ARTICLE: Japanese Americans

[Zero]

The Japanese immigrant experience in Hawaii was quite different from that of the mainland. Driven by similar motivations, usually to make a fortune and return to Japan, both immigrant groups (Issei) diverge and form two distinct identities. Though by the war, the sons and daughters of these immigrants (Nisei), both in Hawaii and the mainland had assimilated U.S. culture, they are not the same.

http://www.webcom.com/akato/hawaii.html

[thomas]

I found this article at ModelMinority.com:

After Years of Revisionist Denial, Japanese American History To Be Given Its Due

=> http://www.modelminority.com/history/manzanar.htm

[thomas]

There's more, with a slightly different perspective

=> http://www.pnorthwestbooks.com/docs/relocation.html

[thomas]

Here's an intersting page provided by the National Archives and Records Administration:

Documents and Photographs Related to Japanese Relocation During World War II

=> http://www.nara.gov/education/cc/relocate.html

[thomas]

Kudos to Gil Asakawa

=> http://nikkeiview.japanreference.com/article.php?ID=44

[Ost Prussia]

Stupid americans!

[irishlight42]

Originally Posted by thomas

I found this article at ModelMinority.com:
After Years of Revisionist Denial, Japanese American History To Be Given Its Due
=> http://www.modelminority.com/history/manzanar.htm

Good that the place is being opened up in such a way to the public as shown in the article BUT you are at a very large misunderstanding based on this statement.

Americans have long known about the internment of Japanese-Americans, as we in fact knew since the war, except during the war it was looked as a necessity of national security because of propaganda.

This is something that was in my high school, middle school, and EVEN elementary school textbooks! It was also for my father, who is 53 years old.

The injustice of the matter after the war, however, was that it took too long for the U.S. government to give the former internees compensation, and what compensation was given was not very large. However, there are MANY exhibits related to this in MANY museums that date back a ways.

Revisionist denial huh? No, not like the way the very existence of Unit 731 was denied despite substantial evidence until August of 2002. The actual article title, "Japanese American History To Be Given Its Due", is perfectly appropriate. The furthest extent that revisionist history on this matter ever went is the first few years after the war it was looked upon as necessary to national security, but as said both my parents learned about it extensively in school and about the injustice.

Originally Posted by Ost Prussia

Stupid americans!

Please try to stay relevant to the topic as opposed to making blatent stereotypical insults. Yes, Americans are notorious for caring more about stupid celebrities than real news, something which really bothers me among many other people in this country, but please don't make such rude and generalizing statements.

[irishlight42]

The U.S. government besides not doing jack squat for those who were interned during the war, other than indeed seeing to it that their story is heard, is largely to blame for the Japanese revisionist history of things such as Unit 731, as it gave immunity to war criminals such as Shiro Ishii (commander of Unit 731) from war crimes, and then after retrieving the documentation of the camp from Ishii the U.S. government kept much of what it had classified until 2000.

I get rather pissed off about censorship.....

[gaijinalways]

I think the revisonist aspect bothers me more as Japan pushes their version of 'peaceful country'. Though I wish sometimes the US would follow Japan's lead of economic aid and influence rather than militaristic influence.

The right wing movement in Japan is a big supporter and driving force behind the proposed new history books and another reason some Japanese tend to remain in the dark about many international issues.

I have visited Hawaii, and certainly now Japanese-Americans are very prominent in the local business community, certainly not pushed n the background like a certain place I live in.

[sabro]

There is an excellent Japanese American Heritage Museum in downtown Los Angeles and also a really good interpretive display out on Highway 395 at Manzanar. Don't miss them on your visit to California.

[Dogen Z]

If you haven't already seen the Nigahiga Channel on Youtube, you should check this out. It's so funny
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZjHMSE7-oME&feature=related

[Matthew Ota]

The Japanese American community in the USA is undergoing changes that bring to question its viability, as 85% of Nikkei marriages are now interracial.

[Chidoriashi]

OHHHH... another blast from the past with some dead thread revival.

[Dogen Z]

Originally Posted by Dogen Z

If you haven't already seen the Nigahiga Channel on Youtube, you should check this out. It's so funny
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZjHMSE7-oME&feature=related

Well, this guy is not Nigahiga, but he's still funny. And the part about grades applies to Japanese Americans, too, I think.

[Dogen Z]

American nikkeijin celebrating New Year in Hawaii 2 years ago--they all look like they were having fun, wish I was there.

[mobile1]

Originally Posted by Zero

The Japanese immigrant experience in Hawaii was quite different from that of the mainland. Driven by similar motivations, usually to make a fortune and return to Japan, both immigrant groups (Issei) diverge and form two distinct identities. Though by the war, the sons and daughters of these immigrants (Nisei), both in Hawaii and the mainland had assimilated U.S. culture, they are not the same.
http://www.webcom.com/akato/hawaii.html

Not the same as who? The Japanese in Japan? I would not think so. I am sure that I am not the "same" as the English people in the UK being raised in Canada even though I am British by descent. I would not be surprised if they speak a Hawaiian dialect of Japanese as we have Canadian English, American English, British English, etc.

[mobile1]

Originally Posted by Matthew Ota

The Japanese American community in the USA is undergoing changes that bring to question its viability, as 85% of Nikkei marriages are now interracial.

I am happy to know that most Japanese women will love to marry a Gaijin!

[nice gaijin]

Originally Posted by mobile1

Not the same as who? The Japanese in Japan? I would not think so. I am sure that I am not the "same" as the English people in the UK being raised in Canada even though I am British by descent. I would not be surprised if they speak a Hawaiian dialect of Japanese as we have Canadian English, American English, British English, etc.

