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Robert T. Matsui Legacy Project
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January 1979
JACL National Committee for Redress meets for the first time with Japanese American members of both the U.S. Senate (Daniel Inouye, Spark Matsunaga) and House of Representatives (Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui) to develop the best strategy for redress.

Clifford Uyeda, JACL president, Karl Nobuyuki, executive director of the JACL, John Tateishi, chair of the JACL National Committee for Redress, Ron Mamiya, Seattle JACL representative, and Ron Ikejiri, JACL's Washington representative, went to Washington, D.C. to meet with Senators Inouye and Matsunaga and Representatives Mineta and newly elected Matsui. In retrospect, this turn out to be the fateful meeting which would alter the course of the Japanese American redress movement, and in all likelihood the outcome of this issue for both America and Japanese Americans. Senator Inouye realized that a political backlash could occur against the four Japanese American legislators if they moved directly for a bill on redress, and he suggested a blue-ribbon commission that would investigate the government's wartime actions and issue an official set of documented findings. Despite strong opposition by many to "another study," the concept of a commission prevailed.

The Seattle JACL opposed the formation of a commission, and decided to form another national organization. Seattle members allied with some in the Chicago area to form the National Council for Japanese American Redress (NCJAR) to work for redress and support a direct redress bill. Other grassroots and progressive organizations came together and eventually formed the National Coalition of Redress/Reparations (NCRR), to reach out to and work on educating and empowering those who were disillusioned or opposed to JACL leadership.

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