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At the outbreak of WWII, on December 7th of 1941, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour instigated a prosecution of Japanese citizens across the United States, which reverberated into its allies in Canada and South America. Although not nearly as brutal or deadly as the Holocaust, which perhaps is the reason why the Japanese persecution is so little known, it nonetheless involved an inexcusable stripping of the dignity and rights of citizens of a whole continent.

Most of the time, for South American countries, this manifested into exile from the continent, to go to internment or labor camps in the United States or Canada, or else being forcefully sent back to Japan.

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On December 7th, 1941, Japan launched a bombing attack on the American Navy. This resulted in over 2,004 American deaths and destroyed or severely damaged 19 U.S. ships, including 8 battleships.

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USS West Virginia Pearl Harbor Attack - Naval History and Heritage Command, 97398-3

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Japanese Brazilian people working as land workers 

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In Brazil the incarceration and racism against Japanese and Japanese descendant people is usually unknown.

Victims reported that schools were closed, communication blocked and even restrained from travelling.

Then, after the Pearl Harbour attack, Japanese Brazilian were prohibited to read write or learn Japanese to prevent rebellion and attacks. These measure taken by the Brazilian government were considered "legitimised by the nationalism of that period"

Finally, the Japanese usually came from the poor northeastern region looking for better opportunities. They ended up working of coffee farms in very poor conditions.

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Image one (Barracks at the Minidoka Relocation Center). Image two (Japanese American detention camp band).

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Most people that were interned there were from many different locations, such as Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington (Friends of Minidoka).

First things that arriving internees noticed were no running water and no sewage system.

Hot and dry climate, the land is also described as alien and desolate by some internees . Temperatures during the summer could reach up to 40 °C. Winter conditions were harsh, with temperatures dropping to as low as -29 °C (Friends of Minidoka).

In January 1945, internees were allowed to leave the camp. In October of that year, the camp closed (Friends of Minidoka).

The first image shows barracks of the internment camp. Some of the landscape described by the internees can be seen in the image.

The second image shows the Norakuro band formed by Roy Matsunaga. The internees resorted to different activities to make life at the camps easier. At the Minidoka Internment camp there were two elementary schools, a highschool. There were activities that internees formed such as choir, band, orchestra, and sports.

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Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, Road 19, Powell, WY, USA

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First image shows winter in the Heart Mountain internment camp, the second image (1945) shows a crowd giving their goodbyes to a departing group of internees.

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Image one: Winters were cold and windy due to the location of the camp. The summers were hot and dry. Small amount of precipitation annually.

Image two: After the internees were able to leave the camps. The image shows a large crowd standing by the train, saying goodbye to other internees leaving.

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• Peru was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with Japan.
• Japanese families began to arrive in Peru as early as 1899.
• The Japanese-Peruvian families arrived to work on farms but later emigrated to the cities.
• Peruvians had resentment towards the Japanese Peruvian and labeled tem as "besital" and "untrustworthy"
• After the Pearl Harbour attack, the Peruvian Government feared Japanese occupation on the Republic of Peru. Thus, the Japanese-Peruvian were sent to the concentration camps in the USA.

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- 6th of August, 1945
- Atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States in an effort to force Japan's surrender
- Was chosen since it was home to the 2nd Army headquarters
- Estimated 70,000-80,000 immediate deaths (around 30% of the city's population)
- Along with the bombing of Nagasaki, would lead to Japan's surrender less than one month later.

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- 9th August 1945
- Atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki by the United States, in an attempt to force surrender
- Was bombed instead of Kokura as it was covered by clouds. No significant military bases resided in the city.
- Estimated immediate deaths range from 35,000-75,000. At least 60,000 others were injured
- Along with the bombing of Hiroshima three days earlier, directly led to Japanese surrender less than one month later.

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Below our links to a few web resources to learn more about Japanese American, Canadian, and Latin American experiences of internment during World War II.

1. 1939 to 1945 - World War II and the Japanese Internment (Canada)
2. US Archive Materials on Japanese Internment
2. America's Forgotten Internment (Latin America)