Honolulu Record
Encyclopedia
The Honolulu Record was a newspaper established after World War II
by Koji Ariyoshi
, a Hawaii
an Nisei
labor activist and war veteran with support from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union
.
To help with the American war effort, Ariyoshi joined the United States Army Military Intelligence as a language specialist, and transferred from the Japanese American internment
camp at Manzanar
and into India
, Sri Lanka
, and Burma because of his ability to translate Japanese. While stationed in the British Colonies, Ariyoshi witnessed the iniquities of the colonial system
.
Later, he was stationed at the Dixie Mission
in Yan'an
, Ariyoshi met and worked with both Chinese
and Japanese Communists, including Mao Zedong
and Nosaka Sanzo who were fighting the Japanese Empire. His primary duties in Yan'an were to learn more about the Communist efforts to train Japanese prisoners of war
, translate Japanese source materials, and develop Allied propaganda
against the Japanese. Ariyoshi saw the differences between peasant life under the Kuomintang
and the Chinese Communists
.
Ariyoshi returned to Hawaii
in 1948 and, inspired by the progressive Japanese language paper, Hawaii Hochi
, began publishing a labor-oriented newspaper, the Honolulu Record. As editor
, Arioyshi lambasted labor conditions for the working class
, called for the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and addressed what he considered to be other social inequalities in the islands. His socialist views bolstered the growth of the local labor movement
and the Democratic Party
in Hawaii.
The Record earned a strong reputation for its muckraking investigative journalism. In 1950, it revealed that a much-praised 14-year professor at the University of Hawaii
had been denied tenure, simply because he was Japanese - and that no "local product" had ever been promoted to full professorship Ariyoshi's dogged four-year campaign eventually resulted in the tenureship of Professor Shunzo Sakamaki.
However, at the height of the Second Red Scare and McCarthyism
, Ariyoshi and six other Nisei were arrested under charges of attempting to overthrow the American government under the Smith Act
. The case later became known as the "Hawaii Seven". This was partly due to the writing about his positive experiences in Communist China for a periodical published by the Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy, a so-called subversive organization. Ariyoshi spent one night in jail, and after his release he continued to promote his socialist views through his paper. The court found him guilty, but he appealed the ruling and was eventually acquitted of all charges.
At the same time, in April 1951, Ariyoshi's editorial stance was criticized by a fellow editor at an ILWU convention for not giving more attention to the so-called "peace line" during the early Cold War
, which had been favored by more orthodox Communists.
At its height the weekly newspaper had a circulation of 5,000, though its influence far exceeded that number. In 1958, the newspaper closed due to its financial struggles.
Frank Marshall Davis
had a regular column in the Record.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by Koji Ariyoshi
Koji Ariyoshi
' was a Nisei, Labor activist, and a Sergeant in the United States Army during the Second World War.-Early life:Ariyoshi was born in Hawaii in 1914 to Japanese immigrant parents. Ariyoshi grew up helping his family make a living on a small eight-acre coffee plantation. He attended Konawaena High...
, a Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an Nisei
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
labor activist and war veteran with support from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union is a labor union which primarily represents dock workers on the West Coast of the United States, Hawaii and Alaska, and in British Columbia, Canada. It also represents hotel workers in Hawaii, cannery workers in Alaska, warehouse workers throughout...
.
To help with the American war effort, Ariyoshi joined the United States Army Military Intelligence as a language specialist, and transferred from the Japanese American internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
camp at Manzanar
Manzanar
Manzanar is most widely known as the site of one of ten camps where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California's Owens Valley between the towns of Lone Pine to the south and Independence to the north, it is...
and into India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, and Burma because of his ability to translate Japanese. While stationed in the British Colonies, Ariyoshi witnessed the iniquities of the colonial system
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
.
Later, he was stationed at the Dixie Mission
Dixie Mission
The United States Army Observation Group, commonly known as the Dixie Mission, was the first U.S. effort to establish official relations with the Communist Party of China and the People's Liberation Army, then headquartered in the mountainous city of Yan'an...
in Yan'an
Yan'an
Yan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
, Ariyoshi met and worked with both Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and Japanese Communists, including Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
and Nosaka Sanzo who were fighting the Japanese Empire. His primary duties in Yan'an were to learn more about the Communist efforts to train Japanese prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, translate Japanese source materials, and develop Allied propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
against the Japanese. Ariyoshi saw the differences between peasant life under the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and the Chinese Communists
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
.
Ariyoshi returned to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in 1948 and, inspired by the progressive Japanese language paper, Hawaii Hochi
Hawaii Hochi
The Hawaii Hochi is a Japanese and English language, six-day-a-week, newspaper published and sold in Hawaii, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1912 to serve the Japanese immigrant community in Hawaii. At its peak in the early 1990s, the newspaper had a circulation of 9,000. The number...
, began publishing a labor-oriented newspaper, the Honolulu Record. As editor
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
, Arioyshi lambasted labor conditions for the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
, called for the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and addressed what he considered to be other social inequalities in the islands. His socialist views bolstered the growth of the local labor movement
Democratic Revolution of 1954 (Hawaii)
The Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954 was a nonviolent revolution that took place in the Hawaiian Archipelago consisting of general strikes, protests, and other acts of civil disobedience...
and the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in Hawaii.
The Record earned a strong reputation for its muckraking investigative journalism. In 1950, it revealed that a much-praised 14-year professor at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
had been denied tenure, simply because he was Japanese - and that no "local product" had ever been promoted to full professorship Ariyoshi's dogged four-year campaign eventually resulted in the tenureship of Professor Shunzo Sakamaki.
However, at the height of the Second Red Scare and McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
, Ariyoshi and six other Nisei were arrested under charges of attempting to overthrow the American government under the Smith Act
Smith Act
The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
. The case later became known as the "Hawaii Seven". This was partly due to the writing about his positive experiences in Communist China for a periodical published by the Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy, a so-called subversive organization. Ariyoshi spent one night in jail, and after his release he continued to promote his socialist views through his paper. The court found him guilty, but he appealed the ruling and was eventually acquitted of all charges.
At the same time, in April 1951, Ariyoshi's editorial stance was criticized by a fellow editor at an ILWU convention for not giving more attention to the so-called "peace line" during the early Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, which had been favored by more orthodox Communists.
At its height the weekly newspaper had a circulation of 5,000, though its influence far exceeded that number. In 1958, the newspaper closed due to its financial struggles.
Frank Marshall Davis
Frank Marshall Davis
Frank Marshall Davis was an American journalist, poet, and political and labor movement activist.-Early life:...
had a regular column in the Record.