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Chapter 11 — Part 3 Nisei and Their College Education〜History of Seattle Nikkei Immigrants from ‘The North American Times’

History of Seattle Nikkei Immigrants from ‘The North American Times’

This series explores the history of the pre-war Japanese community in Seattle, by reviewing articles in “The North American Times,” which have been digitally archived by the University of Washington and Hokubei Hochi Foundation. Publication of this series is a joint project with discovernikkei.org.

By Ikuo Shinmasu
Translation by Mina Otsuka
For The North American Post

‘The North American Times’ was first printed on September 1, 1902, by publisher Kiyoshi Kumamoto from Kagoshima, Kyushu. At its peak, it had a daily circulation of about 9,000 copies, with correspondents in Spokane, Vancouver BC, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. When World War II started, Sumio Arima, the publisher at the time, was arrested by the FBI. The paper was discontinued on March 14, 1942, when the incarceration of Japanese American families began. After the war, the paper was revived as “The North American Post.”

Chapter 11 — Part 3 Nisei and Their College Education

Continuation from Jan. 10, 2025, print issue.

COMPARING COLLEGE STUDENTS IN JAPAN AND AMERICA

Sumiyoshi Arima, president of The North American Times, talked about college students in Japan and the U.S. in his column “Hokubei Shunju” as follows:

“College Students in America and Japan”
(December 13 and 14, 1938 issues)

The great majority of college students in Japan seem to be slacking off. This is because the college system itself is built in a way that lets them pass classes without much work. The reason behind it is they only have one exam at the end of the term. So as long as they cram for the exam hard enough to get a passing score, they are satisfied…Their schools do not have facilities such as common rooms, places to hangout or student clubs, so this leads to nearby mahjong halls and cafes all filled from morning…

College students in America also seem to enjoy their free time but study when they need to study. State universities, in particular, give their students exams more often, so they do not have an easy time.

The conditions at the University of Washington (UW) in recent years seem to have gotten worse.The way the students have fun is quite different as well, but this is probably natural. Japanese act differently on a fundamental level in an institution where males and females do not mingle. However, we cannot state which is better in simple terms. I believe that college students in Japan, not having the freedom and chance to be in relationships, should be taken more seriously as a problem in the future.

CONFERENCE OF JAPANESE AND AMERICAN STUDENTS

The conference of Japanese and American students was first held in Tokyo, Japan in 1934. The second one was held in America in the following year. From then on, it was held alternately in both countries every year until 1940.

▪️The First Conference▪️

“Building Friendship Between Japan and the U.S. Starts with Students”
(August 1, 1934 issue)

For four days starting July 14, the conference of Japanese and American students was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya Public Hall with 77 participants from the U.S. and 60 participants from Japan.

The conference was broadcast on live radio. With the slogan, ‘Building Friendship Between Japan and the U.S. Starts with Students,’ roundtable discussions were held on the following topics in each group of students: economics with 34 students, international issues with 50 students, politics with 16 students, and religion with 30 students.

▪️The Second Conference▪️

“The Conference of Japanese and American Students Takes Place in the U.S.”
(November 8, 1934 issue)

The conference will be held next summer in the U.S. and 100 students from Japan are expected to attend.

▪️The Sixth Conference▪️

“Participants of the Conference of Japanese and American Students Officially Announced”  (July 10,1939 issue)

The conference will start on August 11 at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California. Thirty-four male students and 14 female students will attend from Japan (their schools and names are listed).

“American Friendship at the Conference of Japanese and American Students”
(July 15, 1939 issue)

The 48 students planning to attend the sixth conference of Japanese and American students which will be held for a week starting August 11 at USC met for the first time at the International Students Institute.

The Japanese heard a sincere offer from the American side. The Americans stated they could not only pay for accommodation, but all expenses during the stay and allowances for those in need would be covered. The offer also included the message: “Please send our precious friends.” It was comforting to know this, for when and if the conference is to be held as planned. This is due to some obstacles such as the not-so-great relationship between the two countries today, and the strengthening of currency exchange which reportedly could have canceled the event.

The Japanese were informed of this cordial offer and learned that the conference was made possible with the mediation of the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry was moved by this beautiful friendship shown by America.

