Masamizu Kitajima

Nisei male. Born August 1, 1933, in Ookala, Hawaii. At a young age, sent to Japan to live with grandfather and begin ministry training, but returned to the U.S. just before the onset of World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, father, a prominent Buddhist minister, was picked up and arrested by the FBI. Mother couldn't support the children alone, so the family entered the Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas, where they were reunited with father. Father signed "no-no" on the so-called "loyalty questionnaire," and moved the family to the Tule Lake concentration camp, California, in anticipation of repatriating to Japan. Parents changed their minds and did not go to Japan, so the family returned to Hawaii after leaving Tule Lake. After the war, Masamizu established a successful career in airplane mechanics.

Interviews

Masamizu Kitajima
API