Special exhibit: "Japanese people living in Hawaii: the inheritance of the Japanese spirit"

Date: July 27, 2012 – Sept. 2, 2012

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The first large-scale Japanese migration to Hawaii began in 1885 (Meiji 18) with the first government-sponsored migration. Japanese immigrants endured hard labor as contract farmers on sugarcane plantations, and eventually moved into many fields such as agriculture, fishing, and commerce. Before World War II, Japanese people made up nearly 40% of the population of Hawaii. The Japanese became enemy nations after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but their children, the second generation, inherited the language and culture of their parents, had American citizenship, and were educated in the United States. They suffered from the gap between their American identity and the discrimination they faced, but when units made up of second generation soldiers were organized during World War II, they fought on the European front, suffering many casualties, and were praised as the unit with the most medals in the history of the U.S. military. Their battles on the battlefield were also a fight against discrimination, which they overcame. The exhibition will provide an overview of the history of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii through photos and documents that recall the work on sugar farms and the lifestyle of the time. It will also display valuable materials that are not usually available to the public, such as the labor contracts and passports of the first group of Japanese immigrants, and the uniforms and insignia of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the strongest Nisei unit in the country. In addition, the documentary film "100 Years of Beats: Fukushima Taiko in Hawaii" will be screened in the screening space. The exhibition will trace the past and present of Japanese people in Hawaii through the performing arts that have been passed down to Japanese people in Hawaii for over 100 years. Organizer: JICA Yokohama Overseas Migration Museum Date: Friday, July 27, 2012 - Sunday, September 2, 2012 Venue: Special Exhibition Room, JICA Yokohama Overseas Migration Museum http://www.jomm.jp/events/index.html#hawaii

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