Kozono talks about his deployment to the Philippines after the war ended as part of the "Luzon POW Processing Team". As a staff sergeant, and due to his limited ability to speak Japanese, he often had his team conduct interviews while managed the…
Okubo discusses his interpreter experience and interrogation tactics with the Prisoners of War at Palau. Okubo is at Palau for two to three weeks before moving to the next invasion.
The next assignment for Okubo is psychological warfare. He…
Higashino talks about his interpretation and interrogation work. He describes his return to New Delhi. He discusses volunteering to go to China. He talks about his return to the United States. He shares his other memories of South East Asia. He…
Edwin Kawahara recounts his life growing up in Hawaii and the the importance of good education throughout his life. He talks about discriminatory hiring practices and finally finding a good job in the insurance industry. He also shares his…
F. Masuoka discusses his experiences working with Japanese soldiers and civilians in Japan and Korea after Japan's surrender in World War 2. He talks about his role as a military linguist. He also discusses his how he volunteered for U.S. military…
Takabayashi talks about his assignments while he was in the G-2 unit. He describes his first combat experience. He discusses his first interrogation of a prisoner of war. He shares his other memories of his interrogation work. Takabayashi talks about…
Harry Akune recalls meeting his wife in Chicago after the war. He describes his Japanese language training at the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Camp Savage, where they studied Japanese military language. Half-way through his…
Akune continues with his experiences with Japanese prisoners of war. He describes how he preferred to be on the front lines rather than at General Headquarters, and how different interrogation techniques were when preformed on the front lines. He…
Harry Akune continues to talk about his experience with the parachute landing on Corregidor Island -- he had been separated from his team, but was luckily not identified as "the enemy." After Corregidor Island, he was sent to Luzon, where he was…
Harry Fukuhara talks about being stationed on Angel Island on the way to the Pacific Theater. He describes his first experience with interrogating a Japanese prisoner of war, which was during a demonstration for government officials at 6th Army…
During the New Guinea Campaign, Harry Fukuhara was assigned to interrogate a Japanese POW -- who reportedly was giving everyone a hard time. Upon meeting the Japanese officer for interrogation, Harry realized that the prisoner was his childhood…
Kuwabara discusses his experiences at Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS) including the demographics of the graduates and his thoughts on discrimination in the military. He also talks about interrogation techniques taught at MISLS,…
In the first part of Herbert Yanamura's interview, he talks about growing up as a Nisei in the farming community of Kona, Hawaii, his father's emphasis on learning the Japanese language, and his pre-war life. Yanamura also recounts the bombing of…
Hozaki talks about his nickname. He explains why he volunteered for the military. He describes interrogating Prisoners of War (POWs). He discusses his relationships with Mainland Soldiers. He talks about his interactions with civilians while…
Ikeguchi discusses the treatment of Japanese POWs; describes the term "comfort women"; and talks about his experiences during his interrogation assignment. He then talks about his interactions with Japanese POWs; discusses casualties of war; and…
Fukushima discusses tactics that were used when interrogating POWs; talks about his duties as a replacement soldier; and discusses his experiences in Leyte. Fukushima also talks about his experiences in Luzon; the surrender of Japan; duties in Kyoto…
Mr. Yamane discusses shipping out to Washington D.C. on a mission with the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). Arriving in Washington D.C., Mr Yamane helped to translate and create an index for captured Japanese intelligence documents that would…
Kenichi "Ken" Nakagawa shares his family's history, his recollection of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and martial law conditions, particularly for Americans of Japanese descent, on Hawaii after the attack. He also goes into volunteering for the Kiawa…
Akune discusses his experiences interrogating Japanese Prisoners of War (POWs) and assisting the British Army with "flushing" Japanese soldiers and situations in which he faced discrimination in the military.
