Densho Digital Archive - Jim Tsujimura Interview (denshovh-tjim

<Begin Segment 12>

MR: Listening to the years, 1979 is when you voted to form a, try to form a commission, and 1988 was when President Reagan signed the redress bill. What was going on in those nine years?

JT: Well, from '80 to '82, I ran for national president and was elected, and I took redress and U.S./Japan relations with me as a select committee, so I could continue to work with the redress committee. We spent most of our time on education and coming up with the history of what had happened, personal histories of what happened to them, but all along working towards a successful redress bill.

MR: Was it a continual progress, or did you ever feel like it might not happen?

JT: Earlier, but after the commission was formed and they came out with their, what they thought was right and their conclusions, after that, no. I felt much more relieved, and that we had a much better chance to pass any kind of bill through Congress. I must say that the history, what the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and later we were to be informed of what the MIS or the Military Intelligence Service were 6000 Japanese American service in the Pacific Theater. But with that history, I think that had a great deal to do with the success of our bill and educating our congressmen. There were so many that didn't know that it even occurred. So that and the Japanese Americans serving in Congress; Senator Inouye, Senator Matsunaga, then Congressmen Matsui and Secretary of Transportation, Norm Mineta. They all had a great deal to do with the passage. I recall seeing and hearing Senator Matsunaga as he was speaking to his colleagues on the floor, and he was crying. I'll never forget that speech. So it was everything put together, tied together.

MR: How did you feel when you saw that speech?

JT: Well, very sad, and it was coming from his heart. It made me cry. But it was where they were, what they said along with the commission, and what the most decorated unit, the 442nd, in their short time they were formed, and a number of presidential citation they received. The injuries as I heard was over 300 percent casualties out of that Regimental Combat Team, and of course more recently, Senator Inouye receiving the Medal of Honor. Now all that put together went towards the success of redress. Now since then, because one of the things that we didn't want to ever occur to any other race was that it almost happened, not only once, but twice. During the Iranian crisis, one of the senators was going to introduce a bill to run up all Iranian Americans just like they did to us. We told them, no. It should never happen again. It almost happened with Iraq, the Iraqi Americans. We told them, no. So I believe it was Senator Inouye who said, "Don't ever forget your past; otherwise, you're going to make the same mistakes again," how true.

MR: Yes. Now you were chairman, national president the whole time this was, well --

JT: Well from '80 to '82, then I was on the legislative education committee which was the redress arm of JACL. I was on that organization until 1988 when President [Reagan] signed the bill, and I resigned. I took myself off the committee because I felt it was a little too large, and we will be spending too much and meeting and all that, so I resigned.

MR: Did you do anything behind the scenes to help with the passage of the bill?

JT: Well, it was already passed in '88.

MR: Before, before the bill passed?

JT: Before the bill passed, yes. JACL was working on redress all along, and we spent so much money. I don't think the Japanese American committee knows how much we really spent. In fact I, myself, had spent so much that when I receive my twenty thousand dollar bill, that only paid for a little of what came out of my own pocket. But I felt that it was a worthwhile cause.

MR: Can you tell me how much the JACL did spend?

JT: Oh, millions.

MR: Where was the funding coming from?

JT: From our membership. And non-members, they would be contributing to us. But that is one of the reasons why national JACL is having financially difficulty now. But it was a worthwhile cause.

MR: Did you ever testify before Congress or --

JT: Yes. In Washington, D.C. and in front of the commission when they were, they came to Seattle, so twice.

MR: What was it like to testify before Congress?

JT: Nervous. When you're in front of people that you only hear, this was the United States Congress, and you are in their building and their hearing room, and that's an awesome feeling. But all that time was worthwhile spending.

MR: When you were sitting in that hearing room, did part of you think about that eleven year old boy?

JT: I really didn't, but I thought about my parents, that they had passed on and so many others who really deserved what was coming, and I only hope that my parents are smiling down at me.