66:
127:
363:
odds, and so did these people. This was wartime, conditions were all against them, but they had a belief in what they did. In fact, the only Nisei draft resistance case favorable to the defendants came out of the Tule Lake
Segregation Center, in Northern California. Judge Louis Earl Goodman championed the 27 draft resisters of conscience and dismissed the case based on a due process violation of the U.S. Constitution.
25:
348:(JACL) became the de facto leadership for people of Japanese ancestry, when the natural leaders, the Issei (first generation Japanese) parents were taken into custody by the U.S. government. The Nisei (second generation, American citizens) took a stand in contradistinction to their Japanese non-citizen parents and conformed with the discriminatory policies of the leadership of the United States.
332:
during the removal of people of
Japanese ancestry from the west coast of the United States. Those who were unable to relocate were sent to hastily constructed 'Projects' known as War Relocation Centers (WRC) which served as way-stations for those who found residency elsewhere, but were concentration
362:
Omura: I admire the resisters a great deal, because of their courage and the firmness of their stand, and the fact they were willing to fight overwhelming odds, knowing that they had very little opportunity to win. Because I always admire people who pursued noble endeavors or resisted overwheling
371:
James Omura was arrested on July 20, 1944, for conspiracy to counsel draft evasion. Although a
Wyoming grand jury indicted him, he was acquitted on November 1, 1944, on his first amendment right to free speech as a newspaperman. Judge T. Blake Kennedy confessed to defense attorney Sidney Jacobs
392:
Consequently, James Omura was exiled after the war by the
Japanese community, until the 1980s, for having authored anti-JACL articles during the war. Some may argue that James Omura is still in exile to this day for his marked absence from any exhibit (permanent or temporary) in the
409:
In 1989 James Omura was awarded the
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian American Journalists Association. In 1994, James Omura received the Fighting Spirit Award from the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR) (formerly, National Coalition for Redress/Reparations).
283:
When James was six, his mother became ill and returned to Japan with the three youngest children. When the three older children were given the option of going to Japan with their mother, they chose to stay in the United States for fear they could never return.
313:
Following the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the question of the loyalty of the Nisei to the United States had been a huge issue, culminating in the decision to incarcerate all persons of Japanese ancestry in American concentration camps.
317:
Omura stated before the select committee of the 77th House of
Representatives, that he was opposed to the mass incarceration of all American citizens of Japanese descent, based on inconclusive proof of their loyalty to the United States.
384:
took toward the forced resettlement and the drafting of Nisei soldiers from the concentration camps. After the war, the
Japanese community shifted their opinion in favor of the brave soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the
534:
Hansen, Arthur A., and Betty
Kulberg Mitson. Voices Long Silent: An Oral Inquiry into the Japanese American Evacuation. Fullerton: Japanese American Project, California State University, Fullerton Oral History Program,
298:, based in San Francisco, CA, when he gave testimony before the Tolan Committee National Defense Migration Hearings before the Select Committee Investigating National Defense Migration on February 23, 1942.
260:. Subsequently, he became a vocal champion of the Nisei draft resisters, providing a 'substantial anchor' to the work of the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee by publishing their grievances in the
359:
Hansen: If you were to be asked to erect a hall of fame for
Japanese Americans who, during the last fifty or sixty years, have made a mark that you can respect, who would be in that group for you?
305:
in October 1940 with his own income. The objective of this magazine was to present the Nisei fairly and justly, to counterbalance the propaganda of the Japanese newspapers and Japanese community.
548:
464:'An interview with James M. Omura, Conducted by Arthur A. Hansen, on August 22–25, 1984, for the California State University, Fullerton, Oral History Program, Japanese American Project'
431:'An Interview with James M. Omura, Conducted by Arthur A. Hansen, on August 22–25, 1984, for the California State University, Fullerton, Oral History Program, Japanese American Project'
558:
553:
256:. He was an outspoken critic of the expulsion of people of Japanese ancestry from the west coast of the United States to concentration camps, following the Japanese attack on
451:'Peculiar Odyssey: Newsman Jimmie Omura's Removal from and Regeneration within Nikkei Society, History, and Memory' by Arthur A. Hansen, in Louis Fiset and Gail Nomura, eds.
