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In 1937, Japan invaded Manchuria and attacked China with vicious intent. Not too long after, in September 27, 1940 Japan signed a pact with Germany and Italy; it was known as the Tripartite Act. This act created an alliance between the 3 countries. After Japans attack on China and invasion of Manchuria, the United States tried to restrain the Japanese' aggression and forcefully withdrew them from those areas. After doing so, the United States took over and placed an economic ban on Japan. This resulted in the Japanese becoming resource deprived and they decided to attack the United States forces.

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When moving from America to Japan, Kazuko left all photos of her as a child as well as photos of her family, back in her homeland. This is younger her in Japan.

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Kazuko Asaoka was born in Osaka, Japan. When she was born she lived with both of her parents; they decided to start a life in Osaka due to the ownership of her father's bookstore there. Eventually her parents had two sons as well as 2 more daughters, leaving Kazuko as the eldest child.

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President Franklin D. Roosevelt came into power and felt that Internment Camps were necessary post Pearl Harbor. All Japanese, regardless if they were U.S. Citizens, were forced out of their homes and given 6 days to collect as many of their belongings that they could carry and forced to get rid of the rest. This act of forcing Japanese out of the areas they inhabited influenced the removal of Japanese in places like Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. More than 120,000 Japanese were affected by this. The idea of these interment camps were to control the Japanese and monitor what they were doing. This act of interment camps created "racist resistance" (History.com: Japanese Internment). The internment camps were surround by barbed wire, guards, and guard towers. While in these internment camps they were forced to do work, whether agricultural or medical, and faced with difficult standards of living and a bunch of violence. The Japanese Internment camps played a huge role in affecting the mindsets of Japanese and the feeling of forced relocation and separation from families took a toll on many.

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Although World War 2 had already started, the war heavily affected Kazuko and her family from 1944-1945. She heard the bombs drop and destroy her homeland; she also heard the wailing sirens as her and her family hid under air raid shelters. Although her immediate family experienced no casualties, her mother lost both of her brothers. Their home was destroyed making the area unlivable and forced them to move to Fukui. It was a 200 mile (5 hour train ride) to her new home in this more rural part of Japan.

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In 1953, Kazuko experienced another traumatic world event: The #13 Typhoon. She had already adapted to life in Fukui and gained a love for nature and the area surrounding Fukui. Unfortunately when the Typhoon hit, it heavily affected her family and their estate. Their house was flooded and it became the children's responsibility to try and rebuild the area surrounding their homes and clear all of the rubbish left behind. Unfortunately the living conditions were not fit for them anymore and they were forced to return back to Osaka.

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In the 1970's less than 5% of citizens in America were foreign born. In 1965 there was a passing of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. This act produced dominance of Asian and Latin American immigrants. In 1978 there was an amendment that was put in place for a World-Wide limit of 290,000 visas per year. This actually benefited the Eastern and Western hemispheres due to their prior caps that were placed on them for immigration.

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Famous artists Simon & Garfunkel released their song "America." This song strayed away from their popular and well-known rock music pattern. This song touched a lot of people and emphasized the optimistic views of America as well as the bigger picture and struggles in America. This song really connected with the idea of the "American Dream" and immigrants hoping to come to America to create a better life. Prior to and after this time, immigration was constantly changing and the amendments put in place were always evolving. This song played a huge role in America during this time.

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Kazuko's husband, Benjamin Gatmaitan playing guitar. (Left) 

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Kazuko Asaoka traveled to Australia and while exploring out there she met Benjamin Gatmaitan. He was in Australia playing with his band; they were a trio and Benjamin held the singing and guitarist role. After they met in Australia, they became associated with each other, got married, and lived in Hong Kong. In 1973 Kazuko became pregnant with Sayuri Gatmaitan and moved back to Japan alone. After she had Maria Gatmaitan, Benjamin moved to Japan and applied to be petitioned to come to the United States.

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Kazuko Gatmaitan, Henry Gatmaitan, Maria Gatmaitan, and Sayuri Gatmaitan sitting in the courtyard of their apartment complex (United States).

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Kazuko Gatmaitan migrated to the United States after her and her husband, Benjamin Gatmaitan, were petitioned and accepted to come here. They migrated here with their 2 daughters. Once they came to the United States, they situated themselves in Alameda, CA and they struggled. They had a very hard life living in California with menial work and very little pay. 3 years after migrating to the United States, my grandma had her last child, Henry Gatmaitan. Till this day my Obachan still lives in the same apartment complex that she moved into when she first came to the United States!

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Terrorist attackers hijacked airplanes and crashed into the twin towers killing 2,996 people. This major event caused devastation among the United States and created an uproar of racism among different ethnic groups, especially among islamic and Arab people. This also placed a huge economic burden on the United States, resulting in the crash of the stock market and loss of an abundance of jobs and employment. Although George Bush tried to express that this event "could not touch the foundation of America," (History.com: September 11 Attacks) it definitely created an uneasy feeling for citizens and immigrants that came here. It created an uproar of fear and cautiousness in people.

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Kazuko Gatmaitan in Maui, Hawaii on October 11, 2021 

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When Kazuko migrated here in 1978 she didn't fulfill employment in the United States; her main job was to take care of the household responsibilities while her husband worked. While being a stay at home mom, she wasn't able to enjoy her passions as much. In 2007, Kazuko rekindled her love for ping pong and traveling. She began playing at the Alameda Ping Pong Gymnasium and continues to play there today. She has also fulfilled her love for traveling by enduring adventures around the world with my family. We have traveled to Japan, Arizona, Hawaii, Yosemite, and The Grand Canyon with her. Every other year Kazuko makes a minimum month long trip to Japan to visit family; these trips also help remind her of her background as well as the strong sense of community in Japan. Ping Pong and traveling are a big part of Kazuko Gatmaitan's life and at the age of 82 she is still fulfilling her passions.