By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
Keith Kawamoto couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Right in front of him near his Culver City, California home was a four door sedan with Kansas plates and the letters J-A-P emblazoned across the license plate. J-A-P spells “Jap,” a racial slur used to describe Japanese Americans even before World War II.
His shock gave way to anger. His instincts prompted him to snap a quick photo.
Just as shocking to him was the significance of the number that preceded the racial slur-442. Many Japanese American gave their lives fighting for the United States during World War II as part of the the 442 Infantry Regiment in the U.S. Army. Ironically, the term “Jap” was largely popularized during that war.
“I found out this was not a personalized plate, but a standard license plate issued by the state of Kansas,” said Kawamoto to AsAmNews. “What are the chances of that particular sequence of numbers appearing on the same plate as that arrangement of letters then having “me” follow it down the street thousands of miles from where it was issued? The chances of that happening randomly are totally unfathomable! I believe that I was meant to see it and do something about it to “right a wrong.”
Kawamoto is a third generation Japanese American, born and raised in Chicago, lived in Queens and now in Southern California. He’s also a member of the Japanese American Citizens League and couldn’t just let the car go by without doing something about it. He later fired off a number of letters.
“I explained that the term “Jap” is a very derogatory racial slur and is extremely offensive to many people. I also told them the story of the 442nd. I eventually received a letter of apology from the state of Kansas, which I appreciated, however I wanted to go further and have all of the plates bearing that racial slur recalled and taken off the street.
He wrote various state officials, even the Governor, imposing a deadline to remove the plates by October 9.
”My request was ignored.”
An article in the Pacific Citizen about Kawamoto’s efforts caught the attention of Kansas resident Barbara Johnson, a Japanese American. She too began writing letters backing Kawamoto’s demands. Kawamoto then filed a formal complaint with federal officials.
The decision to recall 731 license plates using the racial slur came down earlier this month.
“We do take these types of complaints very seriously and appreciate that it was brought to our attention,” said Rachel Whitten, spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Revenue.
“I did this for us all.” said Kawamoto. “I did it for our parents and their parents. I did it for our children and their children, for all future generations, for all people! Look at the “double standard” here, what do you think would happen if a car were to drive down the street with the “N-word” emblazoned across it’s plate? Do you think it would get a reaction or just be ignored like the “J-word”? We deserve the same respect, everyone deserves the same respect.”
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.