"Voluntary evacuation"

For a three-week period during World War II, after Japanese Americans had been excluded from the West Coast but before plans for concentration camps had been finalized, a period of "voluntary evacuation" took place. Government officials hoped that the Japanese Americans barred from keeping their homes on the West Coast would make arrangements to move inland on their own, saving valuable military resources. However, state government officials and residents of neighboring states reacted with outrage that Japanese Americans were being encouraged to move there. Most Japanese Americans feared moving into such hostile territory where they would know no one. Further, few Japanese Americans had the resources to move their families to a new place. In total, 4,889 Japanese Americans left the West Coast "voluntarily" and moved to the interior of the U.S. during that period.

World War II (231)
Non-incarcerated Japanese Americans (17)
"Voluntary evacuation" (56)

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Voluntary evacuation

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56 items
Joseph Norio Uemura Interview Segment 21 (ddr-densho-1014-3-21)
vh Joseph Norio Uemura Interview Segment 21 (ddr-densho-1014-3-21)
Helping Japanese Americans from the West Coast who "voluntarily evacuated" to the U.S. interior
George Koshi Segment 6 (ddr-densho-1008-1-6)
vh George Koshi Segment 6 (ddr-densho-1008-1-6)
The bombing of Pearl Harbor: "What a stupid act on the part of Japan"to Denver

Members of the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS) arranged for and conducted this interview in conjunction with Densho.

Nobu Suzuki Interview I Segment 23 (ddr-densho-1000-84-23)
vh Nobu Suzuki Interview I Segment 23 (ddr-densho-1000-84-23)
Working for the War Relocation Authority, helping people move before the mass removal: $50 for train fare to "wherever"

References are made to several of Nobu Suzuki's personal papers, which are currently available for public perusal at the University of Washington's Manuscripts and University Archives.

Fred Shiosaki Interview Segment 14 (ddr-densho-1000-190-14)
vh Fred Shiosaki Interview Segment 14 (ddr-densho-1000-190-14)
Changes in Spokane's Japanese American community with the influx of "voluntary evacuees"

This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Jimmie Omura Interview Segment 19 (ddr-densho-1002-11-19)
vh Jimmie Omura Interview Segment 19 (ddr-densho-1002-11-19)
Avoiding mass removal by moving to Denver, Colorado

This interview was conducted by sisters Emiko and Chizuko Omori for their 1999 documentary, Rabbit in the Moon, about the Japanese American resisters of conscience in the World War II incarceration camps. As a result, the interviews in this collection are typically not life histories, instead primarily …

Zen Shibayama Interview Segment 4 (ddr-densho-1001-15-4)
vh Zen Shibayama Interview Segment 4 (ddr-densho-1001-15-4)
Family's decision to move inland rather than be removed to camp
Asano Terao Interview II Segment 6 (ddr-densho-1000-109-6)
vh Asano Terao Interview II Segment 6 (ddr-densho-1000-109-6)
Receiving monetary compensation for "voluntary evacuation" (Japanese language)

This interview was conducted in Japanese and was translated so as to convey Mrs. Terao's way of speaking as closely as possible. For example, there are instances in which she makes some grammatical errors. These mistakes are conveyed through similar grammatical errors in English in order to recreate …

Asano Terao Interview II Segment 4 (ddr-densho-1000-109-4)
vh Asano Terao Interview II Segment 4 (ddr-densho-1000-109-4)
Avoiding concentration camps by moving to Salt Lake City, Utah (Japanese language)

This interview was conducted in Japanese and was translated so as to convey Mrs. Terao's way of speaking as closely as possible. For example, there are instances in which she makes some grammatical errors. These mistakes are conveyed through similar grammatical errors in English …

Asano Terao Interview II Segment 5 (ddr-densho-1000-109-5)
vh Asano Terao Interview II Segment 5 (ddr-densho-1000-109-5)
Traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah (Japanese language)

This interview was conducted in Japanese and was translated so as to convey Mrs. Terao's way of speaking as closely as possible. For example, there are instances in which she makes some grammatical errors. These mistakes are conveyed through similar grammatical errors in English in order to recreate …