485:
Arthur Hansen, as a panelist discussing 'A Community Divided: Three Personal Stories of Resistance', a film by Momo Yashima, screened at JANM on 7/21/2012.
268:(JACL) preached passive conformity with the federal government as the best policy, Omura became the JACL's arch-enemy for counseling active resistance.
623:
351:
Omura published articles opposing this passive-aggressive stance of the JACL, for which he was singled-out as 'Public Enemy Number One of the JACL'.
638:
618:
648:
633:
372:
that if the defendant had been convicted by the jury, he would have sustained it, even though he would be reversed by a higher court.
280:, in the state of Washington. He was one of six children born to father Tsurumatsu Matsumoto and mother Harue (née Higashi).
519:
389:, in effect endorsing the position of the JACL - the organization which pushed for the drafting of the incarcerated Nisei.
191:
163:
643:
628:
394:
345:
265:
228:
210:
108:
52:
336:
At this Denver newspaper, Omura did yeoman service, by becoming the sole public voice of dissent for his community.
170:
538:
Chin, Frank. Born in the USA: A Story of Japanese America, 1889-1947. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.
75:
148:
177:
386:
144:
38:
531:
Hansen, Arthur A. Japanese American World War II Evacuation Oral History Project. Westport: Meckler, 1991.
159:
453:
Nikkei in the Pacifice Northwest: Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians in the Twentieth Century
398:
137:
79:
509:
613:
608:
570:
90:
8:
184:
579:
575:
515:
277:
329:
44:
380:
During World War II, Japanese community opinion sided with the critical stand the
602:
339:
257:
253:
244:(November 17, 1912 – June 20, 1994) was the English language editor of the
585:
440:
333:
camps for the majority who could not find alternative accommodation.
126:
86:
249:
494:'Characters: Conscience and the Constitution' PBS website.
340:
Expulsion of the Japanese race from the west coast states
511:
Ripples Of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches
151:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
455:. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2005.
600:
427:
425:
423:
294:James Omura was the editor and publisher of
53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
507:
441:James Omura's testimony to Tolan Committee
420:
89:. Please do not remove this message until
624:People from Bainbridge Island, Washington
229:Learn how and when to remove this message
211:Learn how and when to remove this message
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
354:
328:On March 29, 1942, James Omura moved to
85:Relevant discussion may be found on the
601:
639:American journalists of Asian descent
619:American writers of Japanese descent
149:adding citations to reliable sources
120:
59:
18:
649:Journalists from Washington (state)
554:James M. Omura interview references
13:
501:
476:, 56 F. Supp. 716 (N.D. Cal 1944).
308:
14:
660:
634:20th-century American journalists
564:
474:United States v. Masaaki Kuwabara
395:Japanese American National Museum
346:Japanese American Citizens League
276:James Omura was born in Winslow,
266:Japanese American Citizens League
34:This article has multiple issues.
586:"Densho interviews: James Omura"
125:
64:
23:
321:
287:
136:needs additional citations for
42:or discuss these issues on the
559:James M. Omura interview index
514:. Basic Books. pp. 174–.
488:
479:
467:
458:
445:
434:
1:
413:
387:442nd Regimental Combat Team
271:
242:James Yutaka Matsumoto Omura
7:
91:conditions to do so are met
10:
665:
644:Journalists from Colorado
629:American male journalists
404:
366:
549:James M. Omura interview
375:
527:(subscription required)
508:Gottheimer, J. (2009).