We can also see topics of discussion proposed by the Americans are not like the ones discussed at the past conferences, such as literature or art.Instead, we see those rooted in real life: current international problems, economic problems in the Pacific, military and national security, politics and its trends in both Japan and the U.S., working conditions, challenges for students, customs, religion and so on.

This also comes from the Americans’ willingness and thoughtfulness to listen to what Japan honestly has to say especially when it is in a disadvantaged position internationally and is in its barest form.

“Participants of the Conference of Students Leave Los Angeles Today”
(August 23,1939 issue)

After the conference at USC ended on the 18th, participants left on the 23rd. They will visit the Los Angeles Exposition on the 27th, leave San Francisco on the 30th, arrive in Seattle via Portland and board Heian-Maru Ocean liner on September 17 to return to Japan.
There was an article reporting the speeches that were given by the participants of the conference when they visited Seattle on September 12.

“Last Night’s Student Speeches” (September 13, 1939 issue)

Participants from Japan who attended the Conference of Japanese and American Students gave speeches last night at the Japan Hall with 400 people in the audience from in and out of the country.

Educational director Fujihira led the event as the Master of Ceremony. Students gave their speeches one by one, addressing various topics such as the progress and their impression of the Conference of Japanese and American students. They also shared their thoughts on the world in relation to Japan and America, the current situation of women, Japan’s economic development, Japanese economy during wartime, and family life in Japan. Their speeches were full of enthusiasm and passion, and were well-received with a great round of applause.

▪️The Seventh Conference▪️

“The Seventh Student Conference To Be Held in Tokyo This Summer”
(January 31, 1940 issue)

Six students will be sent from UW to Japan leaving San Francisco on July 1. After the one-week conference, they will go on a three-week trip, at the invitation of the Japanese. They will travel around various areas of Japan as well as Manchukuo.

THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON DURING THE JAPAN-U.S. WAR

I found an English article published right before the start of Nikkei (Japanese American) incarceration in 1942 reporting on Nisei students at the UW. Below is a summary.

“UW Campus Nisei Still on the Job” (Front page of the February 27, 1942 issue)

The UW authorities made the following comment today, “Residents are demanding that Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) who work in public schools in the City of Seattle be fired. As for the Nisei who are employed at the UW, however, such action has not been made.

Those Nisei are full-time employees working at among 1700 facilities which hold office employees, on-site workers, and others. Henry F. Tatsumi is a veteran of the U.S. Army from World War I and is currently an associate professor of East Asian Studies. The other five are lecturers at the graduate school. There are either full-time or part-time staff in various departments of the school as office workers.

There was an article about the students at the UW during the war.

“424 Nisei at UW” (March 6, 1942 issue)

According to the report from the UW authorities, 435 Japanese students filed their applications for admission at the beginning of the year, and only 11 of them were Japanese citizens. The rest of them reportedly were all Nikkei citizens… As of now, there is no plan for the school to expel those students.

IN CONCLUSION

There were few Japanese students at the UW around 1919. The number kept increasing and reached 102 in 1926, 250 in 1939, and 435 in 1942; most of them were American-born Nisei. Also, the percentage of female students in 1908 was 0; however, it went up to 25% in 1926 and reached 40% in 1939, which shows that more and more Nisei women went to college as time passed. Nisei children who acquired skills at a university in America overcame various obstacles and made outstanding accomplishments in a number of different fields.


References:
▪️Jyushiro Kato, History of Development of Japanese in the United States, Hakubun-sha, 1908.
▪️Hokubei Nenkan, Hokubei jijisha, 1928.
▪️Kojiro Takeuchi, History of Japanese Immigrants in the Northwestern United States, Taihoku Nippo-sha, 1929.


*The English version of this series is a collaboration between Discover Nikkei and The North American Post, Seattle’s bilingual community newspaper. This article was originally published in Japanese on June 1, 2022, in The North American Post.

Ikuo Shinmasu retired in 2015 from Air Liquide Japan Ltd. then researched his grandfather who migrated to Seattle, Washington. He shared his findings through the series, “Yoemon Shinmasu – My Grandfather’s Life in Seattle,” in  The North American Post and in “Discover Nikkei” in Japanese and English during 2019-2020. He lives in Zushi, Kanagawa, Japan with his wife and son.
Mina Otsuka is a Japanese translator and writer.