Conscience and the Constitution

JACL District to Hold Program on Nisei Draft Resisters
Long-Divisive Community Issue to be Discussed at Feb. 7 Program in Stockton

by Kenji Taguma
Nichi Bei Times, Thursday, January 28, 1999

Addressing an issue that has long divided the Japanese American community, the Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific (NCWNP) District of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) will hold an educational program on the World War II Nisei draft resisters at its Sunday, Feb. 7 District Council meeting. The meeting, hosted by the French Camp JACL, will be held at the Radisson Hotel, 2323 Grand Canal Blvd. in Stockton.

The program, which will begin at 1:30 p.m., will include a slide show on the draft resisters produced by the Florin JACL. Following will be a panel presentation with Ethnic Studies Instructor Wayne Mayeda of California State University Sacramento, who will provide an historical perspective; draft resister Mits Koshiyama of San Jose, who will share his experiences; and Marvin Uratsu, president of the Military Intelligence Service Association of Northern California.

During the war, the so-called loyalty oath and the draft imposed upon young men behind barbed wire were deeply divisive issues. There were instances of draft resistance at each of the 10 internment camps, with the most organized and most documented case being at Heart Mountain. It was at Heart Mountain that the Fair Play Committee was formed, which counseled Nisei men on how to answer the call for military service. Members of the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee refused to fight for the U.S. until their citizenship rights were restored and their families were released from incarceration.

Their stand on constitutional principle, however, was not totally accepted at the time, particularly among the leaders of the JACL. Leaders of the JACL denounced the resisters’ stand as "cowardly" and "deluded," and community ostracism of the resisters was also encouraged by many Nisei veterans. The division between the resisters and the JACL/veterans continues today, although there has been some progress at community healing through commentaries in the Japanese American press and community forums. In 1994, the Florin JACL presented their Daruma Civil Rights Award to local Nisei draft resisters at their annual Time of Remembrance program. The award was preceded by a slide show produced by the Florin JACL and the California State University, Sacramento Asian American Studies Department. On Feb. 5, 1995, in perhaps the organization’s strongest outreach to the resisters to date, the Pacific Southwest District (PSW) of the JACL — led by then-Governor Ruth Mizobe — passed a resolution in honor of the resisters’ stand. While the National JACL in 1990 passed a resolution to "recognize" the Nisei draft resisters, the PSW went a step further by apologizing for the JACL’s past intolerance of their stand.

"PSW-JACL regrets and apologizes for any pain or bitterness caused by its failure to recognize this group of patriotic Americans and that by this recognition the PSW-JACL strives to continue to actively promote and nurture the healing process of an issue that has divided our community," stated the 1995 resolution, which passed with 12 yes votes, six no votes, and 3 abstentions.

A number of veterans have also publicly supported the resisters’ stand, including 442nd veterans Rudy Tokiwa and the late Bill Kochiyama, and current Military Intelligence Service of Northern California President Marvin Uratsu. The most prominent show of recognition by a veterans group came recently. Last year, the 442nd Veterans Club of Hawaii formally acknowledged the Heart Mountain draft resisters and called upon other veterans to "extend their hands of friendship and goodwill to members of the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee, their families and supporters, in recognition of their unswerving allegiance in upholding the laws of the land under the Constitution of the U.S."

The Military Intelligence Service of Northern California is in the process of discussing a similar resolution to the Hawaii veterans group’s, sources said. While a resolution based on the PSW motion has been tabled for passage by the National JACL, there is some movement for at least inter-organizational education. The NCWNP District Council panel is scheduled to be followed by a larger workshop when the JACL’s Tri-District Council — consisting of the NCWNP, the PSW and the Central California District Council — meets later this year in Arizona.

"We felt it was important that we sponsor this informational program on the draft resisters," said NCWNP Governor John Hayashi. "Their story is a part of our history and we need to learn about the men, their principles and the stand they took."

"We hope this program can be a step towards promoting and nurturing the healing process of an issue that has deeply divided many within the Japanese American community," added Mike Kaku of the Sequoia chapter of the JACL. Working with Kaku in organizing the program are Andy Noguchi of the Florin JACL, Elisa Kamimoto of the Golden Gate JACL and NCWNP Regional Director Patty Wada.

The NCWNP District is the largest in the JACL organization, with 32 chapters and over 9,000 members.

The meeting and program are open to all JACL members and the public. For more information, contact the JACL’s regional office at (415) 921-5225, extension 26.


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Updated: February 4, 1999