I think they're saying that the environment in which the Nisei (and even moreso, Sansei) Japanese immigrants are raised has a great impact upon their identity. It doesn't look like you're actually disagreeing with Zero's statement.

I am happy to know that most Japanese women will love to marry a Gaijin!

Quite a logical fallacy there.

[Matthew Ota]

Originally Posted by mobile1

I am happy to know that most Japanese women will love to marry a Gaijin!

I was referring to Japanese Americans, not Japanese. There is a BIG differrence culturally.

Originally Posted by mobile1

I am happy to know that most Japanese women will love to marry a Gaijin!

I was referring to Japanese Americans, not Japanese. There is a BIG difference culturally.

[mobile1]

Originally Posted by Matthew Ota

I was referring to Japanese Americans, not Japanese. There is a BIG differrence culturally.


I was referring to Japanese Americans, not Japanese. There is a BIG difference culturally.

Oh I see. Yes, I am aware that Japanese Americans and Issei Japanese are different culturally. I even have a couple Nisei Japanese Canadian friends who speak less Japanese than I do. Of course, most of my Nissei friends are rather complacent about learning Japanese, and they tell me that I am a weird Japanese language nut, and they tell me that it is always gaijins like me that are fanatically interested, as we often romanticise about Japan. I guess it is true. I have yet to meet a Japanese Canadian who is passionate about learning Japanese the way I am. I know that they are bannana while I am an egg! I also know that some of them are not even Japanese nationals when they go to Japan, and need a visa to work just as I will, so they can also come with me do the JET program. I am hoping to register for the JET program after I graduate from university. Maybe I can become a CIR rather than as an ALT so that I can practice my spoken Japanese in Japan.

[Matthew Ota]

That is the way to go, if your career aspirations take you to Japan...just remember that it is a very insular society there.

[Dogen Z]

The Mainichi Daily has published a series of articles dealing with a Japanese-American who took part in the massive bombing raids on Japan during WWII. He doesn't elaborate too much about his feelings at the time, but he tries to explain the situation he was in. The articles were interesting to me because it present a personal perspective of someone who was right in the middle of things during that devastating period.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/...na021000c.html

BTW, Matthew, I don't think insular is quite right. I think very introspective and conservative but highly curious is more accurate.

[mobile1]

Originally Posted by Dogen Z

The Mainichi Daily has published a series of articles dealing with a Japanese-American who took part in the massive bombing raids on Japan during WWII. He doesn't elaborate too much about his feelings at the time, but he tries to explain the situation he was in. The articles were interesting to me because it present a personal perspective of someone who was right in the middle of things during that devastating period.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/...na021000c.html
BTW, Matthew, I don't think insular is quite right. I think very introspective and conservative but highly curious is more accurate.

Wow, the Boy from Nebraska was really something. However, an American fighting against the land of his ancestors is not new. In fact, Anglo-Americans did the same thing to become independent; that is, they fought against the British motherland. While he was an anomaly and took it one step further than the 442nd Regimental Combat Team that put on the US uniform by fighting not only for America, he fought against his parent's country.

I wonder how the Japanese would have felt for him to betray the emperor back then. I know that in modern times, we could say that he is just an American fighting for his own country, but in those days, Japanese would not have seen him as American. I wonder how General Tojo would have felt. It would have been inconceivable to them that one of their own would fight against them under the starred sprangled banner.

[nice gaijin]

Originally Posted by mobile1

Wow, the Boy from Nebraska was really something. However, an American fighting against the land of his ancestors is not new. In fact, Anglo-Americans did the same thing to become independent; that is, they fought against the British motherland. While he was an anomaly and took it one step further than the 442nd Regimental Combat Team that put on the US uniform by fighting not only for America, he fought against his parent's country.
I wonder how the Japanese would have felt for him to betray the emperor back then. I know that in modern times, we could say that he is just an American fighting for his own country, but in those days, Japanese would not have seen him as American. I wonder how General Tojo would have felt. It would have been inconceivable to them that one of their own would fight against them under the starred sprangled banner.

It's the old struggle between nationalism and racism; which is stronger? Obviously as a lot of people in Mr. Kuroki's position have shown, their love for their country and desire to prove their loyalty overpowered any qualms they felt about fighting against the land of their heritage. Of course, for those who see the bonds of race as stronger, it would be confusing or infuriating to see a "fellow Japanese" fighting against them. If a Japanese-American soldier were captured by someone that held that belief, there's no telling exactly how they would respond or how differently he would have been handled from any other American soldier, although I'm sure there's documentation of it somewhere. However, not all Japanese held that same belief, so although we recognize the racist sentiment, let's not project that belief on all Japanese people as if it's a fact that can be taken for granted, mmk?

Also found this account of a Japanese-American POW, One Thousand Days in Siberia. Looks like the whole book is available to read, but I only flipped through a few pages here and there. I've also read "King Rat," by James Clavell, which I found compelling although it's just a work of fiction.

The notion of "racial loyalty" is a bizarre one, that is nothing but divisive. As if sharing a divergent heritage and a few alleles is supposed to guarantee your undying love and support? I'm not sure if that's sillier or the belief that this racist propaganda had everyone in a country convinced.

PS: I think you meant "star spangled."

[biru san1]

I am ashamed to say this story somehow got by me, and I am most grateful to both of you for bringing it to the forum... biru san1 Bedford, MA