Hawaiian Japanese Americans in World War 2

[ColinC]

Hey guys. I am posting with a question that I hope somebody could have some insight on:

I am of Japanese American descent and grew up with stories from my grandmother who grew up in Hawaii during world war 2. When she was a child, it is said that she had soldiers come into her home and confiscate anything that was perceived as pertaining to the emperor of Japan. However, outside of some incidents of internment in Hawaii, I was unable to find much information that documented policies and occurrences such as what my grandmother went through.

Any insight or resources would be helpful!

[YoshidaYui]

1. I am half Japanese and Half Hawaiian native

I was told that during internment our family was left alone do to fact we were Hawaiian and The US military were using Hawaii and it would look badly if the US Government were locking up Native Hawaiians who were letting them use Hawaii as a base even if they were half Japanese. So during the War we were considered Hawaiian

[ColinC]

2. I feel like that was how it was for a lot of people. I don't know if my grandmother was able to

Be considered native Hawaiian despite her family having been there a few generations.

When googling this information, I came across information such as the Honoliuli internment camp and stories of some people being detained due to their race. Like the majority of those in Hawaii, my grandmother or her family was also not detained.

However, my grandmother said that soldiers (or agents, I don’t know which) came into their home and confiscated any items they thought had to do with the emperor. I think I remember a scene from a movie that resembled that scenario in the 1990 film “come see the paradise” but haven’t had any confirmation that this was a widespread policy. It’s killing me cause I don’t want this information to be forgotten but as far as I can tell, it doesn’t even exist in any official record :/

Come See the Paradise https://g.co/kgs/DSMiZuE

https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/historyculture/japanese-detention.htm

https://www.hawaiiinternment.org/untold-story/untold-story#:~:text=The%20Honouliuli%20internment%20camp%20opened,detained%20by%20the%20U.S.%20government.

[YoshidaYui]

3. Yes there we internment camps in Hawaii

But no Hawaiians were held even if they were half Japanese- as for entering houses I had heard that also.

I was born in San Francisco so I have never been to Hawaii - My parents left Hawaii for some unknown reason (Parents refused to discuss it) Now they live in Las Vegas and I am still in San Francisco. We don’t talk now So obtaining further information is never going to happen.

[ColinC]

4. Yeah my grandmother didn't really discuss it much either. My mom told me what she knew but it was never from the sourc...

I really really appreciate your confirming this :that you heard they would enter people’s homes. I will continue looking into this and share with you anything I find (if you are interested).

[ColinC]

5. I just found this resource that details living conditions in Hawaii under martial law

https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Martial_law_in_Hawaii/

[HappyLarge]

6. It was impractical to intern all the Japanese Americans in Hawaii.

They mostly just interned the community leaders and such. The regular people were harassed by not usually taken away.

[ColinC]

7. Personal property being stolen by the government was apparently the experience of my family

But I don’t know a lot about it

[Blue 808]

8. I don't know if this would help you..

Your best resource for what happened during those times are the people who lived through it, and the most complete resource for that would be with the veteran societies.

Maybe these links can bring some clarity for you.

https://www.100thbattalion.org/history/stories/nisei-soldiers-hawaii/

This article illustrates the history of Japanese in Hawaii up to and during WWII. There are links that you can explore to learn more about specific personal experiences.

The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center has been building a collection of oral histories of veterans and their families. If you ever visit Maui, it's well worth a visit. Their archives are already quite impressive and always growing. I hope you'll find the section titled '10 Facts' interesting.

https://www.nvmc.org/about/

During WWII, the Japanese population made up a significant portion of the work force in Hawaii. Big business would have had a very hard time dealing with an extreme labor shortage during wartime. Martial law was in place.. the airports and harbors were locked down.. and the beaches were patrolled nightly by military, police and fire, and volunteers. As a result not a lot of people were confined to camps, but small camps were established for hardcore issei loyalists and other suspects.

It seems that your grandmother was nisei.. American born, but raised with the customs and values of the Japanese culture. She would not consider herself nor would she be considered a Native Hawaiian.

As far as personal property being stolen... you should research the internment camps on the mainland. Japanese Americans were rounded up and put in internment camps and their houses, businesses, farms and ranches were sold off before they returned. A real disgrace and a black mark in American history.

I wish you luck in your quest.