Densho Digital Archive
Frank Abe Collection
Title: James Omura Interview I
Narrator: James Omura
Interviewers: Frank Abe (primary); Frank Chin (secondary)
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: December 9, 1990
Densho ID: denshovh-ojimmie-02-0015

<Begin Segment 15>

FA: Okay, so what happened the second afternoon was that you got to meet all the Fair Play Committee, you're having a meeting, they're having a meeting. Is that the first time you got to see them before the trial? I mean, not the first time you've seen them but... anyway, what, what happened?

JO: Well, I was at the Windsor Hotel and Paul Nakadate, one of the Fair Play Committee leaders, stopped by in my, at my room, and says that, "They are holding a meeting at two o'clock, let's go over and get into it." So we went. And as we entered, I could see a crowd of people, large crowd. Now this is the first time I've seen that many people. Different people, too. And when the door closed, I noticed that Wirin was sitting at a desk right against the wall, facing the group. I wasn't following Paul, so Paul went the right-hand side down among the group. And I don't know where he faded to, I lost sight of him. And in the front row there was Emi and some others that I recognized. And at that moment, Emi says, "All right, Tom." Next minute Tom Kawahara stands up. These people I know by recog-, you know, I recognized. And he says to me, "Jim, let's go." So I don't know where we're going but I followed Tom out. And he walks me around this block and that block and across and around and back, see. And at that, and all the time I'm thinking to myself, "What the hell is going on?" And when we finally arrived to the starting point I said to Tom, "I think I'll go to, back to my room." And I just walked off.

FA: What were they doing?

JO: They were holding a meeting.

FA: I mean, what the hell were they doing to you?

JO: Well, giving me a nice walk around. I need the exercise. [Laughs] Well I don't know, they had already planned this ahead, so that when I walked in, why, they decided they didn't want me there, why then, why was I invited by Paul to go? I didn't even know about the meeting. The rest, the rest you have to figure out why they would do a thing like that.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 1990, 2005 Frank Abe and Densho. All Rights Reserved.