Over 70 years ago, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forced from their homes and into makeshift barracks behind barbed wire fences and armed guards. They were incarcerated without charge or due process, and most lost everything. My mother was one of those people.
She was a 4th to 6th grade girl at the time, and is now 87. She will be giving two free talks on her family’s experience, one at the end of January, and one at the end of February, as part of the McMenamins History Pub series.
These talks are a rare opportunity to hear the story first-hand from a survivor, and previous talks have been standing room only. Mark your calendars and attend if you can. And be sure to come up and introduce yourself to her and me!
If you are interested in learning more about this history, including seeing pictures and videos from other talks my mother has given, I have compiled an extensive list of resources here.
It looks to me like, so far, [House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff] and the speaker are going to give about as much due process [to the president] as the federal government gave our Japanese American friends during World War II
Sen. John Kennedy
There are several reasons why this comparison is deeply flawed. Here are just a few:
The president is getting hearings where witnesses are questioned and cross-examined. Over a hundred thousand Japanese Americans received no hearing, no trial, no charges, yet were incarcerated for over 3 years.
The hearings are being televised so the public can see and draw their own conclusions. The more than 100,000 incarcerated Japanese Americans received no hearing, and the discussions about the decision to force them from their homes and into incarceration were not broadcast to the nation, nor was the public included in the decision.
If there is a vote to impeach the president, it could pass the House, and fail in the Senate. In that case, the president will continue to serve out his term (just as former President Clinton did). If he is impeached by both the chambers of Congress, he will simply be removed from the Presidency. Unless civil or criminal charges are filed, the president faces zero risk of losing his homes or businesses, nor will he face time in prison.
About 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced from their homes. They could keep only what they could carry, and had to sell off their possessions, homes, and businesses, often at fire-sale prices. Many, if not most, lost their businesses and homes as they could not pay their mortgages and taxes during their incarceration.
After 3-4 years of incarceration, many had only the clothes on their backs, a train ticket home, and $25. The president will lose none of his possessions or investments even in the worst-case scenario.
A 1983 press conference with Fred Korematsu, (left), Minoru Yasui, center, and Gordon Hirabayashi, right. The three men were petitioning to re-open their cases against the U.S. government for the evacuation of 120,000 Japanese-Americans to internment camps during World War II. (Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Although Supreme Court cases (most notably Korematsu v. US) ruled the incarceration of Japanese Americans constitutional, it was arguably ruled unconstitutional by Chief Justice Roberts in Trump v. Hawaii. He wrote:
Korematsu was gravely wrong the day it was decided, has been overruled in the court of history, and—to be clear—’has no place in law under the Constitution.’
Article I, Section 2, Clause 5: “The House of Representatives … shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.”
Article I, Section 3, Clause 6-7: “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two-thirds of the Members present.
Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States; but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.”
Article II, Section 4: “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
I invite the senator from Louisiana and any who agree with his assessment to:
Speak with survivors of the Japanese American incarceration, like, for example, my mother
Read the constitution, particularly the clauses cited above
After they do, I think they will agree that there is no comparison between the current impeachment inquiry and the decision to deprive 120,000 people of home, property, and liberty.
Ben Kuroki was a Technical Sergeant in the Air Force and is the only Japanese American known to have flown air combat missions in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
He completed 58 combat missions over Japan, Europe, and North Africa. He was awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses and an Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters. In 2005, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
In 1991, the New York Times recalled how “Gen. George Marshall asked to meet [Kuroki]; so did Generals Bradley, Spaatz, Wainwright and Jimmy Doolittle.”
I was really quite shocked when I approached Heart Mountain and came up to the, to the gate and saw these armed guards and they were all wearing the same uniform I was wearing. And inside, behind the barbed wire, were all these, my own people, so to speak. Most of them, as you know, they were American citizens. It was really quite a shock. I never did get over that.
“Shikata Ga Nai” (しかた が ない) roughly translates to “it cannot be helped,” and is a phrase often associated with the discipline and determination exemplified by Japanese Americans who sacrificed and persevered through their persecution and unconstitutional incarceration during World War II. It is also the name of a documentary sent to me today by a coworker. This award-winning documentary was created by recent St. Mary’s Academy graduate, Lauren Yanase.
“Shikata Ga Nai: An Inconvenient American,” follows the story of her own family members as they were forced first to the Santa Anita Racetrack horse stalls, then to Heart Mountain, Wyoming – the latter being where my own family was incarcerated for two years.
The documentary is filled with excellent archival photos and video clips narrated by Yanase’s family members who experienced it first-hand.
The documentary took Yanase two years to complete and was awarded the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award.
It is 27 minutes long and excellent. You may view it here:
Blatant Calm 