Title: Japanese Americans in military during World War II | Densho Encyclopedia
Headings: Japanese Americans in military during World War II
Category
Table of Contents
Japanese Americans in military during World War II
Contents
Before the War
World War II
Aftermath
For More Information
Footnotes

Content: Though they mostly served in the segregated 442nd Regimental Combat Team and its predecessor, the 100th Infantry Battalion , others served as translators and interpreters in the Military Intelligence Service . Because of the unique role they played during and after the war, Japanese American war veterans continue to play an influential role in the community. Contents
1 Before the War
2 World War II
3 Aftermath
4 For More Information
5 Footnotes
Before the War
As was the case with many minority groups, Japanese Americans viewed military service as an avenue to upward mobility. As historian Brenda Moore writes, "racial and ethnic minorities were afforded no more rights than noncitizens; many served in the armed services with the expectation of attaining the citizenship rights denied them..." Large scale Japanese migration to Hawai'i began in 1885 and to the continental U.S. soon after. Japanese migrants soon found themselves the target of an anti-Japanese movement that saw a variety of legal restrictions promulgated against them. One of the most vexing was the denial of naturalization rights, eliminating one of the standard avenues by which immigrants had been able to protect their rights. As early as the Spanish American War, some Japanese immigrants volunteered for military service as an avenue to gaining citizenship. America's entrance into World War I saw the first large-scale military service by Japanese Americans. Making up over one-third of the population of Hawaii by this time, Japanese Americans were among the first to enlist.