<Begin Segment 53>

AI: Well, before the break you had just started telling a little bit about what you did when you received your redress. And I wanted to ask you more about redress because from what I've heard from some people, and from what I've read, apparently some people thought that maybe the redress movement was not a very good idea in the beginning, that perhaps it was rocking the boat and perhaps might cause -- if Japanese Americans asked for redress from the government -- it might cause a backlash. And I was wondering, if you think back to those early times, I think it was the early '70s and mid-'70s or so, what, do you recall what you first thought about the idea?

RI: Well, probably my impression was that all the evacuation is past history and we have to live with it. And in a way, I also felt that maybe the positive things that came out of it was that the Japanese people were dispersed and spread out and not concentrated on the West Coast. And perhaps that was a benefit in that the rest of the American people in the country got to know the Japanese better, little by little. And so that, to me, was a very good thing. And even personally, for myself, I don't know whether, if it weren't for the evacuation, whether I would have become a doctor. But probably the evacuation pushed me into making sure that I continue my education. So, when redress came around, you know, I wasn't that interested in getting paid for something that happened, it just happened -- not "just happened," but it happened and we have to accept it and live on. But, of course, when the redress actually came, then it came out that it was the Sanseis who were really incensed with how we were treated and so they wanted us to be paid for it. And when I received the money it was extra money. I wasn't going to use it for myself, that, you know, I'd sure like to pay back people who helped me. And I told you the Baptist people were one of 'em. I gave some money to each of my children and their spouses and probably to church and JACL and.... if I had more money I would've given more, or had more people to give it to. I couldn't give it away fast enough. And maybe I wished I had more, but, anyway, the good, good thing is that maybe it impressed on the rest of the American public that the Japanese people suffered a lot and deserved some, some redress. But I don't think money could pay for everything. And whether it's twenty thousand or fifty thousand, it's not the money, but that's all done with, so I think that the knowledge that it disbursed also was good.

AI: How about --

DG: What about your parents, getting theirs?

RI: Well, my father died earlier, so he was not eligible. My mother... let's see, the redress, my mother died in '89 and the redress was after that, huh?

AI: She was eligible. Since...

RI: Yes, I think so. I think she did receive the money. And what happened was that it was divided among the children. We must have got some money from her. But she wasn't living at the time. But I think she lived long enough. But my, of course my father died --

DG: But how did you feel about her getting it?

RI: Well, I said, I thought it was too late. And I thought my father deserved it, you know, when he, he lost his business and he lost his, all his funds, and he, then his coming back and worrying about how to support the family. I think they're the ones who really deserved it, but most of the ones who deserved it were gone. So, that's just personal. I don't know what the percentage of people who died before the redress was, but... it was very late.

AI: Well, in addition to the check that, of redress, there was also an apology signed by the President, a letter of apology. And I was wondering what your reaction was when you saw that letter.

RI: Well, I, I read the apology, but I wasn't impressed just because it was from the President. I just said, "Well, too late." But I wasn't that impressed. But it probably was, according to the public, it was probably a great big deal, huh? To have a president apologize to a group of people. It should've been by the person who first decreed it. [Laughs] But, anyway...

<End Segment 53> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.