Interviews
Father's Service in WWII
I think he was drafted I’m not sure. He must have been about forty four but maybe he volunteered. He might’ve because it might’ve been easier way to get us out. I never really asked him about that by that time. Anyway, they sent him to language school and I had all his papers from there. He was correcting all the papers that they were giving out to teach them the Japanese language to the teachers, so they got rid of him naturally. Anyway he ended up as an interpreter then. MacArthur had I believe eight interpreters and they were all kept separate so he always had an interpreter. So when they signed the peace treaty they had each of the interpreters all on a different boat. So my father was on the wrong boat, but he had asked me, did I want General MacArthur’s autograph? Who want the autograph of a general? It was dumb I should’ve said “Yeah!” [laughter] And I said, “no.”
Date: August 27, 2012
Location: Washington, US
Interviewer: Cindy Nakashima, Emily Anderson
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum with support of NITTO Tires Life History Project. Courtesy of the USC Hapa Japan Database Project.
Explore More Videos
Captured by Guerillas after bombing of Pearl Harbor
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Grandfather picked up by US Army
(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii
Father's business partner operated their farming business during WWII
(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.
Father was convinced the constitution would protect him
(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.
The lack of discussion about family’s incarceration in Amache
Sansei judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California
Her brother’s reasons as a No-No Boy
(b. 1923) Japanese American poet, activist
Her grandfather was pressured to teach Japanese
Sansei judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California
Neighbor took care of her mother after grandfather was taken by FBI
Sansei judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California
Immediately after the bombing
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
Other family members not as lucky
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
His parents had little hope that he had survived the atomic bomb
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
His views on nuclear weapons
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
Loss When Leaving for Manzanar
Japanese American animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera (1925-2007)
Forcibly deported to the U.S. from Peru
(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City