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THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE JACL June 20-July 3, 2014 THE SOLES OF J-TOWN Sneakers bring new foot traffi c into Little Tokyo. Page 8 UJIIYE TIFFANY : PHOTO Page 7 Page 12 Page 13 626 Night Market Visits A Personal Day With It’s Obon Time! Here’s a Downtown Los Angeles. Rinks Sano and Family Complete 2014 Guide. #3229#3235 / VOL. 158, No. 511 ISSN: ISSN: 0030-8579 0030-8579 WWW.PACIFICCITIZEN.ORG WWW.PACIFICCITIZEN.ORGMarch 21-April 3, 2014 2 June 20-July 3, 2014 COMMUNITY/LETTER HOW TO REACH US WASHINGTON UNION HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS Email: pc@pacifi ccitizen.org Online: www.pacifi ccitizen.org Tel: (213) 620-1767 Fax: (213) 620-1768 HONORARY DIPLOMAS TO NISEI STUDENTS Mail: 250 E. First St., Suite 301 Los Angeles, CA 90012 FRESNO, CALIF. — One of life’s were not awarded their diplomas in STAFF greatest moments is receiving a ceremonies with their classmates Executive Editor high school diploma, a moment as a result of their forced removal Allison Haramoto that signifi es the beginning of one’s and incarceration during World Assistant Editor future. For Nisei students attending War II. Tiffany Ujiiye high school at the start of World Honorary diplomas were Business Manager War II, that moment was taken also available posthumously to Susan Yokoyama from them when they were forcibly families. Production Artist removed from their homes and The Japanese Cultural and Marie Samonte taken to live in various internment Community Center of Northern camps. Although these students California led a statewide outreach Circulation might have received their diploma and educational campaign for Eva Ting in camp, they didn’t receive it from AB781, where more than 1,200 The Pacifi c Citizen newspaper (ISSN: 0030-8579) is published the schools they attended. Nisei were located and given an semi- monthly (except once in On June 6, Washington Union, opportunity to receive diplomas. December and January) by the a rural high school district at the As a result, belated honorary Japanese American Citizens southwest border of the Fresno, diploma presentations have League, Pacifi c Citizen, Receiving an honorary high school diploma during Washington 250 E. First St., Suite 301, Calif., city limits, paid tribute to been made all over California, Union High School’s graduation ceremony on June 6 were Los Angeles, CA 90012 those Nisei students that attended rewarding more than 500 diplomas Periodical postage paid at L.A., CA (from left) Hisaye Kanegawa Shiba, Sadako Mukai Sogioka, the school from 1942-45 by to Nisei or their families. POSTMASTER: Send address Kikuye Shinkawa Takanishi and Akio Mukai. changes to National JACL, 1765 awarding them honorary high In the Central Valley, diploma Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115 school diplomas. ceremonies have been held at Fifty Nisei students were found Edison High School, Caruthers JACL President: David Lin the California Nisei High School Diploma National Director: Priscilla Ouchida in the 1942 yearbook, and representatives for High School, Fowler High School, Clovis Project, along with the generous support of the P.C. EDITORIAL BOARD 44 out of the 50 Nisei students were contacted. High School, Sanger High School and Washington Union High School administration Carol Kawamoto, chairperson; Six living Nisei attended the graduation Reedley High School. Leona Hiraoka, EDC; Kevin and staff, in particular, Principal Derek Cruz. ceremony, with 21 confi rmed family members In 2009, AB 37 was passed and implemented Miyazaki, MDC; Roberta Barton, In 2004, AB781 (Leiber) was passed CCDC; Jim Duff, NCWNPDC; also attending as stand-ins for the Nisei by the California Nisei College Diploma mandating that all high school districts provide Gabrielle Nomura, PNWDC; Gil honorees unable to attend. Project to do the same for Nisei attending honorary retroactive diplomas to Nisei who Asakawa, IDC; John Saito Jr., The recognition was made possible through colleges and universities. ■ PSWDC; Kevin Mori, youth rep. SUBSCRIBE Get a one-year subscription of the Pacifi c Citizen newspaper at: www.pacifi ccitizen.org or call Letter to the Editor (800) 966-6157 ADVERTISE To advertise in the Pacifi c Citizen, Dear Editor, call (800) 966-6157 or e-mail: pc@pacifi ccitizen.org For a Japanese American, it has been very, very painful to watch the news these past few weeks. Those who knew Gen. Shinseki believed in LEGAL him, knew him to be an honorable man, a patriot, a veteran of the Korean War in which he served with