aci ic citize11 National Publication of the Japanese American Citizens league Newsstand: 25¢ (60¢ postpaid) # 2,431 Vol. 104, No. 11 ISSN: 0030-8579 941 East 3rd St. Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213) 626-6936 Friday, March 20,1987 ·First-Time Sponsor Senate Sponsors of Redress Bill Needed to Bill Surpass Halfway M~rk Redress JAs, WASHINGTON - With more than half of the senators signed on as co-sponsors, the Senate redress bill is expected to be Wilson Says introduced by Spark Matsunaga (D-Hawaii) shortly. JACL-LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara announced March 17. by J.l<- Yamamoto The addition ofWilliam Armstrong (R-Colo.), George Mitchell LOS ANGELES - Calling the CD-Maine), Warren Rudman (R-N.H.), John Glenn (D-Ohio), Rob­ wartime internment of.J apanese ert Packwood (R-Ore.), Claiborne Pell (I)-R!.), Lany Pressler Americans "a telrible injustice," (R-S.D.), and Albelt Gore (I)-Tenn.) brings the number of co­ Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Cali£) gave sponsors to 55 (';)l Democrats, 18 Republicans). his reasons for supportiugredress Glenn is chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, legislation during a March 16 to which the bill will be assigned after it is introduced. press conference. The previous Senate redress bill had only 29 co-sponsors Reporters and community rep­ when Congress adjourned last year. resentatives gathered at the Ja­ panese American Cultural and PholO by Sachl Yamamoto Community Center to hear Wi1- Sen. Pete Wilson (second from left) was joined at his Little Tokyo press son, who last month became a c0- 'Sim' Togasaki, Nat'l JACL's conference by (from left) Pacific Southwest District JACL governor Ken sponsor of the bill which Sen. Inouye, National JACL president Harry Kajihara, and National Coalition Spark Matsunaga (D-Hawaii) is First Treasurer, Dead at 86 for Redress/Reparations spokesperson Bert Nakano. expected to introduce this month. 1nnocent People Interned' by Harry Honda Wilson attributed the intern­ SAN FRANCISCO - Susumu ment to "a feat' that was based "Sim" Togasaki, 86, one of the Hearing on House Redress on racial and ethnic grounds, founders ofJACL , died March 10 without any probative evidence at a nursing home where he was indicating that the innocent pe0- on the mend following repair of Bill Scheduled for April 2 ple that were interned constitut­ a broken hip. His family indi­ ed a threat to the safety of the cated he had developed .pneu­ United States." WASHINGTON - A heating on redress bill l:l.R 442 has been set "Tho e freedoms, those guar­ monia and may also have suf­ for April 2 by Rep. Barney Frank CD-Ma .). chair of the House fered a slight stroke. antees that we so often take for Judiciary Subcommitt e on Administrative Law and Go em mental granted, lapsed," he continued. Funeral services were held Relatiori's. The healing is schedul d for 10 a.m. in Room 2337 of the March 14 at Christ United Pres­ "And instead \'ery good Ameri­ Rayburn House Office Building. cans of Japanese ancestry wound bytelian Church. Focus on Proposed Remedies After graduating from De­ up pending the year from 1M2 According to LE executive director Grayc Uyehara, the cope to 1945 in intemment camps. They Pauw Univel ity in Greencastle. of the healing will be limit d to the propo ed remedie becau e of Ind., in 1927, Togasaki returned did suffer privation. not only the Frank's belief that most peopl ar aware of the facts urrounding 10 of tl1eir liberty but the 10 to San Francisco and joined the the wartime exclu ion and int rnm nl ofJ apane e Amelican . Que - Sim Togasaki In 1947 of their property. This legislation family import business, Mutual tion wi ll deal with implementation ofpaym nts to former interne . Supply Co., which his father had i aimed at attempting to redress League was picked for th n w Frank had stated that he int nded to hold a h aring on th bill plior started in 1908 as a aooperativc that very eriou grievance." Nisei civic group, which would to th congr ional spring br ak (Apli l 11-20). assisting other Issei businesses. While the redre would be 45 host its !irst national conventi on "Redrcs i an issu of fu ndamental ju tic and ba ic constitution­ yea! late. V\ ilson said .it is partic­ Nucleus of Leaders the following year in S attle. al .-ights:' aid f{ p. Rob rt Ma ui (D-CaUf.) 