399:Los Angeles, California
264:. At a time when the
571:Fighting Spirit Award
355:Nisei draft resisters
145:improve this article
252:, Colorado, during
78:of this article is
16:American journalist
580:Stanford Libraries
576:James Omura Papers
521:978-0-7867-4765-8
278:Bainbridge Island
239:
238:
231:
221:
220:
213:
195:
119:
118:
111:
57:
656:
595:
593:
592:
528:
525:
495:
492:
486:
483:
477:
471:
465:
462:
456:
449:
443:
438:
432:
429:
330:Denver, Colorado
234:
227:
216:
209:
205:
202:
196:
194:
153:
129:
121:
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
68:
67:
60:
49:
27:
26:
19:
664:
663:
659:
658:
657:
655:
654:
653:
599:
598:
590:
588:
584:
567:
526:
522:
504:
502:Further reading
499:
498:
493:
489:
484:
480:
472:
468:
463:
459:
450:
446:
439:
435:
430:
421:
416:
407:
378:
369:
357:
342:
326:
311:
309:Tolan Committee
292:
274:
235:
224:
223:
222:
217:
206:
200:
197:
154:
152:
142:
130:
115:
104:
98:
95:
84:
69:
65:
28:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
662:
652:
651:
646:
641:
636:
631:
626:
621:
616:
611:
597:
596:
582:
573:
566:
565:External links
563:
562:
561:
556:
551:
545:
544:
540:
539:
536:
532:
529:
520:
503:
500:
497:
496:
487:
478:
466:
457:
444:
433:
418:
417:
415:
412:
406:
403:
377:
374:
368:
365:
356:
353:
341:
338:
325:
320:
310:
307:
301:Omura founded
291:
286:
273:
270:
237:
236:
219:
218:
133:
131:
124:
117:
116:
72:
70:
63:
58:
32:
31:
29:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
661:
650:
647:
645:
642:
640:
637:
635:
632:
630:
627:
625:
622:
620:
617:
615:
612:
610:
607:
606:
604:
587:
583:
581:
577:
574:
572:
569:
568:
560:
557:
555:
552:
550:
547:
546:
542:
541:
537:
533:
530:
523:
517:
513:
512:
506:
505:
491:
482:
475:
470:
461:
454:
448:
442:
437:
428:
426:
424:
419:
411:
402:
400:
396:
390:
388:
383:
373:
364:
360:
352:
349:
347:
337:
334:
331:
324:
319:
315:
306:
304:
299:
297:
290:
285:
281:
279:
269:
267:
263:
259:
255:
251:
248:newspaper in
247:
243:
233:
230:
215:
212:
204:
201:February 2017
193:
190:
186:
183:
179:
176:
172:
169:
165:
162: –
161:
160:"James Omura"
157:
156:Find sources:
150:
146:
140:
139:
134:This article
132:
128:
123:
122:
113:
110:
102:
99:February 2017
92:
88:
82:
81:
77:
71:
62:
61:
56:
54:
47:
46:
41:
40:
35:
30:
21:
20:
589:. Retrieved
510:
490:
481:
473:
469:
460:
452:
447:
436:
408:
391:
382:Rocky Shimpo
381:
379:
370:
361:
358:
350:
343:
335:
327:
323:Rocky Shimpo
322:
316:
312:
303:Current Life
302:
300:
296:Current Life
295:
293:
289:Current Life
288:
282:
275:
262:Rocky Shimpo
261:
258:Pearl Harbor
254:World War II
246:Rocky Shimpo
245:
241:
240:
225:
207:
198:
188:
181:
174:
167:
155:
143:Please help
138:verification
135:
105:
96:
74:
50:
43:
37:
36:Please help
33:
614:1912 births
609:1994 deaths
603:Categories
591:2021-06-14
578:housed at
543:Interviews
414:References
171:newspapers
76:neutrality
39:improve it
272:Childhood
87:talk page
45:talk page
80:disputed
185:scholar
518:
405:Awards
367:Arrest
250:Denver
187:
180:
173:
166:
158:
535:1974.
376:Exile
192:JSTOR
178:books
516:ISBN
344:The
164:news
73:The
397:in
147:by
605::
422:^
401:.
48:.
594:.
524:.
232:)
226:(
214:)
208:(
203:)
199:(
189:·
182:·
175:·
168:·
141:.
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
93:.
83:.
55:)
51:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
