Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1599/

Grandfather helping administration in camp

My grandfather, being a business man and having some administrative skills, he was tapped by the war relocation center because they were already starting to plan what was gonna happen to all of the incarcerees, where they were gonna get back and how they were gonna get employed and etc etc, so he was the only Japanese American that they brought into their office either in Little Rock or just in the camp. He went in there and was trying to find out ways of placing people, which was obviously a thankless task because nobody was hiring Japanese Americans much less providing housing for them or renting rooms to them. An amazing consequence of this whole experience. He did get some help from the people who were taking care of his business back in Honolulu. He also got a refrigerator, or ice box, from A.P. Giannini during the war.

I*: Sent to the camp?

Sent to the camp.

*"I" indicates an interviewer John Esaki.


Arkansas business concentration camps economics Jerome concentration camp management United States World War II camps

Date: April 25, 2018

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Robert Fujioka was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1952. He attended the University of Michigan earning a BA degree and earned an MBA from the University of Hawai'i. He has been in the banking industry since 1974 and currently serves as Vice Chair, Japanese American National Museum Board of Trustees, a Trustee of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, and the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation. (November 2018)

Hashizume,Bill
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Hashizume,Bill

Father’s success in farm business

(b. 1922) Canadian Nisei who was unable to return to Canada from Japan until 1952

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Nakamura,Eric
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Nakamura,Eric

Father in camp but learning from history books

Giant Robot co-founder and publisher

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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki
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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

Embarrassed to talk about camp

(b. 1934) Writer

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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki
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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

Documenting family history for future generations

(b. 1934) Writer

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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga
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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Family separated in the camps

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

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Kobayashi,Bert A.
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

Getting involved in the family business at age 19

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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Kobayashi,Bert A.
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

A body, mind and spirit work ethic

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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Minami,Dale
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Minami,Dale

Not fully understanding parents' World War II incarceration while growing up

(b. 1946) Lawyer

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Yamada,George
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Yamada,George

Encountering a train full of Japanese Americans being transported to a concentration camp

(b. 1923) Chick sexer

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Kim,Young O.
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Kim,Young O.

Resisting transfer from Jerome

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

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Kim,Young O.
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Kim,Young O.

A visit to Jerome after OCS

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

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Kobayashi,BJ
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Kobayashi,BJ

About Albert Chikanobu Kobayashi, Inc.

Hawaiian businessman, developer.

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Kobayashi,BJ
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Kobayashi,BJ

No question about going into the family business

Hawaiian businessman, developer.

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Amano,Miyoko
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Amano,Miyoko

Yoshitaro Amano’s Business in Japan (Japanese)

(b. 1929) President of Amano Museum

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Oda,Harunori
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Oda,Harunori

Learning the nursery business

(1927-2016) Shin-Issei businessman

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