Calling Tokyo: Japanese American Radio Broadcasters During World War II

Gr 6 Up—Using interview excerpts and voiceover narration, this short video explores the role played by a small group of young Japanese American broadcasters (including director Gary T. Ono's father, Sam Ono) during World War II. The now elderly interviewees recall that they were imprisoned in internment camps when they saw ads for civilian work on a joint American/British war project. Some were kibei, born in the United States, but educated in Japan, and all were proficient in Japanese and English. They were assigned to assist with translating and creating radio propaganda aimed at Japan. Similar to the more well-known Japanese propaganda, which featured between eight and 10 English-speaking women collectively known as "Tokyo Rose," the propaganda sought to undermine support for the war within Japan. After U.S. forces captured the island of Saipan, they were able to transmit directly over AM radio. The broadcasts interspersed war news with warnings of bomb attacks on Japanese cities, though as one former broadcaster sadly recalls, there was no warning of the top secret atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even as civilian government workers, the broadcasters faced discrimination during and after the war. With their families imprisoned in camps, all saw their work as a means of proving their loyalty to the United States. Though the impact of propaganda efforts is unclear, their story deserves to be told. More context and perspective on this war of "words over the radio" would be helpful to Internet-era students. Nonetheless, this video is a commendable first step in bringing to light this important story.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library