Serving as a lawyer to Americans in Japan

The Kona Island community Going to Japanese school Starting work at five years old Traveling the world seven times Remembering December 7, 1941 Being an American soldier and an "enemy alien" Volunteering to serve for the U.S. military in Japan Meeting Japanese Americans from the mainland in MIS Awareness of concentration camps as a Japanese American Not relating to Japan Americans' experiences on the mainland Visiting family in Japan Being stationed in Japan during the American occupation Rebuilding Japan Investigating labor movements in Japan Feeling closer to Japan as a Japanese American Serving as a lawyer to Americans in Japan To serve as a lawyer Defining the term Nikkei

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There were many Americans working in Japan. We handled their personal affairs in Japan, whatever they are. But primarily licensing agreements, for example, we represented the Lockheed Aircraft. They were selling their planes to Japan. That type of contract. We represented Ford Motor Company so we did their work. And they had a plant in Yokohama from prewar days. That was reactivated and more and more agreements were made in Japan supplying parts and so forth. American Cyanamid built a factory. We helped them. There were many many other Fortune 500 companies that came to us because we were well known. We were the largest foreign law firm in Japan. Because of our New York office, we were well connected to the larger companies serving Japan. Not only selling their products but manufacturing their products in Japan.

Date: May 29, 2006
Location: Hawai`i, US
Interviewer: Akemi Kikumura Yano
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

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