Densho Digital Repository - Katsugo Miho Interview VII (Densho ID: ddr-densho-1022-7-11)

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MN: You know, like when you were in the legislature, there's a lot of wheeling and dealing to get things to cross over or to get approvals. To what extent did being a veteran figure into it, into your relationships and being able to make things happen?

KM: It played a big part, especially the ties of the 442 veterans. We had very strong ties among ourselves. Not only political arena, but at that time, I forgot how many of the 442 and 100th veterans were in the legislature. But they were a dominating factor in politics, in 1955 on. Even after that, in government aspects, I forgot the number of veterans who were judges at one time. Judgeship alone, we had a whole slew of 442 veterans or 100th Infantry veterans as judges.

MN: You were saying even among your artillerymen...

KM: My Field Artillery, 522 Field Artillery, we had Judge Hiroshi Kato, Judge Clinton Shiraishi. And in my battery alone, my very good friends Ed Nakamura, associate supreme court justice. Edwin Honda, with whom the three of us spent three close years in the same battery, so to speak. That was it, but that was the artillery group alone. But then in the infantry, you had a whole bunch of others who were, counting from Masato Doi to Matsy Takabuki, all the bunch of politicians and judges. But throughout the islands, we had these contacts, and so their influence on all things was very much influenced by veterans.

MN: Since you're an active member of the 442nd Club, how active was the 442nd Club in politics?

KM: The club itself had absolutely no right to get involved in politics. You were a nonprofit charitable organization, you cannot get involved as a club in politics. And all of the years that I have been a member of the 442 as a charter member, it was basically a great concern that at no time with the club, officially get involved as a club in politics. Lately we've had a couple of instances when a individual would say, put out an ad and put down, "Member of 442nd Veterans Club." And that's strictly done on an individual basis, but it is borderline because the club didn't have to disclaim the fact that the club, as a club, was involved in politics. And so you never see any endorsement pictures or anybody as an officer of the club, or using the name of the club as an endorsement. This is one of the very... and just recently there was an article about Internal Revenue getting into all these non-charitable organizations getting involved in politics. This is of great concern because one of the reasons why we are tax-exempt is because we are not involved in politics.

MN: So historically only as individuals...

KM: Only as individuals, the members. Not as a result, but there were a few of us who were Republican candidates who were involved. But the great majority of them were of the Democratic party.