<Begin Segment 20>

TI: So, Jimmy, I just have one last question for you. When you think about your life, starting in Peru and going to Crystal City, and then starting, in some ways, a brand new life in San Francisco, this area, what can we learn from all this in your life? When you think about your life, when you think of young people starting over, what advice do you have for them, when you think about your life, all of the things you had to do?

JN: Now, I'm a citizen of America, I got my citizenship. I hate to bring what happened in the past, I know some people may not agree with me. I'm enjoying life right now, where I am right now. You think about being, living in another country, you talk about freedom, that freedom means a lot to me. But again, you have freedom here, freedom of speech, but look how it is right now in the United States. People are fighting each other. So I don't know what the future is going to bring, but listening to Satsuki Ina, and my brother going to Crystal City and trying to say to everybody what happened and so that it does not occur again, what has happened to us. Some of my friends, they don't really want to talk about it, they don't want to even join this group that they're going to go to Crystal City. So I'm right in the middle there, right in the middle. Sure, I want to go here, and I'd rather not participate. You have that choice. Sure, my parents and even I, we all suffered, but if you don't suffer, you don't know how it is. That goes for anybody. If you know the value of what your parents tell you, then you end up doing against your own. None of my brothers or sister, we never went to jail, because my parents were always on the right side, both of them, father and mother. So for me, I would say I'm right in between. Sure, I can complain about the past, what I'm doing now, living here in the United States, that's my feeling.

TI: At the end, though, you said, so you never went to jail, but when I think about what happened to your family, they were essentially kidnapped out of Peru and placed in a jail. And furthermore, you and your family did nothing wrong. Like you said, you lived a good life, and your parents were like that. But even doing that, and maybe this is what made your father so angry and bitter at times, even though he lived a good life and worked really hard, he was placed, and his family was placed behind barbed wire. Do you ever think about that, the unfairness of that?

JN: Well, I do. What we went through, the family went through, sure, I say what happened in those days.

TI: I was thinking more about your father and what he saw, because you were young and it was hard, but then...

JN: I feel for my father, he lost everything that he started.

TI: Because I think about, when you told me about the parties he would have in Peru and the house he had, businesses, what he thought his life was going to be, and then at the end, having nothing.

JN: Well, for them, I feel sorry, very much so. But thus is life.

TI: You said something very beautiful at the end, too, about how it's suffering, you learned so much from your suffering, and that was, I think, a very beautiful way of looking at this.

JN: Like anything else, if you don't go through, and it could be anything, suffering, experience, you don't know that result.

YN: So you said that you already got the U.S. citizenship.

JN: You know, before the war, I had two citizenship. But in order to become an American citizen, you have to get rid of it, so I'm an American now.

YN: So what is your identity? You are growing up in Peru at the beginning, and you went to Crystal City and here you're living a long time. Could you please explain how your identity changed?

JN: How do what?

YN: Your identity?

JN: Now?

TI: Yeah, so if you were to think about how you describe yourself? Like when people say, "Jimmy, what are you?" How would you describe that?

JN: Like I said, knowing what my family went through, everybody went through, myself, family, I can only speak for myself, because I became a citizen of the United States. And so this is what I wanted to be. Well, what's happening in the United States, I don't agree, all the trouble they're having.

TI: So we talked about that, but if someone just asks you who you are, how would you describe yourself? Would you describe yourself as an American? A Japanese American, or maybe a Japanese Peruvian or Japanese? How would you...

JN: I would say I'm a Peruvian Japanese. Also, I can say Japanese American. I could say both.

TI: Yeah, so what would you prefer? How would you prefer to be...

JN: How is people going to look at me? That depends, too.

TI: Right. But if you were to just state who you are, what is it?

JN: It's hard.

TI: I know there's a strong association as you're Peruvian, Japanese Peruvian, but now you're a U.S. citizen. But you also learned so much about Japanese culture, you love that.

JN: You know, I don't want to be too choosy, but still, I prefer both to be proud of. Sure, okay, I'm an American citizen now, but I was proud when I had Peruvian and Japanese, I was proud, and I still am. They'll probably tell me, "Oh, you're not Peruvian Japanese anymore, you're an American." Okay, so what? I'm not going to argue with you, I'll be happy with what I have, not what you have.

TI: Okay, good, that's a good answer. So, Jimmy, we went way longer than I thought we would, this is well over two hours. Thank you so much for this interview, this was fabulous.

JN: You're very welcome. If I had really more time, I would like to say more, but I'm sure there is a limit to this.

TI: Well, I want to give some time to your brothers. [Laughs] But I'm glad we just did this single interview, because it really brought your story out.

JN: Yeah, I'm sure they'll probably tell you the suffering part of being here in San Francisco. In camp, I think they were too young, but in Peru, they don't know anything, I think, but from what they heard from my older brother and sister. But they will tell you more here. And why they're into, especially Tony, why does he want to find out more and more, because he doesn't know anything, and he wants to explain this to his children, too, probably, they want to know, too.

TI: Okay, well, thank you.

JN: But I thank you so much for being patient with me, all of you. Thank you so much.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2019 Densho. All Rights Reserved.