Japanese Americans and Democracy
Prior to the war, the Japanese community in New York was divided between the pro-Tokyo Issei and the progressive Nissei. In response to the potential threat of war, the counter-pro-Tokyo forces united to protect community members, leading to the formation of the Committee for the Democratic Treatment of Japanese Residents in the Eastern United States. […]
Test Off Canvas Artifact
Takeo Shiota
Frank Masao Okamura
Taro Yashima
Taro Yajima ( birth name: Jun Iwamatsu) was born on September 21, 1908, in a seaside town in Kagoshima Prefecture.
He immigrated to the U.S. in 1939 with his wife Mitsu Yashima (birth name: Tomoe Sasago).
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Iwamatsu enlisted in the US Army and worked as an artist for the US Office of War Information (OWI) and later for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). It was during this time that they assumed their pen names.
After the war, Taro and Mitsu were granted permanent residency by an act of the U.S. Congress.
Rev. Hozen Seki
Reverend Hozen Seki emigrated to the United States in 1930 and founded several Buddhist churches, including the New York Buddhist Church in 1937.
During World War II, he was arrested on Elis Island in December 1942, then sent to Fort George Meade, before ultimately being released in January 1946.
He went on to found the American Buddhist Academy in 1948.
Hokubei Shimpo (New York Nichibei)
Miné Okubo
The National Japanese American Student Relocation Council
The World Student Service Fund
