By Joel C. Nestled within the grandeur of downtown Washington D.C. is the National Japanese American Memorial. Tucked away within the cityscape, if you get caught up in the hustle and bustle walking along New Jersey Avenue, you will miss it. For a full walking tour of the memorial, click this link!

Designed by Davis Buckley and Nina Akamu, with contributions from Paul Matisse, the memorial was unveiled in the summer of 2001 [1]. With roots in a past exhibition at the Smithsonian that honored Japanese Americans, this memorial was birthed by the Go For Broke National Veterans Association which pushed to create a memorial for Japanese Veterans [1]. Ultimately, the memorial was devoted to the Japanese and Japanese Americans who were held in internment camps, here in the U.S., and who served the country during World War 2. Entering from the south, an entire section dedicated to the names of the different internment camps greets you.

Astonishingly, in 1942 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt put Executive Order 9006 in place, over 120,000 Japanese American men, women, and children were removed from their homes in western states and Hawaii [2]. Many Japanese Americans were discriminated against and seen as potential spies that posed a threat to the U.S. during World War 2. Therefore, they were sent to these camps solely based on their race. In the memorial, each camp is lettered in bold on its slab and underneath the name is the location of the camp and the population that resided there. The sheer totality of the slabs of granite allows them to impose their size onto you, and the amount of whitespace on each slab serves two unique purposes. First, the succinctness of only providing name and population gives the reader the ability to understand the magnitude of the events. However, second, the white space and lack of description allow the reader’s mind to wander and explore the haunting reality of each camp and the injustices that were done. The camps were rife with discrimination and deplorable health conditions: buildings meant to house four people often housed upwards of 25 [3]. Discrimination was also found within the military ranks, where Japanese Americans enlisted to serve in battle and labor. Specifically, members of the 1800th Company B oftentimes were deemed un-American and demoted when amassing the courage to speak out against discrimination [4].

After reading the names of each internment camp, the centerpiece of the memorial fully captivates attention—a 14-foot-high sculpture that depicts two cranes wrapped in barbed wire, designed by Nina Akamu.

Akamu drew from her grandfather’s experience in the camps and used the cranes to represent a communal Japanese American effort in enduring the hardships of war. The barbed wire is ensnared within the cranes’ beaks, signifying the effort to break free from the discriminatory nature of the camps and live a life of freedom, without pain, restriction, and condemnation.

Beyond that magnificent sculpture sits a shallow pool with 5 boulders in it. Each boulder signifies a generation of Japanese Americans alive at the time of the creation of the memorial and simultaneously represents some of the homeland islands of Japan [5]. However, arguably the most striking feature of that section is the engraving on the wall of the pool.

There, lies a quote from President Ronald Reagan’s address upon signing the Civil Liberties act in 1988. It reads: “Here we admit a wrong. Here we affirm our commitment as a nation to equal justice under the law.”

Continuing along with the granite slabs, bookended by another two quotes carved into the stone resides the names of every Japanese American casualty who suffered from the fighting of World War 2.

The first quote, from then-President Harry S. Truman, serves as

a great pretext for the names ahead: “You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice – and you won.

Keep up that fight and we will continue to win to make this great Republic stand for what the constitution says it stands for. The welfare of all the people all of the time.” That encapsulates the entire importance of the memorial—remembering not only those Japanese Americans who served our country but also those who suffered from the inequities of this nation. Simultaneously the memorial serves as an apology set in stone while commemorating the courage and sense of duty needed for Japanese Americans to serve in the U.S. military [6].

Immediately following the first quote is a bell with an incredibly modern striking appearance. When rung, the bell resonates a deep almost mournful tone that you can feel within you. This sensation is drawn out and intentionally designed that way by the creator Paul Matisse. Matisse is eloquently quoted explaining that the bell portrays “the natural way of things, a falling away of the grief” [6]. This evokes the sentiments of remembrance and reflection and when paired with the quote at the exit of the memorial an observer will truly understand the implications of this memorial.

Specifically, the quote is from Daniel Inouye, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, and Captain of the 442nd Japanese Regiment combat team and it reads “the lessons learned must remain as a grave reminder of what we must not allow to happen again to any group.” As the last thing a visitor sees, that quote sets a somber tone exiting the memorial and signifies the necessity of continued reflection and remembrance. Buckley intentionally designed this space as a place to move through on either side. Similar to Mattise’s natural way of grief falling away, Buckley utilized the contours of the granite to encourage natural movement. The flow of the memorial symbolizes regeneration, as one came in with their perspective and left with a newfound understanding of Japanese American life during World War 2. A Japanese Tanka poem within the memorial perfectly captures that sentiment: “Japanese by Blood, Hearts and Minds American, With Honor Unbowed, Bore the String of Injustice, For Future Generations.”

Currently, the memorial is owned and maintained by the Federal Government and National Park Service, while the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation utilizes the memorial for educational programming and events [1].

Here is the location of the The National Japanese American Memorial:

Additionally, here are some readings to better understand the historical significance of Japanese American life during and after World War 2:

• The “No-Yes” Men of the 1800th Engineering Battalion | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans depicts what life was like for a lesser known category of Nisei men who served in war labor units. This article attests the men’s heroism and gives a comprehensive understanding of Japanese Americans’ role in World War 2.
• Going for Broke: The 100th Infantry Battalion | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans tells the story of the 100th Infantry Battalion comprised mostly of Nisei men. This unit went on to be one of America’s most decorated units of World War 2.
• The Injustice of Japanese-American Internment Camps Resonates Strongly to This Day | History| Smithsonian Magazine highlights how the past inequities Japanese Americans face still remain today.
• Executive Order 9066: Resulting in Japanese-American Incarceration (1942) | National Archives is a primary source of the executive order used to seize over 120,000 Japanese American men, women, and children, from their homes in the Western U.S. and Hawaii.
• 100th Congress (1987-1988): Civil Liberties Act of 1987 is a piece of legislation that attempted to rectify the injustice done to the Japanese American community.