-http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001949852
10:49 pm, February 20, 2015
By Takashi Imai / Yomiuri Shimbun CorrespondentWASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama said that a former internment camp site in Hawaii where Japanese-Americans were detained during World War II will be designated as a U.S. national monument to record a mistake Washington made in the past.
The monument is the Honouliuli Internment Camp site on Oahu Island of Hawaii.
“Going forward, it’s going to be a monument to a painful part of our history so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past,” said Obama during a speech in Chicago on Wednesday.
The history of Japanese internment began on Feb. 19, 1942, when President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which became grounds for forcibly interning Japanese-Americans, although they were U.S. citizens. Japanese-Americans, as well as prisoners of war, were detained at the Honouliuli Internment Camp, which reportedly had the capacity to hold 3,000 people. It is regarded as the biggest among five internment camps operated in Hawaii.
The site was located in a mountain valley, and covered with trees and weeds. It was once called “Jigoku Dani” or hell valley due to its harsh living environment. Excavation is ongoing around the site.
The national monument is a conservation area designated by the president based on the Monument Preservation Act. Monuments designated in the past include the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the destination for immigrants from Europe, both in New York.
Also, Mark Takano, Mike Honda and Doris Matsui, three Japanese-American members of the U.S. House of Representatives, jointly submitted to the house a resolution to recognize Feb. 19, when Roosevelt signed the executive order, as a “Day of Remembrance.”
“My family, like thousands of others, came to America seeking a better life, and our government failed us at every level,” said Takano in his statement. It will educate people so that these mistakes never happen again, Takano explained as the reason for the resolution.
10:49 pm, February 20, 2015
By Takashi Imai / Yomiuri Shimbun CorrespondentWASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama said that a former internment camp site in Hawaii where Japanese-Americans were detained during World War II will be designated as a U.S. national monument to record a mistake Washington made in the past.
The monument is the Honouliuli Internment Camp site on Oahu Island of Hawaii.
“Going forward, it’s going to be a monument to a painful part of our history so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past,” said Obama during a speech in Chicago on Wednesday.
The history of Japanese internment began on Feb. 19, 1942, when President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which became grounds for forcibly interning Japanese-Americans, although they were U.S. citizens. Japanese-Americans, as well as prisoners of war, were detained at the Honouliuli Internment Camp, which reportedly had the capacity to hold 3,000 people. It is regarded as the biggest among five internment camps operated in Hawaii.
The site was located in a mountain valley, and covered with trees and weeds. It was once called “Jigoku Dani” or hell valley due to its harsh living environment. Excavation is ongoing around the site.
The national monument is a conservation area designated by the president based on the Monument Preservation Act. Monuments designated in the past include the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the destination for immigrants from Europe, both in New York.
Also, Mark Takano, Mike Honda and Doris Matsui, three Japanese-American members of the U.S. House of Representatives, jointly submitted to the house a resolution to recognize Feb. 19, when Roosevelt signed the executive order, as a “Day of Remembrance.”
“My family, like thousands of others, came to America seeking a better life, and our government failed us at every level,” said Takano in his statement. It will educate people so that these mistakes never happen again, Takano explained as the reason for the resolution.
