Worked for the occupation force in Japan after the war

My father’s business in America (Japanese) School life in Japan (Japanese) Identity (Japanese) The horror of Hiroshima after the atomic bombing (Japanese) Feelings upon listening to the imperial rescript (Japanese) Returning to America after the war (Japanese) Enlisting in the U.S. Army (Japanese) Working tirelessly after the war (Japanese) What I wanted to pass down to my children (Japanese) Father owned a café in Minot, North Dakota Japanese in Minot Didn’t speak Japanese until moving to Japan Being enlisted into the Japanese Army Wasn’t told he was being trained for kamikaze bombing Experiences in Hiroshima after the A-bomb Reaction to the Emperor’s surrender Worked for the occupation force in Japan after the war Fitting back into American life Speaking about his wife Comparing basic training of US and Japanese Armies Helping youth in the community

Transcripts available in the following languages:

Well occupation force in Japan – that was…it was a wonderful thing that MacArthur did. Number one, he had a good grip on people’s…he used armed forces but he also…Japanese government and even the Emperor, so there were no major riot to speak of. Everything was under control. And after I was discharged from the Japanese Army. And then I start working for occupation force in Japan and a very good life in American way of living and…not much cultural things, but a lot of time I was able to stay in camp – a living quarter that I was provided. So it was a very clean, nice living and then I start thinking, “Hey, you know, this is wonderful. Being American, this is wonderful.”

Date: June 17, 2008
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Janice Tanaka
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

II Post-World war