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A Reflection on a Visit to the JANM

Most students in high school only briefly learn about Japanese incarceration and what life

was like within these camps. So it was insightful to take a tour that provided more fleshed out

information regarding what it might have been like to be Japanese American during World War

II. I learned what brought the Japanese to America, specifically Hawaii, in the first place.

Initially, the Japanese government set in place prevented citizens from leaving the country. If

they were to leave, they would lose their Japanese citizenship. However, once this travel ban was

lifted, many went to Hawaii for financial opportunities and to work on the sugar cane

plantations. The museum had many images depicting the reality for many of these workers,

which was low wages and exhausting labor.

We also discussed the different generations: the Issei and the Nisei. The Issei were the

immigrants who were born in Japan and made the original move to the United States, while the

Nisei were born in America. Regarding the issue of citizenship, the Issei were ineligible despite

Congress passing an act declaring any “free white” alien able to become a citizen as long as they

had lived in the United States for at least two years. Even with the Nisei’s US citizenship,

Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 disregarded their constitutional rights and forced them to

relocate just because they were of Japanese ancestry. It was especially unsettling to read the

vague language in the Executive Order. It never mentions the words “Japanese American” or

“internment”, but instead relies on euphemistic phrases such as “alien enemies” and “defense” to

cover up the fact that the US was violating the rights of Japanese Americans, including equal

protection as well as due process. I’ve always wondered how Congress was able to carry out

these measures that were clearly unconstitutional, but later learned that treating Japanese
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internment as a necessity for national security. With the hysteria of Pearl Harbor, already

existing racism towards the Japanese combined with paranoia made everyone in the US

complicit in allowing Japanese incarceration to take place.

Being able to stand inside the framework of one of the surviving barracks from the camp

at Heart Mountain definitely made a lasting impression with me. The small beat up room was

expected to house eight people with no privacy. The wooden floors had gaps in between the

planks, which resulted in those living inside the barracks to wake up covered in dust and sand

every morning. Additionally, they had only an oil stove to warm themselves in the cold winter

when temperatures would dip below freezing. It’s heartbreaking to think about how many of

those who were interned were forced to drop their belongings and livelihood, sell it for next to

nothing, then live in these desolate areas for no good reason other than being Japanese.

Even with the US stripping Japanese Americans of their rights and treating them as

enemy spies, they were still motivated to prove their patriotism by enlisting to fight in the armed

forces. One of the all-Nisei units even went on to become the most decorated during World War

II. It was something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand without going through myself.

It’s difficult to imagine still wanting to help the same country that doesn’t even see you as a

citizen. Personally, I think it says a lot about the Japanese/Japanese American’s character to

endure and persevere. I was glad to have also learned about the many Japanese American figures

that fought internment, such as Mitsuye Endo. Her case decided that the government had no

authority to confine those who were proven to be loyal. The court offered her freedom on the one

condition that she didn’t return to California, however, she refused. The brave stories of Endo

and many other Japanese Americans will stick with me, along with their stories of injustice.