distinction. No part of this publication may be There is no way to reverse the outcome, but surely there must be many like Mark Shields of PBS’ “NewsHour” who can give an accurate reproduced without the express portrait of Gen. Shinseki. permission of the Pacifi c Citizen. Editorials, news and the opinions Give them a chance to write about the insurmountable problems he inherited or the service to this country. expressed by columnists other than Sincerely yours, the national JACL president or national director do not necessarily refl ect JACL policy. Events and products Toshiko Nakamura Wilkinson advertised in the Pacifi c Citizen do not carry the implicit endorsement of the JACL or this publication. We reserve the right to edit articles. © 2014 Periodicals paid at Los Angeles, Calif. and mailing offi ce. JACL MEMBERS Change of Address If you’ve moved, please send new information to: National JACL 1765 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94115 Allow 6 weeks for address changes. To avoid interrup- tions in delivery, please notify your postmaster to include periodicals in your change of address (USPS Form 3575) COMMENTARY June 20-July 3, 2014 3 FTW: FOR THE WIN THE WAY OF THE WORRIER By Tiffany Ujiiye hy do you need to stay out so late?” my parents By two a.m. I came home to fi nd the kitchen lights on, my best friend, and after a few too many drinks, she was would ask me. “What are you doing? Where and sitting in front of my seat at the dinner table was incredibly intoxicated. are you going, and who will be there?” These a meal: a bowl of fl uffy white rice, udon noodles with At around 3 a.m., I decided it was time to head home so ‘Ware some of the questions I must answer before leaving my sprinkled green onions and a small plate of glad-wrapped I could make it to work on time the next day, and as the house, and because of this, I try to moderate my weeknight pepper chicken on a woven placemat with chopsticks and a designated driver, I asked if my friend wanted to leave. outings. Now, one might think that I resent my parents glass of water. The condensation on the glad wrap was still She looked straight into my eyes and said she was staying. for questioning my nocturnal habits at the age of 22, but foggy and mildly warm, meaning my mom had been up After all, it was her birthday weekend, and our friends at that assumption is wrong. I do not hate my parents for waiting for some time before plating my meal. the bar had offered to drive her home for me since they’d questioning me, their adult daughter. The milkshake and fries were still sitting in my stomach be staying longer. The reason for this is because I understand them. I’m not along with the guilt. If I had only texted her when I left I rolled my eyes, “OK, call me when you’re safe at saying that I know what parenting is, but I have a teeny tiny work, she wouldn’t have stayed up and prepared dinner home,” and we went our separate ways. clue at what it might be like. It’s a very small understand- for me. I felt horrible and loved at the same time. She never called. I sat in bed checking my phone periodi- ing, but it’s enough to make me step back and realize that And so that night, I had two dinners. cally, and at 4:30 a.m., I called her — with no answer. my parents are not enemy of the state No.1. Since then, I stopped having a short fuse with my parents The hours passed, and I must’ve nodded off because at One evening in my freshman year of college, I forgot to whenever they asked me where I was going or what I was 7 a.m., I woke up to fi nd no new messages. My imagination text my mom where I was after getting off work at 12:30 doing becase I understood that they loved me. Their texts, ran wild with teen dramas, car crashes and TV news a.m. My coworkers and I had a long night at the UCI Stu- calls and questions came from a good place. reporters from Channel 5. dent Center lifting tables and chairs for a banquet. Natu- Four years after fi nding my mom’s home-cooked meal, rally, we were hungry afterward and found ourselves at the I was out on another evening at the Commissary Lounge in >> See WORRIER on page 16 In-N-Out across the street for milkshakes and fries. Costa Mesa to meet a few friends for drinks. I arrived with FOR THE RECORD COMFORT WOMEN By John Tateishi n February, an article appeared in the L.A. Times and for recruiting comfort women for military brothels and came across mention of this issue of comfort women used on the Internet about the controversy surrounding a expressed the government’s apologies to the women. as sex slaves by the armies of Japan.