Anti-Japanese Quotes

This is an excellent example of the kind of rhetoric that was used against the Japanese immigrants to America in the 1930s. There was a rumor that the Japanese laborer, in addition to working for less wages what white labor were getting, was a spy for the Japanese Emperor, It was this kind of prejudice and conspiracy theory that led the government to intern Japanese—even citizens on the West Coast—an act that was ignominiously upheld but he Supreme Court and latter apologized for by several American presidents. It turned out that there was not a single Japanese immigrant who engaged in any kind of spying or sabotage in WWII and many fought in the Armed forces and were amongst the most decorated soldiers. One irony of the West Cast internment is that Japanese immigrants and American citizens living on the East cost were no so interned. The fear of invasion was not as great and the history of anti Japanese prejudice as in this quotation was not as prevalent. There are some historians who argue that one of the major motivations of to intern the Japanese was for some wealthy whites to be able to get their land—especially farmland—which since they could not work, they could not pay the taxes and a huge amount of prime land changed hands as a result of the internment.

He conquered Korea in an act of blatant aggression, but got bogged down in a complicated occupation. He died before the Chinese part of the plan could be carried out. However, ever since China, Korea and other Asian countries have distrusted Japan and her aggressive intentions and history. The horrible Japanese record of aggression and atrocities of WWII solidified that anti-Japanese sentiment which still exists to some extent.

In one of the great American disgraces, during WWII, American citizens of Japanese ethnicity were forced into an “evacuation” into camps for the duration of the war. German American citizens were not similarly treated. There was not a single act of sabotage or anti war propaganda by Japanese Americans before (or after) the “evacuation.” Many German Americans were so involved but never interned, but one of the major motivations was to get the valuable farmland owned by many Japanese on the West Coast. (The Japanese American citizens could not work or earn the money to pay the mortgages or taxes on their property and the white Californians were able to acquire the land for very little. Many believe this was the real motivation for the Japanese American incarceration as there was none such on the East Coast where there were few Japanese American land holdings.

She was a teenager at the time. The leaders organized some entertainment and she performed traditional Japanese dances. In the beginning there was no school, no education or training, no entertainment. Later there were some rudimentary opportunities provided by the authorities.

See {637905} for another example of his racism.

The reason this historical quote is so important is not only that it provides more evidence of the anti-Asian racism that existed in America in the 1920s, but it also shows that The American Legion was one of the leaders in fomenting race hatred of Asians. The anti-Asian racism was much worse on the West Coast than on the East Coast where there was a thriving Chinese Community in New York City that was relatively un-harassed.

Many of the young men who were given this form to fill out, had never been in Japan and some did not even know there was an emperor there. Nonetheless the Japanese American divisions of enlistees were the most effective and most decorated fighting units for America while their parents who had not been born in America were still imprisoned in the internment camps. See {624010}.

The incredible absurdity of the security claim of interring the Japanese-Americans is that the majority of all the people interred were teenagers, children and babies. See {624010}.

The initial reaction was to prevent Japanese from leaving the area, being out at night, or spending their assets. Incredibly, Japanese-American citizens who had their own hard earned money in a bank were not allowed to withdraw and spend their own funds. Her family had owned a farm on prime land. Soon, whites looking to get the land owned by Japanese Americans lobbied to have the Japanese removed. They lost their livelihood, would default on their mortgages, and much land fell into the hands of whites. Gruenwald’s family did not lose their farm thanks to the local sheriff who had agreed to supervise the farm and split the profits. Not all West Coast Americans approved of the treatment of their Japanese fellow citizens and many helped protect some from the greed and racism of other Americans. See {624010}.