<Begin Segment 6>

TI: When the war started, World War II, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, did you know that was going on in the world, that the United States was at war with Japan and World War II was going on? Because you were still in Peru, and I was wondering how much you knew about what was happening.

JN: No, none of us, the younger ones especially, no one told us anything about the war.

TI: Did you know that, once the war started, there were some Peruvians, Japanese Peruvians who were being picked up? Did you hear about that at all?

JN: No, not until we got into camp.

TI: So let's talk about what happened when your father, when they started coming for your father, do you remember that, when the FBI...

JN: No, but what I've heard from our sisters, they came after... well, my father, of course, and all the males. Before that, they ran away because they heard they were coming around.

TI: So your father and your brother?

JN: And brother, yeah, they ran away. But they couldn't stay away much longer, because they were thinking about our family.

TI: And do you know why they came after your father?

JN: Now I know, but at the time, I didn't even know the FBI came in the first place.

TI: And so what do you know? Why do you think they came after your father?

JN: Well, of course, he was considered a spy, bringing all the Japanese sailors and entertaining them, being close to them, one of the founders of the school, being president of some society there. So people were on the blacklist, people were doing something like that.

TI: So because your father was so prominent, he's such a business, community leader, he entertained Japanese visitors, he was on this list. So when this started happening, so at first your father and your older brother went to run away and hide, but eventually he just knew that that wasn't going to work. So tell me what you can remember, what happened next?

JN: Again, I have to say, I don't remember. These were all information that was given to us from our elders.

TI: But do you remember, did you have to pack or anything? Do you remember packing up things?

JN: No, not even the packing, no, I don't remember any of that.

TI: How about leaving the house? Do you remember leaving the house?

JN: Oh, we were going in and out all the time, so I don't remember at that time.

TI: How about the transportation away from the house? Like was there a truck or something that took you, do you remember any of that?

JN: No, don't remember at all how they took us out.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2019 Densho. All Rights Reserved.