Kenji Ito: Man of Many Words

Born in 1909, Kenji Ito was a gifted public speaker, debater, lawyer, and community leader. Correction. Kenji Ito was a Japanese American community leader in a time where Japanese Americans were targeted as secret agents for Japan. In 1935, Ito got his law degree at the University of Washington, and in 1936 he was admitted to the Washington state bar. In 1937, as a 28 year old, he moved back to his native town, Seattle, where he was frequently asked by local civic groups to debate the Sino-Japanese War. He openly expressed Japanese views even though the US supported China.

"I was expressing myself as an American -- of Japanese ancestry, of course - - who knew something about Japan and Japanese history" – Kenji Ito

In over a few years, Ito made 200 pro-Japanese speeches.


In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Within the next few days, federal agents showed up at Ito’s home and arrested him for failing to register as a spy for the Japanese government. The government hoped that they could use Ito’s pro-Japanese speeches as proof of espionage. However, Ito argued that he was just an U.S. citizen merely educating the public. Ito was one of hundreds of Japanese Americans that were arrested by the FBI in wave of hysteria following the Pearl Harbor attacks. Ito was tried, but was founded not guilty by an all white jury. In his closing statements, Ito proved his citizenship and where his loyalty lied.

"I'd rather live in this country behind bars than in another country where the dictator holds the olive branch in one hand and the dagger in the other" – Kenji Ito

Despite his acquittal, Ito and his family were evacuated and sent to internment camps (Tule Lake and then Minidoka) due to the U.S. Executive Order 9066. They were forced to leave everything they had and everyone they knew behind. In the camps he provided legal assistance to those who needed it.

After the war, he moved to LA and opened a law office in Little Tokyo. He was admitted to the California bar in 1945 and continued to practice law for 50 years. In little Tokyo, he helped former internees reclaim the land they lost because the executive order had forced them to abandon their property. He continued to practice law until his early 80s. During that time, he focused on corporate law and represented Japanese companies involved in film, motorcycle, automobile, and consumer product industries. In his lifetime, especially during the 1940’s, despite prejudice and hatred, Ito was able to be an American and still support his Japanese heritage and culture. He did not let government’s injustice affect him negatively, but instead he fought against the injustice and allowed other fellow Japanese Americans get a voice back by helping them reclaim their land and place in the states.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/15/BA291862.DTL

http://us_asians.tripod.com/timeline-1940.html
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Denise Lee