Home Discover Japan Tak Kubota of JACL Requests Suspension of Anti-Japanese Film Broadcast in 1958

Tak Kubota of JACL Requests Suspension of Anti-Japanese Film Broadcast in 1958

Original Issue Date: Jan. 13, 1958 Translated by The North American Post Staff

Japanese Americans will not feel good if they find any anti-Japanese statements or movie screenings filmed during World War II, especially around this time, since U.S.Japan relations have improved.

Tak Kubota, president of Japanese American Citizens League Seattle Chapter requested that KTNT Channel 11 in Tacoma suspend the broadcast of “Across the Pacific” at 10:35 p.m. on Jan. 14.

The spy movie featuring Humphrey Bogart was filmed during World War II with a story about Japanese spies exploring the Panama Canal. The National JACL has already requested that 480 TV stations around the country suspend this kind of anti-Japanese propaganda programs and films that could lead viewers to misunderstand Japanese Americans.

KTNT received the request, but the film was scheduled due to a transition in program directors.

KTNT issued a sincere apology to Kubota via mail and phone, but the schedule could not be changed at the last minute. Both reached an agreement that KTNT will acknowledge their mistake before the program begins tomorrow.

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The North American Post is a community newspaper that celebrates Japanese culture in the Greater Seattle area. Founded by 1st generation Japanese-Americans in 1902, the publication is one of the oldest minority-owned newspapers in the region. Today, with bilingual articles in English and Japanese, the publication connects readers with diverse cultural backgrounds to Seattle’s Japanese community. Our articles include local news, event calendars, restaurant reviews, Japanese cooking recipes, community interviews, and more.