Interviews

1. From the "middle" Nikkei (Spanish)

2. Growing up with some Japanese families (Spanish)

3. The various realities of Nikkei in Latin America (Spanish)

4. The political effects on Nikkei during the war (Spanish)

5. Retaining Japanese customs (Spanish)

6. Advantages of being Nikkei (Spanish)

7. To be more Japanese than you really are (Spanish)

8. Nikkei vs. Nisei (Spanish)

Hirose,Roberto

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

The political effects on Nikkei during the war (Spanish)

(Spanish) With regard to Chile, during the war, or immediately afterwards, it wasn’t very…how can I say this…pleasant for Nikkei. Even though the Chilean people never took any action against us, still there were of course political differences, due to the fact that Chile declared war against Japan, for example. But at that time, in the post-war period, at least insofar as I experienced it, I believe it was a time of Japan’s growth onto the world’s stage, don’t you think? From an economic standpoint, its culture generally became better known. And because of that, it was probably a more favorable time for us as Nikkei. In other words, it was good to be Nikkei. Like they say in Japan, right, “haku ga tsuku.” Meaning there were certain advantages, or maybe a certain respect, towards Nikkei, towards Japanese.

Chile culture discrimination governments identity interpersonal relations politics racism World War II

Date: October 7, 2005

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Ann Kaneko

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

Interviewee Bio

Roberto Hirose was born in Quillota, Chile on August 8, 1950. He spent his childhood in an agricultural environment where he met a variety of the local Japanese in Chile. He attended school in Quillota and later in Copiapó. In Copiapó, he had the opportunity to meet people from Japan who had come to the mining area of Chile for work. He studied electrical engineering at La Universidad de Chile, in Santiago (1968-1973). Subsequently, he was awarded a six month scholarship by the Ministerio de Educación de Japón to study Japanese at the University of Foreign Languages in Osaka, and research electrical engineering at the University of Hiroshima for one year. For over a decade, Roberto worked in the machinery department at Mitsui Chile Ltda. In 1986, he worked at Industrias Vinycon (as a manufacturer of industrial fishing materials). In 2002, he managed the diversification of Vinycon in northern Chile, specifically in Caldera, where he directed an agricultural center for the cultivation of abalone. In regards to Nikkei activities in Chile, Roberto actively participated in the Sociedad Japonesa de Beneficencia from 1968 to 1986. Afterwards, he became involved with the Corporación Nikkei de la Región de Valparaíso (formerly the Agrupación Nikkei de Valparaíso) of which he is still a part of today. (May 2, 2007)