'Thi hearing by the ularly appropriate that it hould He was part of a small nucle us Toga aki was clcctcd a' the .Judicial suhcommitle i the first sl p in amrming that me age occur in Uli year when we are of Nisei leaders now remembered first .JACL national treasurer at in CongJ;"s,'i () that we can dos a ad chapt r in Am rican hi tory," going to under1ake celebration of as founders of National JACL: thc 1932 convcntion and was t'e­ Bkenk'nnial of Constitution the bicentennial of the t'nited Saburo Kido, Tamotsu Muraya­ electcd for two mol' biennium. "I am delighted to . e such progrc'is for H.R 442 0 arly in the tate Con titution, becau e fun­ rna, Hemy Takahashi , Tom Yata­ "when finances wcr a pre '. ing 100th Congr ,," said Hep. NOl1ll<ln Min La (D-Cnhf.l. "I remain confi­ damentally thi legi lation ... be and Walter Tsukamoto. and persistent problem," a Bill d nt Ulat we can c Icbrat tile Con. t.J.tution" biccnt lU1Jul by 1 arTiml­ ks to Ob~elye the lap e Of tJ1€' Togasaki was present at an Aug­ Hosokawa recalls in his book Ni ing th dghts which wer .0 tragi all. \<jolated in th e\'8cuation kind of constitutional protection ust 1928 conferencc ill San Fran­ sei: Tlte Quiet Ameru.'cmR. and internment" that hould haw been. but wa cisco which was also attendcd by During th 1938 convention. it In a related d v lopmcnt, R p. Dan llickInan (I)-K an.), hail1nan not, cxi nded to protect the rights two Seattle Nisei leaders, Clar­ was Togasaki who had thc chait' of'the subcommittee dur ing the pI' viall .c ion of COl1gl " ha of J apane e Amelican .. ence Arai and George Ishi ha1'a. oust Intennountain rcpr senta­ bct om a co-spon or of H.R. 442. Th bi Il nO\l ha a total of 13-1 ccr 442nd RCT Record At this historic meeting, the name tive Mike Masaoka {l'om the floor spon ors. This figure includes R p. ala BU11 0n '( lir.), who died of Japanese American Citizens Continued on page 2 in February. Asian Admissions Task Force Meets With UC President by J.K Yamamoto task force co-chair, said, ''The m nt and admission of Blacks, BERKELEY, Calif. - Members University of California and you, Hispanic and Nativ Am ri­ ofthe Asian American TaskForce as its leader, have a uniqu op­ cans," h aid, "but in no way on University Admissions met portunity to lead the educators docsACH58plac a limltorc il­ with University of California Pres­ of the state and nation in deve)­ iug on any racial or thnic group." ident David Gardner on March 11 oping a fair and equitable policy Redirection of Students to discuss admissions of Asians toward Asian American appli­ at UC campuses. cants and in integrating Asian The task fore wa word d At issue was a Dec. 21 article Americans into the so-ucture of that Asian applicants to UCLA in the San Diego Union which hjgh~r education at all levels." and UC Berk I ya1' bing 1 di­ quoted Gardner as saying that Task force member Henry Del', r cted to oth l' campu cs in dis­ Asians are overrepresented in executive director of Chinese for proportionat numbers, port.- the UC system and that a "racial Affirnlative Action, said that d task force In mbel' and JA L imbalance" existed as a result Gardner denied using the phrase national director Ron Wakaba­ Task force members felt that the "oven'epresentation of Asians" yashi, but GardnCl"s only con" remarks exemplified the attitude but. acknowledged tallting about e rn was U1at" v ry U ligible of UC Berkeley, which they ac­ underr presentation of oth r student would be ,1 . conunodat.ed cuse of altering admissions re­ minority groups. within th I U I syst m," ev n if quirements in order to stem the "We stated that the university tll assiji{1l d campus is not th increase of Asian students, was misintcrpr'ting Istate lnw l student's first ehoio . In his opening statemcnt to ACR 58," I'ccallcd Ocr. The law Untill'ecen1Jy, said Walttlb~ ' a · Gardner, Alameda County Su­ does "move the Univ I'sity of Co 1- shi. stuel 'ols gained admission perior Court.! udgc Ken Kawaichi, ifomia to take seriously r C't'Uit - t hl'ough academic mel'it atom' or 2-PACIFIC CITIZEN / Friday, March 20,1987 No. 2.431 Allow 6 weeks advance notice to report address change with label on fronf 'SIM'TOGASAKI--------------- Continued from thmt pagE' If you are moving / Wish to subscribe, Write New Address below. Effective date ................................................................ because he had no credentials­ of the greater potential for adver­ the Poston camp in 1943. He was Please send the Pacific Citizen for: though he had been invited by ti ing to SUPPOlt the publication. led ed deacon of his Oakland 0 1-Yr$20 0 2-Yrs$38 0 3-Yrs$S6 Tsukamoto to peak on what was Togasaki was named to other church and sClved as moderator, ro: ., .