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MN: Before we get into the war years, I want to ask a little bit about your oldest sister Junko. Do you remember about what year she returned to the United States from Japan?

DM: She went to grammar school in Japan and returned to the U.S. when she was around thirteen years old. That's where she enrolled in Trifolium school, graduated in a couple of years and went to high school.

MN: When she went to Trifolium, was she able to speak any English?

DM: No, she started from scratch. She must have learned pretty fast, because when she graduated from high school, she was the salutatorian.

MN: She was number two in her school in high school?

DM: No, the graduating class.

MN: What about Japanese school? Did Junko go to Japanese school in Brawley?

DM: She probably went to teach. Yeah, I remember she was one of the teachers.

MN: When did she start working at the Kashu Mainichi?

DM: Mr. Sei Fujii was a friend of the family, and he was looking for a bilingual to run his office. So he asked Jun to work for him. So she came to L.A. That was back in '39 or '40, somewhere around there.

MN: How did your family become friends with Sei Fujii?

DM: I don't know. My dad knew him from before.

MN: Now, at that time, where was the Kashu Mainichi office?

DM: I understand it was in J-town, I think it was on Second Street.

MN: Do you know what Junko was doing at the Kashu, what her responsibilities were?

DM: Run the office, payroll and everything like that, I suppose.

MN: But she did almost everything there except for the editorial.

DM: At the end, I understand, she ran the place. [Laughs]

MN: Did you help out at the Kashu?

DM: Who, me? No, I just was there occasionally to visit her. That's where I met most of the people including Horse.

MN: George Yoshinaga.

DM: Yeah.

MN: This was after the war.

DM: After the war, yeah.

MN: He joined you after the war. So before the war, which newspaper did your family subscribe to, Nikkei newspaper?

DM: Both the Rafu and the Kashu.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.