<Begin Segment 4>

AL: So by the time, in your lifetime, though, you were born in Showa. And your dad was in the army, what did you know about, how did you hear about that you were at war with America? Like did you hear about Pearl Harbor?

KO: Yeah.

AL: What did you hear? Or how did you hear?

KO: News on the radio and then I was in high school. High school system is different you don't go to local, the good school has entry exam after sixth grade. Then I went to good school too and everybody parents had to pay the tuition. Private school tuition is a little higher. I went to private school, parents paying tuition they send us to the factory, you know, start worker.

AL: So you worked during the war?

KO: Yeah, then you have to catch up and I would study myself, they still had to pay the tuition.

AL: What kind of factory did you work in?

KO: I forgot, such a long time ago.

AL: Was that common for schoolchildren to work?

KO: My time just during the war 'cause all the worker were called in for the service.

AL: So how young of children, like at what age would you start working in a factory during the war?

KO: They ask, show the workers, so asked the school to send the student. I went to private school like I say private school tuition is higher.

AL: Right, yeah.

KO: And then good school has an entry exam first and then on down they even have a song about it.

AL: Right, so how did your life in Japan change during the war? Was your father still gone?

KO: My father was done with war with China.

AL: So he was not in the war with the United States?

KO: No.

AL: How did your life change as the result of the war?

KO: America?

AL: No, the war with America, right.

KO: Oh, I was in high school. Like I saidm I went to private school.

AL: Right.

KO: The tuition's higher than the public school.

AL: Right, better school.

KO: And then they send us to a factory quite a bit. We don't get paid.

AL: Right.

KO: We just... then we had to study alone.

AL: What did you think of America back then during the war? What did you think? Did you think anything about Americans?

KO: No.

AL: That someday you were going to marry one?

KO: No, I never thought about it. But when Japan lost the war, the rumor goes around American's going to come and take over and then the young girls they going to you know, take... rumor goes on so I was so scared, "Let's go out in country," but my parents said they couldn't do that. My father was still working and they didn't have the extra housing in the country or anything, just average family.

AL: So were you afraid of the Americans?

KO: No, the rumor went on young girls, just a rumor but wasn't so.

AL: Do you remember the first time you saw Americans in Japan? I mean, the occupation forces?

KO: Yeah, but it wasn't... not at all. But they took over rich people's big house. I'm sure they got paid but rich people had another house. Rumor goes on that young girls... I said, let's move to country, but my family was just average, they didn't have extra house or anything but it wasn't so.

AL: Right, but you never know.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright &copy; 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.