Most AsAmNews readers know that during World War II, the United States government imprisoned as many as 120,000 Japanese Americans just because of their race.
Few people, however, know that after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1,500 Americans of Japanese descent were evicted from their homes and businesses in Hawaii, reports Hawaii News Now.
The newly-released documentary film Removed by Force: the Eviction of Hawaii’s Japanese Americans During WWII shines a light on those families.
The 60-minute film, presented by the Honolulu Chapter of JACL, tells the harrowing journeys of three Japanese families from Oahu forced to navigate through government-issued evictions during World War II.
The families were ousted because they lived near military installations, according to Bill Kaneko, past president of the Honolulu Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.
Hawaii-born Ryan Kawamoto, the film’s director, said he hopes his work helps spread awareness about Japanese and Hawaiian history.
“I do feel like this is sort of my calling,” Kawamoto told the Hawaii Public Radio. “I think it’s very important to share these stories with the world.”
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