Interviews

1. Childhood shame for being Nikkei in Enumclaw, Washington

2. Recalling Pinedale and Tule Lake concentration camps

3. Impressions of student relocation in South Dakota

4. Challenges of finding a summer job

5. Why I joined the Japanese American Citizens League

6. Becoming active in the Civil Rights Movement

7. Figuring out a dollar amount for redress

8. Deciding to serve on the CWRIC

9. On hearing of CWRIC selection from Senator Inouye

10. Personal feelings as a Nikkei commissioner

11. A memorable CWRIC testimony of an unjust situation

12. Understanding the passion behind the people giving testimonies

13. Rationale for rejecting redress payment

14. Post-redress future of Japanese Americans

Marutani,William

Judge, only Japanese American to serve on CWRIC.

Rationale for rejecting redress payment

I thought it was important early in the game to make it known that if there were any material acknowledgments to be made, that I would not participate in that, that I would not accept it. I thought that was important to do it very early in the game, in order to make sure that my credibility and participation on the commission [Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Citizens] would not be exposed to some kind of criticism….

So, in terms of my participation, I thought it was important that early on in the game that I disavow any material gain or whatever you want to call it. That went on the record. Incidentally, I understand that was misinterpreted by some quarters who were opposed to redress payments as being, well, look, this guy Marutani, he was confined, and he says he doesn’t want his $20,000, or any redress amount. He voted against it. Well, yeah, (chuckles) he voted against it for himself. But I understand that was misinterpreted in some quarters. As a matter of fact, not withstanding (chuckles), ORA¹ sent me an application form. They did, and I sent [it] back and said, “I waive it.”

1. With the passage of H.R. 442, the Office of Redress Administration (ORA) was established to implement redress legislation.

Redress movement

Date: August 27, 1998

Location: Pennsylvania, US

Interviewer: Darcie Iki, Mitchell Maki

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

Interviewee Bio

The Honorable William Marutani was born in Kent, Washington. With the enforcement of Executive Order 9066, Marutani was forced to leave his classes at the University of Washington and sent to Fresno Assembly Center in 1942, and later Tule Lake concentration camp. He was released to attend Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD in the fall of 1942 as a pre-law student.

After being rejected by the U.S. Navy for being classified as a 4-C enemy alien, Marutani was finally able to serve by joining the Army where he was assigned to the Military Intelligence Service. Following his service, Marutani attended law school at the University of Chicago and moved to Pennsylvania for a six-month clerkship, where he stayed until 1975, when he was appointed to the bench of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Marutani became active in the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and served in many different positions. Marutani was appointed to serve on the nine-member Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) that was created by President Jimmy Carter to investigate matters concerning the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans. Marutani was the only Japanese American to serve on the commission. (April 11, 2008)