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Felt no hostility in Los Gatos, California after the war

Los Gatos in San Jose was a lot friendlier to the Japanese so we didn’t feel any prejudice at all. We were there after camp in 1944. The war ended in 1945. When the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945, August of 1945, we still remember the fact that after all it was our relatives, my grandfather’s family who were in Hiroshima. And so we had great concern over what happened to them. Of course, here was no news from Japan at that time. We were very concerned about…my grandmother definitely was.

In 1945 when the war ended, my grandmother and I were in downtown San Jose shopping. When the war ended all the confetti dropped from the ceiling and I remember the day when the war was over. I didn’t know what was going on, my grandmother did, so immediately we came home not knowing what’s going to happen to us. So I do remember the day that the war ended. Our friends were very sympathetic, there was no hostility. The people of San Jose and Los Gatos were very kind to us, so we were very lucky.


atomic bomb California Hiroshima (city) Hiroshima Prefecture Japan Los Gatos postwar racism United States World War II

Date: March 22, 2018

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

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

Interviewee Bio

Tom Yuki was born on June 29, 1935, in Salinas, California. His father belonged to a farming partnership before World War II and was able to continue the business while incarcerated at Poston, Arizona, with the help of his business partner via telephone and telegram. After returning from Poston, the family moved to Los Gatos, California, and continued with their business. Tom went to the University of Santa Clara and joined the military, assigned to France as a Quartermaster officer. He was working as a contract administrator in a corporation when his father died, leaving Tom to take over the business as managing partner of Yuki Farms. Tom has served as board member to many organizations including his current role for the Japanese American National Museum. (December 2018)

Jack Herzig
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His testimony has more credibility because of his race

(1922 - 2005) Former U.S. Army counterintelligence officer

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Henry Shimizu
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Japanese Canadians get the right to vote in 1949

(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.

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Roger Shimomura
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Dealing with racism within army unit in Korea

(b. 1939) Japanese American painter, printmaker & professor

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Alfredo Kato
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Stereotypes about Japanese: past and present (Spanish)

(b. 1937) Professional journalist

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Etsuo Hongo
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The reason he came to the United States (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Venancio Shinki
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Mistreating the Japanese community (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

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Venancio Shinki
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Prejudice in Japanese school (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

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Barbara Kawakami
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Okinawan discrimination

An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.

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Yuri Kochiyama
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Father as prisoner of war in hospital

(1922–2014) Political and civil rights activist.

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Marion Tsutakawa Kanemoto
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Hearing anti-American war propaganda from a teacher

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

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Yuri Kochiyama
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Patriotism versus loyalty

(1922–2014) Political and civil rights activist.

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PJ Hirabayashi
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Experiencing discrimination as a child

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

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Yuri Kochiyama
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Camp as a positive thing

(1922–2014) Political and civil rights activist.

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Yuri Kochiyama
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Rounding up Issei and Nikkei

(1922–2014) Political and civil rights activist.

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Wally Kaname Yonamine
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His parents' experience with Japanese resistance toward intermarriage with Okinawans

(b.1925) Nisei of Okinawan descent. Had a 38-year career in Japan as a baseball player, coach, scout, and manager.

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