Japanese-Peruvians interned in US during WW2

[spence]

Thought this might be of interest.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31295270

[rustysi]

Thanks Spence.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

There was Japanese immigration to Peru since the last year of the 19th century. They went to Peru to work on sugar plantations, but their hard work ethics made them prosperous and wealthy in commerce by the 1920s.

They were well treated up until 1930s, where economic depresion and a "Japanese Infiltration" scare campaign brought laws against immigration and economic activities. This ended with a riot and sacking of Japanese immigrant houses and commerces in 1940

There were 26,000 Peruvian-Japanese living by the time of Pearl Harbor strike. Peru broke relations with the Axis power after December 7th and then put severe restrictions to financial and economic activities on foreigers from Axis countries. It also confiscated businesses and properties of Japanese.

In early 1942 Peru agreed to deport to the US around 1,800 citizens. Mostly the community leaders and/ or anyone deemed as "dangerous". This was decided by most Latin American governments to reduce chances of sabotage, while the US gained internees for their hostage exchange program. As you would know, There was significant numbers of American citizens trapped by the Japanese swift advances in the Philippines and East Asia.

Although those that remained in Peru were not maltreated, the anti-Japanese laws remained in place until the 1950s.

[Symon]

Society responds to the 'times'. When unheeded, in rocky ‘times’, it will circle the wagons and view the entire outside world as “them as ain't 'us', is 'them', and too bad for ‘them’”. Society requires leadership, like Nehemiah, to get it through those 'times'. Without that leadership, the 'times' often generate a disproportionate response against a perceived competitor.

Much of South America treated Japanese immigrants with a degree of similarly, but most treated them a bit more gently, recognizing them more as national assets, than potential adversarial agents. Such is the condition of society in mass.

Jorge_Stanbury will know very well that only 50 years after the deportation agreement, Peruvians elected Alberto Fujimori as President. I know he was (still is) a controversial figure, but still .. a Japanese? .. as President of Peru? .. Yet, he was born in Peru and was a Peruvian, despite the efforts of the local 'birthers'.

Perhaps the assumption of pervasive South American racism is simply another aspect of the self-important, progressive journalistic syllabus.

[Symon]

Hi, spence. Didn't want to pull things OT from you. What happened in that period of time, happened. It was real and effected the lives of many people. Truth is not subject to denial. But de Nile be also a river in Egypt. Just wanted to mention that reality, like truth, is quite often relative.

Ciao. JWE