Try to be a bridge between both countries

Growing up with both Japanese and American influences Starting to get angry Finding out Roosevelt wanted Japan to attack Strictly American, but sympathize with Japan Parents expected to be taken by the FBI Angry about the mistranslations of his father’s testimonies Not able to go to Manzanar on a furlough 525 Quartermaster Corps Fort McClellan soldiers “All I have dear to me is in the camp” Try to be a bridge between both countries Common Grounds Interpretation of Nikkei The Meaning of “Nikkei” (Japanese)

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Being a Libra, I’m always wondering…want harmony, I hate conflict. And even, like I say, well gee, Japan is being misinterpreted. I guess one of my mission is to be a bridge; to explain and also to explain to the Japanese, hey you know, you’re not all perfect either, you know… and to serve as a bridge. I still remember, you know, Issei people saying, hey, you know Niseis should become a bridge between Japan and the United States. And that was in the back of my mind all the time, and hey I gotta explain Japan’s side of it and explain well, my speeches to the American sides, I’ll present…I mean to the Japanese I’ll try to explain the U.S. side, why the U.S. is angry, you know and so forth. So, I guess it's just nature in me that I hate conflict.

Date: March 25, 2005
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Sojin Kim
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

identity multi cultural