<Begin Segment 9>

[Translated from Japanese]

NM: I heard you had to get approval from the military to get married.

TF: Right. You couldn't get married without their approval.

NM: That's why he went to his boss.

TF: The boss sent him back right away.

NM: Was the U.S. military not supportive of the soldiers marrying Japanese women?

TF: They were not. They thought those soldiers didn't know enough and were just painting a rosy picture. Such married couples in those days were able to afford a very comfortable life with a lot of freedom. The exchange rate was 360 Japanese yen to a dollar. Any soldier was able to live like a rich person. They were assuming their dreamy life would last forever. Officers in the management knew what was going on. They discouraged many soldiers form getting married.

NM: They were having a rich life then, but...

TF: ...they were wondering...

NM: ...when they returned to the U. S...

TF: Whether or not they could overcome hardship when they return. Their primary concern was a high divorce rate and tragic endings. I also heard American women were against it.

NM: They were?

TF: Yes. You probably haven't heard of it, but there is a movie called Sayonara. Prospective husbands were being taken away from them.

NM: Bachelors at the right age were being taken by foreigners. [Laughs]

TF: Taken away from them.

NM: There was opposition back in the U.S. too.

TF: That's what I heard.

NM: A movement.

TF: I heard there was a movement against such marriage. I also heard, after I came over there, that Nisei women were also against it.

NM: Were they? I would like to ask more about it later. There was pressure from the mainland.

TF: That's what I heard.

NM: The military was being protective.

TF: They knew young soldiers were feeling lonely away from home in a foreign country. They suspected that was why they were attracted. That was their main concern. Mike told me that is what his pastor told him too.

NM: He was advised against marriage.

TF: He said he was told it was understandable for young men to be attracted [to a woman] in a foreign country, but the dream would not last.

NM: His assigned term to stay in Japan was not up yet.

TF: He still had one year to go.

NM: But as soon as he consulted his boss...

TF: ...right after.

NM: Where was he sent?

TF: I heard he was sent to Virginia.

NM: Virginia? All of a sudden?

TF: All of a sudden.

NM: Oh, dear. What did you think would happen? He went back to the U.S. Did you think it would be the end?

TF: I thought it was actually a very good testing period. We will be together if we are meant to be. I thought it was a good test.

NM: I see.

TF: We were separated. If I ended up going to the States, it must be meant to be.

NM: I see. You were accepting the situation with a rather positive attitude. [Laughs]

TF: I didn't have anything to fear. I was probably over optimistic. I'm still telling everyone. [Laughs] I am probably over optimistic. [Laughs]

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2016 Densho. All Rights Reserved.