Impact of Japanese American Internment During WWII

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Japanese Americans were unfairly targeted and mistreated by Americans following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which fueled fear and animosity towards the Japanese population. This led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps out of concern for a potential attack on the West Coast. While viewed as a regrettable decision in hindsight, this action was part of a wartime strategy to combat Japan. However, forcibly displacing innocent Japanese Americans from their homes without compensation, including those who had fought against Axis Powers in Europe, was unacceptable.

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Ultimately, the internment of Japanese Americans during the Pacific War stemmed from American fears of a possible Japanese assault on the US west coast and specifically impacted the Nisei community.

On February 19, 1942, during World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, leading to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps. General DeWitt recommended this action as a response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, with farmers and politicians influencing the decision.

The majority of those interned were American citizens, with over two thirds being of Japanese descent. In Canada, around 23,000 Nikkei were also sent to camps. While in the United States individuals were kept together in relocation centers across several states, male evacuees in Canada were sent to work projects. Approximately 2,500 Japanese Americans and immigrants were interned either on Oahu or on the mainland.

In certain communities on the western seaboard of the United States, "Civilian Exclusion Order" notices were posted, directing all residents of Japanese descent to leave their homes without knowing where they were going.

Those summoned to the control station had to provide their family members' names and gather at a specific time and place with only hand-carried baggage for an unknown journey. Family names were replaced with numbers, erasing their identities. With less than two weeks to rent or sell their property, Japanese Americans experienced despair and shame as they gave up their possessions. Despite owning valuable land, many Japanese American farmers were compelled to quickly sell at greatly reduced prices in 1942.

According to the War Relocation Authority, the United States internment camps in 1943 were overcrowded and had poor living conditions. Japanese Americans were housed in tarpaper-covered barracks without plumbing or cooking facilities, which were quickly constructed based on military barracks designs. Due to scarce coal supplies, people resorted to sleeping under multiple blankets for warmth. Rationed food cost 48 cents per internee and was served in a mess hall accommodating 250-300 individuals. Nisei held leadership roles while Issei and Sansei generations observed from the sidelines. The only means of leaving the camps was by enlisting in the U.S. Army, an option chosen by just 1,200 internees. Those who remained worked 44-hour weeks in camp offices, earning $8 to $16 per month.

Education was offered by the WRA to all school-age residents of the relocation centers, with pre-planned courses taught by hired teachers who worked alongside state education departments. Vocational training was also provided for adults at the centers to improve their communication skills, enabling them to contribute more effectively to agriculture or industry outside the centers. In addition, consumer enterprises were set up for internees to purchase goods and services that the WRA did not provide. Religion was practiced at the relocation centers, with nearly half of the evacuees being Christian.

Despite the removal and internment of Japanese Americans by the government, some questioned their loyalty to the United States while others remained loyal. Approximately 5,589 internees wanted to give up their U.S. citizenship, with 1,327 being deported to Japan. Issei individuals would not renounce their citizenship as it would leave them stateless. Japanese immigrants, who arrived before Europeans and like the Chinese, were not granted U.S. citizenship, were considered "aliens ineligible to citizenship."

Many internees were quickly evacuated from their West Coast homes without knowing where they were going. They often were unprepared for the harsh Wyoming winters, with temperatures dropping below zero Fahrenheit. Families sometimes had only the clothes on their backs. Armed guards were stationed in desolate areas far from cities, but internees were allowed to stay with their families and generally treated well unless they broke rules. Some guards reportedly shot internees who tried to leave the fenced areas. Movement outside camp boundaries was restricted in most cases. About a quarter of internees left to live and work elsewhere in the U.S., returning to their hometowns in the exclusion zone under supervision of trusted Americans.

Evacuees from a relocation center could only leave for a job or to establish normal residence, as per requirements. Firstly, their behavior and other information were evaluated by the WRA. Leave was denied if there was any indication of endangering the nation. Secondly, officials or citizens needed a valid reason for the evacuee's intended settlement location. Those with a place to go or means of support were granted leave. Lastly, evacuees had to keep the WRA updated on any job or address changes.

Japanese Americans regained their freedom on December 17, 1944, after facing vigilante violence and pressure group agitation in their marked homes. Most internment camps remained open until October 1946, when the U.S. government passed the Civil Liberties Act. The commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians concluded in a report that there was no military necessity for the internment and recommended a public apology. By then, approximately half of the 120,000 internees had died without experiencing true freedom. Following their release, Japanese Americans received no apology from those who had caused them suffering, leaving them feeling overlooked and ignored.