Interviews

1. Family nursery business

2. Living through the Great Depression

3. Hearing about Pearl Harbor

4. Traveling to Manzanar

5. Jobs in Manzanar

6. The riot in Manzanar

7. Sugar beet and potato farming in Idaho

8. Sugar beet farming process

9. Being inducted into the army

10. Being called out of Reserves

11. Fort Snelling

12. Traveling from Manila to Tokyo

13. Serving in Tokyo

14. Visiting Hiroshima

15. After being discharged and returning to the nursery business

16. Meeting his wife, Eileen

Jimmy Ko Fukuhara

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

Hearing about Pearl Harbor

Actually, when I heard the news, at the Japanese school we had Alumni club, those that graduated from the Japanese school. And unfortunately, I happened to be president at the time. So we had some meeting to be held on that Sunday. I don’t know if it was preparing for a Christmas party because it was the 7th. Either it was a Christmas party or preparing for a New Year’s celebration.

So I went there alone, but when I got there, about four or five of us were there at the same time. And the teacher come out there and says, “No, go home.” Why? He said, “Didn’t you know that Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese?” We're wondering, "what is he talking about?" He said, “This may be the last time that you will come to the Japanese school, but don’t come to the Japanese school. Stay away from the Japanese school.”

And so that was it. That’s the last time, that’s what I remember that the war had started in 1941.

Japanese language schools language schools Pearl Harbor attack, Hawaii, 1941 World War II

Date: February 6, 2015

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

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

Interviewee Bio

Jimmy Ko Fukuhara was born on September 21, 1921 in Los Angeles, California to Japanese immigrants, Ume and Ichisuke Fukuhara. In 1927, his father moved the family to Santa Monica, California, and got started in the nursery business. After graduating from Santa Monica High School, Jimmy worked at the nursery, until 1942, when he and his family were sent to the Manzanar concentration camp.

Jimmy was able to leave camp early, and moved to Pennsylvania with his younger brother, George. Within sixty days, Jimmy was drafted into the army, and volunteered to serve in the Military Intelligence school. After going through basic training, Jimmy was sent to Tokyo, Japan. There he worked for the labor department in General MacArthur’s headquarters. Before leaving Japan, he visited Hiroshima in hopes of connecting with his parents’ relatives. After being discharged, Jimmy returned to Santa Monica and the family nursery business. Jimmy continued to work in the nursery with his four brothers, until he retired in 1986. (May 2016)