<Begin Segment 37>

[Translated from Japanese]

I2: Redress movement followed.

I1: Compensation.

I2: Did you know about redress movement?

TY: Redress?

I1: And official apology.

TY: I wasn't involved at all. I heard it from my sister as she was involved in the movement.

I1: The letter just came to you one day.

TY: Right.

I2: And a check of 20,000 dollars was enclosed too?

TY: Right. See the picture below? The check was in it.

I1: What did you use that 20,000 dollars for?

TY: I donated it.

I1: Who did you donate it to?

TY: What is that organization that helps children in poverty in the world?

I1: UNICEF.

TY: Right. I donated it all to them.

I1: What made you do that?

TY: It wasn't the type of money I could keep. That's what I thought. I never expected to receive it. So, I still receive things from UNICEF. I donated some to Afghanistan the other day too. They always send me something like this. [Laughs]

I2: Could you tell us why it wasn't the type of money you could keep?

TY: It was unexpected. I was not expecting that.

I2: But the money came from the U.S. government.

TY: What did I do to deserve it? The Unites States doesn't have anything to compensate me for. I didn't do anything to deserve it. Did I answer your question? I learned and gained a lot from my experience in the States.

I2: You were satisfied with where you were in the society when the money came. You experienced injustice at Tule Lake. But retrospectively, those days helped to shape who you are. You think you owe the States for that.

TY: That's right. I wanted to find a meaningful way to spend the money. What would be the best way? Should I donate to the Red Cross? That was a tough decision. Should I donate it to help people in starvation? I asked other people for advice. UNICEF was the one I chose.

I2: What did you think about the letter of apology?

TY: There wasn't anything to be apologized for.

I1: But you were beaten.

TY: Right. Things come up among people, and it just happened. The U.S. government doesn't owe me an apology. I renounced my U.S. citizenship with my own will. That is fine. They gave me options: "Which would you pick?" and I said, "I choose this." And I was able to do well in the way I chose. I am thankful to the United States. I want you to understand that I want to live with a positive mind instead of a negative mind. I came back to Japan with nothing. I couldn't have got where I am today by myself. Others helped me to get here. That's how it was when I was in the United States too. I wasn't fluent in English, but everyone helped me in many ways. I owe them a lot. I am grateful to both countries.

I2: Could you talk about receiving a high school diploma from your high school in Fresno?

TY: My sister told me that people who knew me well, like my coach and classmates, gathered together and discussed that I would have had graduated from high school with the classmates if it hadn't been for the war. The war sent me in a different direction, and I ended up going back to Japan without graduating. They thought I might feel that I had unfinished business there. So, they wanted to award me a high school diploma that I would have received. Ms. Bilco had political power in Fresno. She worked with school officials to award me a high school diploma. My sister told me that they were planning on the commencement just for me and asked me if I was interested in attending. I was very grateful for their kind thoughts. It would be great to see my old friends. I was happy to go. I went there. When I went there, I saw many people from Fresno like my old classmates, teammates and my track coach. Many people came just for me. Officials from the school district too. I was very moved by their kindness. Something like this happens only in the States. The Nichibei Mainichi ran an article about it. Commencement for one person. Japanese newspaper heard about it and come to report too.

<End Segment 37> - Copyright (c) 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.