Interviews

1. How Yoshitaro Amano got to South America (Japanese)

2. Yoshitaro Amano continues his efforts in business in order to pursue his studies (Japanese)

3. On returning to post-war Peru (Japanese)

4. Returning to Japan on a prisoner-of-war exchange boat (Japanese)

5. Yoshitaro Amano chose the Chancay culture (Japanese)

6. The find of the century: Chicras (Japanese)

7. A strong Japanese identity (Japanese)

8. The Nikkei community that didn't support Former President Fujimori's election (Japanese)

9. The differences in attitude of pre-war and post war in terms of the President Fujimori presidency (Japanese)

10. President Fujimori as elected by Peru's general public (Japanese)

11. The Nikkei community's view toward Former President Fujimori (Japanese)

12. On being thought of as a Japanese person (Japanese)

13. Disseminating the excellence of Japan to the world through the Amano Museum (Japanese)

Sakane,Hiroshi

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum

A strong Japanese identity (Japanese)

(Japanese) I’m Japanese and, especially since I’ve lived in a foreign country, I feel that I definitely have a strong sense of Japanese identity. And so, even though I’ve lived thirty years in Peru, with all due respect, I have no intention of achieving Peruvian citizenship. Yes, I’ll be Japanese until the end of my life. Although there are all sorts of Japanese people living in foreign countries, for me, the longer I live in a foreign country, the more strongly I am conscious of being Japanese. And because of that, even living outside of Japan, I definitely want to continue living as a Japanese person. It’s an attitude I’ve recently come to hold.

generations identity immigrants immigration Issei Japan migration Peru

Date: May 7, 2007

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Born in 1948, originally from Tokyo. Graduated from Waseda University’s Department of Education. Years later, he moved to Lima, Peru. While learning Spanish, he helped the work of his grandfather, Yoshitaro Amano, who founded and operated Amano Museum. He later married a Nikkei Peruvian Nisei. Currently, as a Peruvian cultural researcher, pottery/textile collection expert, and executive director of the Amano Museum, he conducts excavation work and is responsible for the management of the museum. As a Peruvian citizen diplomat, he attends government officials, businessmen, handles media coverage and programming for television. He visits Japan several times a year, makes speeches and leads panel discussions throughout Japan, and remains active in various fields. (May 2007)