Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/662/

Reflecting on Japanese Americans' response to incarceration

I think they should have thought of things more. They shouldn't have felt guilty of being a Japanese. They should be proud that they're Japanese and express their feeling, and objected. If they had objected right in the beginning, maybe things like this may not have happened. Maybe something worse might have happened. Who knows? But, the first thing was, let's be obedient and find out what they're going to do to us because they said they're gonna take care of us. And we didn't know to what extent. But as it turned out, it was more like an internee in a concentration camp and when that comes about, you start thinking. And I thought that a lot of the people thought the way I did that this is not right, they're not treating me right so I'm going to rebel. And as I said, it surprised me that a lot of the people didn't think that way. 'Cause I don't feel guilty of what I did. I don't feel guilty that I'm, because I'm a Japanese. I'm an American citizen, born and raised, and you can't take that away from me as a citizenship.


discrimination draft resisters interpersonal relations resisters World War II

Date: July 25, 1997

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Larry Hashima, Stephen Fugita

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei male. Born 1925 in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar childhood in Seattle's Nihonmachi. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka incarceration camp, Idaho. Refused to participate in draft, imprisoned at McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington, for resisting the draft. Resettled in Seattle. (July 25, 1997)

Murakami,Jimmy

Introduction to Film

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

Murakami,Jimmy

Seagulls

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

Tashima,A. Wallace

Being Denied as a Japanese American Lawyer

(b. 1934) The First Japanese American Appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals. 

Takei,George

Asian Stereotypes

(b. 1937) Actor, Activist

Calloway,Terumi Hisamatsu

Discrimination faced in San Francisco (Japanese)

(b. 1937) A war bride from Yokohama

Ito,Willie

Father’s Optimism

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

Ito,Willie

Tanforan Assembly Center

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

Ito,Willie

Father making shell brooches at Topaz

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

Hirano,Paulo Issamu

Accepted by Japanese society as I learned more Japanese (Japanese)

(b. 1979) Sansei Nikkei Brazilian who lives in Oizumi-machi in Gunma prefecture. He runs his own design studio.

Yamamoto,Mia

Understanding anti black racism in high school

(b. 1943) Japanese American transgender attorney

Yamamoto,Mia

Racial discrimination prepared her in becoming the first transgender trial lawyer

(b. 1943) Japanese American transgender attorney

Ninomiya,Masato

Foreign language education was severely restricted during the war

Professor of Law, University of Sao Paulo, Lawyer, Translator (b. 1948)