Quiet Americans is a digital storytelling project about Japanese American history — stories of injustice, resilience, and resistance. We explore the lessons we’ve learned and the ones we failed to, from the past.
This project is inspired by the life of one Nisei (a second-generation Japanese American) who went from incarceration camps to volunteering for the U.S. Army. He served in the Pacific, worked in post-war Japan as a Military Intelligence Service officer, and later fought in the Korean War. Yet, like so many in his generation, he rarely spoke about it. He carried his story quietly. We’re here to tell these stories, so we never forget.
Latest Stories
Tacoma Nihongo Gakkō
A school built to preserve language, culture, and dignity for Tacoma’s Japanese American children later became a registration site for their forced removal during World War II. The same place that taught them how to belong became one of the places where they were ordered to disappear.
Z Plan
In May 1944, Japanese American Military Intelligence Service linguists began translating the Japanese Navy’s secret “Z Plan” after critical documents were recovered from a plane crash in the Philippines. The intelligence would help shape one of the most decisive American victories of the Pacific War.
Selective Service Act of 1917
For Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans, the Selective Service Act of 1917 exposed a contradiction that would continue for decades: America was willing to accept their military service long before it was willing to fully accept them as Americans.
Japanese American National Museum
The Japanese American National Museum opened on May 15, 1992, just days after the Rodney King verdict sparked the LA riots. Leaders like Bruce Kaji and Col. Young Oak Kim helped create JANM to ensure the history of Japanese American incarceration would never be forgotten.
Poston War Relocation Center
The largest American concentration camp during World War II stretched across the Arizona desert so far that authorities considered guard towers unnecessary. At its peak, Poston became the third-largest “city” in Arizona, holding more than 17,000 Japanese Americans.
San Jose Chinatown Fire
On May 4, 1887, San Jose’s Chinatown was destroyed in an arson fire, just weeks after city officials voted to remove it. The attack displaced nearly 1,400 Chinese residents and erased one of the largest Chinatowns in California.
Trending Stories
Japanese Canadian Incarceration
January 14, 1942 marked the beginning of a seven-year exile for Japanese Canadians. More than 27,000 people were removed, incarcerated, and barred from returning home until 1949.
Kanaye Nagasawa
Kanaye Nagasawa was the first Japanese national to live permanently in the United States and became the first Wine King of California. His legacy tells a story of ambition, success, and an American dream that could not be passed on because of discriminatory laws.
Miyoshi Umeki
In 1958, Miyoshi Umeki became the first Asian actress to win an Academy Award. It was a historic moment, but not a turning point. Her career reflects the limits placed on Asian performers in Hollywood, even after the highest recognition.