<Begin Segment 83>

TY: [Jpn.] And then in 1990, the government wrote an apology letter to those who were in the internment camps and gave redress money. It gave compensation money to those who were in the camps.

MK: [Jpn.] Money?

TY: [Jpn.] It started handing out. The government gave redress money to those who were in the internment camps.

MK: [Jpn.] No. They didn't give us a subsidy. No subsidy.

TY: [Jpn.] Redress money and not a subsidy.

MK: [Jpn.] Redress money?

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah. You received it, didn't you? An apology, apology money. The government paid some money for an apology because many people lost so much.

MK: [Eng.] No, no, no, that's later.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, after the war, it, that's right. Twenty-thousand.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Eng.] Twenty-thousand --

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] -- everybody same way. Yeah, that's right.

TY: [Jpn.] So what did you think when you received your redress money?

MK: [Jpn.] But, yeah, well... it's better than nothing. Because even if we got that much...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] It is nothing compared to the amount of money I lost. Four years.

TY: [Jpn.] You are right.

MK: [Jpn.] Because if you are an employed worker, you can get that money. But in my case everything we had worked for was ruined. With that small amount of money... that kind money will not be enough to put my business back.

TY: [Jpn.] That's right.

MK: [Jpn.] So I say thank you and it's better than nothing, but it doesn't really redress anything. Uh-huh.

[Interruption]

TY: [Jpn.] I understand that Hideo also could receive the redress money with the help of Lilly.

MK: [Jpn.] Oh, where?

TY: [Jpn.] I hear that Hideo also received the redress money?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, he could. Later.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] We helped him later.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] If we hadn't, he wouldn't have known about it.

TY: [Jpn.] That's right.

MK: [Jpn.] Uh-huh. Those who were in Japan didn't know.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] So he received it. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Was Hideo happy?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] He must be... for four years...

MK: [Jpn.] Naturally. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Because he was put in the camp. By the way, is there anything else with respect to the war or internment camps that you would like to tell to younger generations?

MK: [Jpn.] Well, to younger generations...but everything will change...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes, it will.

MK: [Jpn.] It won't work the way I think. The world changes really fast. Look at the kids today. They are young, but they have completely changed. Yeah. Japan and the U.S. are now same. So many changes... in many ways. But there are not many good changes. There are so many bad things. Well, if you just read a newspaper... it's not easy for the kids nowadays. Yeah.

<End Segment 83> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.