Seiko Edamatsu Interview Segment 16 (ddr-densho-1000-195-16)
vh Seiko Edamatsu Interview Segment 16 (ddr-densho-1000-195-16)
Voluntarily moving to Spokane, Washington, prior to mass removal

This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Harry K. Yoshikawa Interview Segment 12 (ddr-densho-1000-278-12)
vh Harry K. Yoshikawa Interview Segment 12 (ddr-densho-1000-278-12)
Leaving Los Angeles for Colorado

Due to technical difficulties during the taping of this interview, the interviewer's voice is considerably louder than the narrator's. This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those …

Bessie Yoshida Konishi Interview Segment 10 (ddr-densho-1000-212-10)
vh Bessie Yoshida Konishi Interview Segment 10 (ddr-densho-1000-212-10)
Memories of atmosphere following the bombing of Pearl Harbor: father sponsored people from the West Coast moving to Colorado
Floyd Schmoe Interview I Segment 4 (ddr-densho-1000-83-4)
vh Floyd Schmoe Interview I Segment 4 (ddr-densho-1000-83-4)
Assisting Japanese American students avoid the curfew and get off the West Coast

In this interview Mr. Schmoe refers to Aki Kurose, a former employee, fellow Quaker, peace activist, and long-time friend. At the time of this interview, Ms. Kurose had recently passed away after a long struggle with cancer. At the time of this interview, …

Floyd Schmoe Interview I Segment 3 (ddr-densho-1000-83-3)
vh Floyd Schmoe Interview I Segment 3 (ddr-densho-1000-83-3)
Finding inland universities willing to accept Japanese American students at the beginning of World War II

In this interview Mr. Schmoe refers to Aki Kurose, a former employee, fellow Quaker, peace activist, and long-time friend. At the time of this interview, Ms. Kurose had recently passed away after a long struggle with cancer. At the time …

Lawson I. Sakai Segment 6 (ddr-densho-1000-472-6)
vh Lawson I. Sakai Segment 6 (ddr-densho-1000-472-6)
Family voluntarily moves to Colorado, visits Manzanar on the way
Mae Kanazawa Hara Interview Segment 10 (ddr-densho-1000-168-10)
vh Mae Kanazawa Hara Interview Segment 10 (ddr-densho-1000-168-10)
Disposing of belongings; brothers moved during "voluntary evacuation" period
Tak Yamashita Interview Segment 23 (ddr-densho-1000-365-23)
vh Tak Yamashita Interview Segment 23 (ddr-densho-1000-365-23)
Disposing of possessions and deciding to move to Colorado

This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the …

Tak Yamashita Interview Segment 25 (ddr-densho-1000-365-25)
vh Tak Yamashita Interview Segment 25 (ddr-densho-1000-365-25)
"Voluntary evacuation" to Colorado

This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

Fred Hirasuna Segment 2 (ddr-densho-1000-21-2)
vh Fred Hirasuna Segment 2 (ddr-densho-1000-21-2)
"Voluntary evacuation" to Minnesota from California

This interview was conducted at the Voices of Japanese American Redress Conference, held on the UCLA campus and sponsored by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research. Because of the full conference schedule, our interviews were limited to one hour. The …

Junkoh Harui Segment 12 (ddr-densho-1000-11-12)
vh Junkoh Harui Segment 12 (ddr-densho-1000-11-12)
Preparing to move to Moses Lake, Washington to avoid the mass removal, and father's efforts to protect his beloved trees

This interview was done outdoors in the Bainbridge Gardens Nursery which resulted in increased background noise and frequent interruptions by the business P.A. system.

Junkoh Harui Segment 13 (ddr-densho-1000-11-13)
vh Junkoh Harui Segment 13 (ddr-densho-1000-11-13)
Negative memories of Moses Lake, Washington: being under "surveillance," memories of getting beat up every day for a month in grade school

This interview was done outdoors in the Bainbridge Gardens Nursery which resulted in increased background noise and frequent interruptions by the business P.A. system.

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