National Coalition for Redress and Reparations Statement on Redress for Japanese Americans

1980

This is the official position of the grassroots organization that won redress and reparations, the National Coalition of Redress/Reparations from 1980. The NCRR continues today in Los Angeles as Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress - ed.

On July 12, 1980, individuals and organizations from Japanese communities from throughout the nation met and formed the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations (NCRR). The NCRR is an active coalition coordinating a nationwide campaign for justice.

The NCRR has two major aims: (1) To seek restitution for losses and injuries suffered by Nikkei (persons of Japanese ancestry) and others who were unjustly evacuated and incarcerated by the U.S. government during World War II, and (2) to seek preventive steps to insure that similar racist acts and violations of constitutional rights will never occur again.

On November 15, 1980, the NCRR sponsored a conference that presented educational, cultural and legal workshops. Over 400 attendees developed strategies for future activities around the campaign for redress and formally adopted principles of unity.

Background to the Redress/Reparations Issue

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the immediate evacuation and incarceration of 120,000 Nikkei.

The U.S. government used the pretext of "military necessity" to justify the racist imprisonment of the Japanese, the majority being U.S. citizens. No such roundup of Germans and Italians occurred. For the next four years, Japanese lived in barracks under military guard. The ten concentration camps which housed them were located in the most desolate and remote areas of the United States.

Aside from what they carried in by hand, all personal possessions were left behind. Homes, farms and businesses were lost; bank accounts were frozen; educational and career opportunities were disrupted; and cultural and community ties were destroyed. An estimate by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank stated that $400 million worth of property losses alone occurred, expressed in 1942 dollars.

In Alaska, the government conducted a similar crime in the evacuation of natives of the Aleutian Islands. Here again, "military necessity" caused the Aleuts to be taken from their homes and interned in abandoned fish canneries and mines which lacked medical and sanitary facilities. When finally released, they found their historic communities destroyed.

The excuse given for the Japanese internment was that of security, suspicion of disloyalty and possibly espionage. Yet, not one Japanese was ever proven to be engaged in such acts and reparation has never been made for the suffering brought by the incarceration.

Principles of Unity and Goals of the NCRR

The following principles were adopted at the NCRR Conference on November 15, 1980, as guides to action.

1. REDRESS/REPARATIONS MEANS MONETARY COMPENSATION TO ALL INDIVIDUALS OR THEIR HEIRS WHO SUFFERED EVACUATION AND/OR INCARCERATION. No sum of money can approach complete compensation for the tremendous social~ economic and psychological trauma or the violation of constitutional rights. But meaningful restitution on the part of the U.S. government is imperative and must include monetary compensation to individuals.

The exact amount to be sought will be determined on the basis of information and documentation of losses to the Nikkei community by the government and all other relevant documents which may be used in this determination. Compensation must also include persons evacuated from Central and South American countries, Hawaii, Alaskan Aleuts and others forcibly removed from their homes by the U.S. government. The first generation Issei are to be given immediate priority for direct payments as most are elderly.

2. REDRESS/REPARATIONS MEANS RESTITUTION TO THE JAPANESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN THE FORM OF A COMMUNITY FUND THE EXACT USE OF WHICH TO BE DETERMINED BY THE NEEDS OF EACH RESPECTIVE COMMUNITY. The purpose of this fund shall be to counteract theeffects of the incarceration of the Japanese American communities. This couldtake the form of funding the development of low cost housing for the Issei and Nisei (second generation), funding needed social and health services andcultural and educational projects. This "Japanese Community Trust Fund" shall be created by appropriations from Congress as well as by unclaimed or donatedindividual payments.

3. REDRESS/REPARATIONS MEANS EXPOSING THE RACISM OF AND OVERTURNING THE LEGAL BASIS THAT HAS JUSTIFIED THE EVACUATION AND THE CAMPS. Overturning the legal basis through Congressional or legal action will serve as a deterrent to the reinstitution of the concentration camps in the future. The government should return the FBI and government files on internees since this information has been and can still be used against people. We shall also investigate legal avenues and keep in touch with other groups doing similar suits.

4. REDRESS/REPARATIONS MEANS SUPPORTING OTHERS WHO HAVE OR ARE SUFFERING FROM UNJUST ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. We seek to work with others to insure that they will understand and support our efforts. Likewise, we will support efforts of groups such as Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Blacks, Chicanos and others struggling for reparations and justice.

5. REDRESS/REPARATIONS MEANS THAT WE SEEK THE EDUCATION OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SO THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS MAY LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST AND NOT KNOWINGLY ALLOW THEM TO HAPPEN AGAIN. It is during times of crisis that extra steps must be taken to guarantee the democratic rights of all individuals. We seek to incorporate the lessons of the camps into the American educational process as a way to insure that similar acts will not be taken in the future against an identifiable group.

Future Plans

The NCRR seeks to work with all groups and individuals who want to contribute to winning redress and reparations and agree with these principles. We will be working on educational outreach and mobilizing for the hearings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. This commission was created by act of Congress and was initiated by the Japanese American Citizens League. The Commission is mandated to investigate the Japanese and Aleutian evacuation and internment and to recommend appropriate remedies.

The NCRR will also pursue legal and educational research, holding community and house meetings and carrying out an national petition drive.

We urge everyone interested to contact our Regionals and become members of the coalition.

For more information, contact:

National Coalition of Redress/Reparations (NCRR)
c/o Little Tokyo Peoples' Rights Organization (LTPRO)
244 South San Pedro
Suite #406
Los Angeles, CA 90012