<Begin Segment 78>

TY: [Jpn.] I see. Then in 1954, four or five years after your family business became profitable...

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] You applied for citizenship?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Citizenship.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] That one...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] They wouldn't give us till then.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] They didn't give us no matter what. But, do you know the 442nd?

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] That was formed from many camps. They collected and formed a Japanese one. They called it the 442nd. And then they went to Italy...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] They did many meritorious deeds. They risked their lives. They went to the area where the Caucasians would not dare go. This 442nd went and did those. Yeah. That's why they decided to give Japanese people citizenship after the war. That's how it started. Uh-huh. Although I don't understand English, I went to what you call... a school. It sounds funny to call it a school, but something like that. You go there for a while. They have a book for that.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] There were many books with questions they might ask. We were given small books. We study those. Yeah. You just memorize those, but it doesn't work that way. You have to study a lot. If you cannot speak Japanese, you can do it in Japanese.

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, was that how it was?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. But some had to do it in English. Those who grew up here do it in English because they went to school in the U.S. They did it that way.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] So you could do it either way. I did it.

TY: [Jpn.] Which test did you take?

MK: [Jpn.] I took it in Japanese.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you husband do in Japanese, too?

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you take it at the same time?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, but each person has a different time.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] You are called in.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] And they ask questions from among those.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Then after you do it, they total it and with the total, you pass.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Uh-huh. Then I got my citizenship.

TY: [Jpn.] I see. Then, let's have a break.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

[Interruption]

<End Segment 78> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.