honor roll. On the Fourth of July they rearranged the names alphabetically, ending the segregation.
- Nisei Veterans Group Formed in California, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Los Angeles group of Nisei ex-servicemen incorporated as the Nisei Veterans Association, a patriotic and fraternal organization. The group plans free employment and welfare services and chapters in other cities.
- Texans Rush to Aid Nisei Veteran of 442nd Infantry, by John Kitasako, page 5. Texans in Houston publicly condemned bigots who tried to stop Sgt. George Otsuka from moving onto a Harris County farm. A Houston farm owner offered him a rent-free farm, and the Press coverage drew strong support.
- Interracial Paradise: Hawaii’s Minority Race Groups Progressed During War Period, by Albert W. Palmer, page 6. Dr. Albert Palmer describes Hawaii’s interracial harmony, noting the war helped minority groups, especially Americans of Japanese ancestry, prove their loyalty. He warns that gang violence, overpopulation, and a possible labor-management split along racial lines threaten this harmony.
National
- Army Continues Fight Against Anti-Nisei Prejudice, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Army’s Information and Education program in the Pacific continues lectures against prejudice toward Japanese Americans, citing the 442nd’s record. An Army publication, TIPS, recounted the 442nd’s welcome home and the continuing injustices faced by Nisei at home.
- Foreign-Born Japanese Plan to Resume Operations in California Fishing Industry, by P.C. Staff, page 2. About 800 alien Japanese fishermen in California prepared to return to sea after Judge Willis ruled the state’s ban on their licenses unconstitutional. The state appealed, and the matter was headed to the California Supreme Court.
- Canadian Ban Lifted for Nisei Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Canada lifted its exclusion of persons of Japanese ancestry from British Columbia’s coast for Japanese Canadian World War II veterans. Veteran Goro Suzuki, returned from Southeast Asia, is working as a longshoreman in Vancouver.
- New Law Suit Will Challenge Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Attorneys A. L. Wirin and J. Marion Wright filed a motion in Los Angeles superior court challenging the constitutionality of the California Alien Land Law. The case involves valuable property in Los Angeles county.
- West Coast CIO Members Pledge Aid to Strikers in Hawaiian Sugar Industry, by P.C. Staff, page 3. West Coast CIO leaders pledged support to 25,000 ILWU members on strike against Hawaii’s sugar industry for higher wages. Many strikers are of Japanese ancestry, and Japanese Americans including 442nd veterans joined the Labor Day parade in support.
- Civilian Mission Harder Than War, Says Ex-Sgt. Ben Kuroki, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ben Kuroki, a former air gunner with 58 combat missions, said his civilian fight against racial intolerance has been harder than wartime service. He is now executive secretary of the Washington office of the East and West Association.
Military & Veterans
- Ben Kuroki’s Biographer Ralph Martin Seeks Facts on Problems Facing Nisei GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ralph G. Martin, biographer of Ben Kuroki, recalled his wartime coverage of the 442nd and the Hood River Legion post’s deletion of Nisei names. He is now touring the country researching problems faced by returning minority veterans, including the Nisei.
- 100th Battalion Veterans Attend DAV Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Wounded 100th Infantry Battalion veterans Spark Matsunaga and Herbert Yamamoto attended the Disabled American Veterans convention in Portland as Hawaii delegates. The Hawaiian delegation secured a DAV resolution supporting statehood for Hawaii.
- Ex-Mess Sergeants Start Restaurant in Oakland, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three Nisei veterans who served as mess sergeants at Camp Savage and Fort Snelling opened the Paramount Cafe in Oakland. The partners apply their Army food service training to the new business.
Arts & Entertainment
- Nisei Girl Tours Country to Introduce Oriental Dances, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fujima Kansuma, a Los Angeles dancer trained in classical Japanese drama and odori, toured the country performing traditional Japanese dance to introduce it to American audiences. She was interned during the war and has since operated dance schools in Los Angeles.
JACL
- San Fernando Nisei Sign Petition for JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-six San Fernando Nisei signed a petition to reorganize a JACL chapter in southern California. The first meeting was set for September 24 with national JACL officials scheduled to attend.
Sports
- San Jose Zebras Split Series with L.A. All-Stars, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The San Jose Zebras and Los Angeles All-Stars split a two-game Labor Day series, with San Jose winning an eleven-inning thriller behind Henry Honda’s six-hit pitching. The All-Stars took the second game 7 to 4.
Commentary
- Issue in California, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges Californians to repudiate racist history by defeating Proposition 15, which would validate the Alien Land Law amendments. It argues the law exists only to seize agricultural property from Japanese Americans and should be defeated by an overwhelming vote.
- Hawaiian Strike, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the unity of mixed-race Hawaiian sugar workers striking for better conditions, distinguishing it from earlier racially divided strikes. It argues the strike may break feudal paternalism and strengthens the case for Hawaiian statehood.
- Federal Housing, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises San Francisco’s campaign against racial discrimination in veterans housing and the board of supervisors’ non-segregation amendment. It urges other cities to adopt similar campaigns for equal housing rights for veterans.
- Across the Border, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial compares the U.S. and Canadian evacuation programs, noting Canada still keeps most Japanese Canadians out of the coastal area. It argues that racist propaganda must be stopped before a fair solution is possible.
- Behind the Mass Evacuation, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri examines the decision for the 1942 mass evacuation, drawing on Louis Adamic’s account of a White House dinner. He argues the policy was shaped by misinformation, West Coast hysteria, and agricultural interests, and was a serious wartime mistake.
- From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa’s column describes the Nisei’s expanding role in postwar occupation of Japan and the growing Nisei presence in organized labor. He also discusses increased Nisei political engagement in the fall elections.
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