<Begin Segment 50>

AH: So in the case of Okada, what are the elements within that story -- because we've talked a lot about the elements that you don't like or not your situation, not your brother certainly, and not even you -- what are the elements of the story that are leaving you to be as convinced that he sort of appropriated your words, and your language, and your life, in a sense, in that story?

JA: Okay, because every... once I start talking with him at this navy surplus, he followed me around or he took me here, there, and then he comes to my dad's shop and he'd be listening, right there, he'd be listening. Because he just lived just few steps away at Union Hotel. So he'd be there listening and that's why, by being there all the time he knew what was going on.

AH: Did you know he was a writer?

JA: No.

AH: You didn't?

JA: No.

AH: So, you had no idea that he was working on any kind of literary things?

JA: No, I didn't know.

AH: What did you think of him as a person?

JA: Well, just another person, not even a friend, I knew of him, that's about it. And once I got to talking to him, I took a little more interest, or he used to tell me, "Let's go to Wah Mei," or, "Let's go to Wah Chang," or whatever.

AH: You obviously are a little upset about the fact of your depiction, and if it's you and the way in which you are depicted in this novel. And yet this novel has been seen as one of the great pieces of work in Japanese American imaginative literature, Asian American imaginative literature. And I'm wondering how do you reconcile this in your mind that on the one hand you're a little bit ticked off and on the other hand you must be flattered by being associated with something so voluminous as that?

JA: Only way... to me, I don't try to get bothered with a lot of stuff that I don't need because I got so many things going. And about the flattery, hardly any. Yeah, so I am told that I am the "No-No Boy" Ichiro, okay, so be it.

AH: When I leave this interview, I'm going to go home down to Southern California and I'm going to write a novel that based exactly on your life. I'm going to call it the "Yes-No Boy" because that's what you were. [Laughs]

JA: To me, all of that didn't matter anything, but one thing, 28, is that unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and foreswear... foreswear what? I didn't pledge allegiance to Japan or anybody, foreign country. So why should I? And right away I'm thinking, if I'm going to redress, if I answered that "yes," the government say, "That's why we put you in the camp." So I would have no reason to redress, so I thought about it that far when I answered it.

AH: Why don't we leave the interview with that open-ended question, "Why should I?" And let me thank you for allowing me to come into your home, not once but twice and to be able to ask you a lot of questions, sometimes invading your personal space and everything to do it. And I appreciate it very much and it's been a privilege to be able to be involved in this session.

JA: Well, I appreciate your interviewing me also, because up 'til now, I've been going out making speeches at universities, colleges, community, senior citizens because they're interested. Why, why, why? And I have to go out, because there's nothing written up to now, no record. So, I say, my life is a legacy, of what I did is a legacy to Sansei, Yonsei, Gosei. Hey, speak out, act, don't just sit back. Don't be afraid.

AH: Well, this will be passed along to Densho, and through Densho to a lot of people, so thanks again.

JA: Okay, thank you very much.

<End Segment 50> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.