When we think about the relationship the United States has with Japan today, our first thoughts usually go to their cuisine, technology, pop culture like anime, and traditions that might be considered the exact opposite of ours. Many of these things have found their way into the American way of life. As a result, however, we tend to see the entire Japanese culture as something meant solely for our entertainment. No one stops to think about how we are basically taking a group of people and dehumanizing them, dividing them up and labeling them for the sake of our own interests. We must ensure that we consider the myriad facets of Japanese-American life and celebrate them not just for the reasons we choose, but for the entire picture of their culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayIt is because of the American choice that Japanese Americans have a storied and troubling history here. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the U.S. War Department put forward the idea that Japanese Americans could act as agents of espionage or sabotage. They perceived the Japanese people as a threat simply because their point of view was based on limited knowledge. (The Japanese mercilessly attacked Pearl Harbor, so all Japanese, including Americans, are ruthless killing machines willing to do anything, even die, for their home country... right?) Despite a rather lack With little evidence for this claim, approximately 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent were forcibly imprisoned in what were called “internment camps” along the West Coast. The fact of the matter is that approximately two-thirds of those prisoners were actually second-generation native-born citizens, known as “Nisei” within the Japanese community. Unlike their parents, known as “Issei,” who were the first generation in the United States, these 80,000 Nisei acted and considered themselves totally Americans. Despite all this, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt continued to enforce Executive Order 9066. In short, this executive order gave the U.S. military the right to remove people from military areas “as deemed necessary or desirable,” and the law For the time being the entire West Coast was considered a “military zone.” Although the order did not specifically name Japanese Americans, it was quite obvious that those were the only people targeted (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). The camps lasted up to three years and their conditions were initially meant to emulate the situation that a lower ranking member of the army was provided, however the cruel reality was that they were much worse. Often surrounded by barbed wire, the camps were loosely converted from military barracks, but there was no plumbing or cooking facilities, and a room intended for four people was often filled with at least 25 people. It's not like they could try to make a living. the space felt more like a home rather than a prison because they were told to leave all their belongings behind except one suitcase. Many people were even forced to undertake the journey with only the clothes they were wearing. “Shikata ga nai,” meaning “nothing can be done,” was a phrase often used by people in the camps to summarize their feelings toward the conditions of the situation. Although many years had passed since the conclusion of World War II, the United States recognized that the internment of the Japanese people was a cruel act of injustice. In the.