Nakao discusses his family's forced removal to Tule Lake Incarceration Center, and what it was like visiting them at Tule Lake and at Heart Mountain Incarceration Camp, where they were later sent. He then talks about his time traveling throughout…
Nakao discusses his relationship with his assigned bodyguard, Harold Peterson. He also talks exploring underground caves while on Kiska Island, living in Alaska as a translator, and recalls how he met his wife and got married in Salt Lake City. …
In this interview segment, Mr. Mac Nagata describes translating Japanese correspondence, his time spent in New Caledonia, the Guadalcanal Offensive, and translating Japanese code books. Then, he recalls interrogating Japanese P.O.W.s, fighting…
Masaji Inoshita explains the possible economic motivations of the forced removal of Japanese Americans. He talks about Fort Snelling. He discusses his time in Military Intelligence Service Language School. He describes his journey to the Pacific,…
Peter Nakahara recalls his time training for the Military Intelligence Unit at Camp Savage, Minnesota. He also goes into details about the circumstances and whereabouts of his family while he was in training. Finally, he discusses more of his…
In this oral history interview, Raymond Aka talks about his early childhood in Hawaii and his subsequent move to Okinawa and attending school in Japan. After returning to America, Aka describes his time in high school, working in California, and his…
Foote discusses his experiences after the Gothic Line surrender: taking in German troops as prisoners of war (POWs); duties after European surrender. He gives particular detail on the various minefields he and his troop encountered. He also mentions…
Kimura talks about his experiences as an interrogator throughout the war, speaking with Japanese prisoners of war and trying to get as much information as possible. He talks about finding a piece of paper which showed the date and location of an…
Roy Kouke describes his childhood in Hawaii, the bombing of Pearl Harbor during his high school years, and volunteering for the labor corps. He goes into his work for the USED motor pool, draft deferment, finally being drafted and receiving basic…
Mr. Watanabe first discusses where he was born and raised, and talks about his passion for music, which included a career as a musician. Leading a unique military career, Mr. Watanabe served in the 442nd and the MIS, before he was finally assigned to…
Mr. Watanabe discusses the importance of Nisei storytelling and committing these stories to tape through oral histories. He next describes what it was like coming back to Hawaii after the war and talks about the important event of Hawaiian statehood.…
In the second part of his oral history interview, Samuel Harano recounts the constant skirmishes with the Japanese as they moved through the Burma jungle and interrogating prisoners. In particular, he goes into the importance of translating captured…
Seian Hokama describes his family's history, his childhood growing up in Okinawa, and his return to Hawaii as a young adult. Hokama recounts being drafted into the military before Pearl Harbor and being recruited for the Military Intelligence Service…
Yamamoto discusses his interactions with Japanese prisoners and their mindset. He details about the 6th Army landing in in the Philippines. Yamamoto also discusses experiences with Kamikaze attacks and heading to Japan.
Toyoda discusses how he met his wife and getting married. He detail about how Nisei soldiers were treated and being assigned to New Caledonia. Toyoda also discusses about his experiences interrogating Japanese Prisoners of War (POW).
Thomas Sakamoto talks about his experience as a Military Intelligence Service linguist. His responsibilities were to translate captured Japanese documents and interrogated Japanese prisoners of war. He explains the conditions of jungle warfare in the…
Victor Abe talks about his graduation from Military Intelligence School and his subsequent journey to Australia to become a translator of captured Japanese documents. Finding the duty in Australia unexciting he volunteers to be a document translator…
In the second part of his interview, Wallace Nagao details the work he did helping the British Army in Burma, his experience meeting Admiral Mountbatten, and hearing about the Japanese surrender. He also recounts his time post-surrender in…
Tsuneishi discusses a diary he leaves behind in Hawaii before going overseas. Tsuneishi's first campaign is in the Philippines, he helps translate capture documents that the GI found on the front line. Another duty is translation and interrogating…
Aka discusses volunteering for the service, his experiences at Camp Shelby, and being transferred to the military Intelligence Service (MIS). Aka also discusses about his first assignment, interrogation, and experiences Saipan.
