Interviews
Decision to settle in Argentina after WWII (Spanish)
(Spanish) I believe that every nihonjin, or Japanese, wanted to [succeed in] America and then afterwards return to Japan to obtain something better. This was everyone’s goal, I believe, the goal of every nihonjin. But after World War II, the majority of the people here did not want to return. Therefore, the people began to buy land [here in Argentina]. Before [they bought land], everything was leased. In the old days, when we were kids, in any town square, moving vans were filled up. After World War II all the nihonjin settled down here [in Argentina] because they already saw that even if they returned to Japan they would be unable to do anything there.
Date: September 18, 2006
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interviewer: Takeshi Nishimura, Ricardo Hokama
Contributed by: Centro Nikkei Argentino