The Preservation of a People

STATEMENT BY HENRY TANI, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER, JAPANESE-AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.

The Japanese in San Francisco

THE PEOPLE

In any consideration of the Japanese people on the Pacific coast there is the necessity of understanding the various classifications into which these Japanese people fall.

THE ISSEI — FIRST GENERATION

There is, first, the real immigrant Japanese group which made its main appearance in the United States from 1890 to 1920. Immigration figures will reveal the extent of this movement more accurately. The important observation to be made at this time is the fact that with the Immigration Act of 1924 the flow of Japanese immigration was effectively blocked.

This will naturally show that every single alien Japanese (with the exception of a few merchants and ministers) in this country at this time have been resident of the United States for 18 years at the least. It also follows that of this group that is remaining in this country at this time practically all consider themselves permanent residents.

One speaks of this first group as the first-generation Japanese. The common term used to describe this group is the “Issei” (pronounced “iss-say,” meaning “first generation”). Our laws deny naturalization rights to these aliens, who otherwise might have become good American citizens. Only in passing might it be mentioned that, by and large, the Issei have been law-abiding and respectful citizens, and that they had contributed largely to the economic wealth of their neighborhood.

THE NISEI — SECOND GENERATION

The offspring of the Issei is the Nisei, (pronounced “nee-say,” meaning “second generation”), who are born, reared, and educated in the American culture and are inherently American in all manifest ways, except that there are occasional cultural inclinations showing their Japanese home influence.

It is no exaggeration that by their own admission the Nisei consider themselves far more American than Japanese. Testimonies to the contrary notwithstanding, school teachers, business associates, religious leaders, and those who have come to learn the Nisei in their normal ways of life will add their evidence to this fact. The Nisei is a citizen. He takes his citizenship seriously. He meets his obligation to society by cooperating with the civic authorities. Physically the Nisei conform more* to the American standards than do their parents — the result of the vigorous athletic program, the diet, and the relative free expression usual to American growth.

THE KIBEI — THOSE WHO RETURNED

Of the Nisei group, there is within them but yet apart from them another group which is usually referred to as the “Kibei” (pronounced “ki-bay,” meaning “those who came back”). Like the Nisei, the Kibei was born in the United States and thus is entitled to citizenship in the United States. Unlike the Nisei, the Kibei receives his education in Japan and is therefore more culturally Japanese.

Of course, the degree to which the Kibei is more Japanese than American depends largely on the number of vears and the age during which he was in Japan. Many of them returned to Japan with their family at a young age and returned to America in their late teens. It is unfair to classify the Kibei in one large group and generalize too freely with them since the variation is so largely dependent upon the many factors involved.

These things can be said of them, however: That their English is relatively poor, mainly because they missed the American schooling which their Nisei brothers and sisters got; their mastery of the Japanese language is definitely superior than what little Japanese the local Nisei got in the language schools here; their emotional life is definitely more unstable than for the Nisei, because the Kibei missed the family life which the Nisei had.

THE JAPAN-BORN NISEI

In all fairness to that very little minority within the Japanese community, one must mention the few individuals who were born in Japan and came to this country with their parents in their early childhood. Such individuals missed out in getting their United States citizenship by being born in Japan, but otherwise are Nisei in all other aspects. This group is culturally American, and, though technically they are Issei, they are so only because of their birth in Japan.

POPULATION BREAK-DOWN

According to the 1940 United States census, there were in California a total of 93,717 Japanese, of which 33,569 were aliens and 60,148 were citizens. This makes a ratio of 36 percent alien as opposed to 64 percent citizens. When cast upon the whole State population, which is 6,907,387, there are 135 Japanese for each 10,000 Californians.

For the city of San Francisco, the census figures show 2,276, or 43 percent, aliens as against 3,004, or 57 percent, citizens, making a total of 5,280 Japanese out of the city’s population of 634,536. The ratio, therefore, in San Francisco of Japanese to the total population is 83 out of 10,000.

NISEI BREAK-DOWN

According to the Nisei survey conducted by the San Francisco Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League in October 1940, a further break-down of the total Nisei group revealed that 73.5 percent were Nisei, 22.8 percent were Kibei, and 3.7 percent were Japan-born Nisei. This is true of San Francisco only since the metropolitan area reflects the greater Kibei element.

Of all the Nisei who are 18 years of age and over, the concentration by age showed that 61 percent of the total were between the ages of 19 to 25, inclusive, and that 46 percent were between the ages of 20 to 24, inclusive. This substantiates the fact that the average of the Nisei is 21 years old, further proved by the fact that the birth rate of Japanese in California hit its peak in the year 1921. This can also be verified by the high attendance of Nisei students in our universities at this time. For instance, there were 500 at the University of California last fall.

JAPANESE TOWN

That the Japanese people in San Francisco are concentrated in their own Japanese town is proven by the fact that in an area of 24 square blocks 73.3 percent of the total Nisei in San Francisco, according to the Nisei survey, are stated to be living within this area.

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

It is interesting to note that the Nisei survey showed the religious affiliations distributed as follows: 42 percent Protestant, 35 percent Buddhist, 7 percent Catholic, 3 percent others, and 13 percent none.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

It is true that the Nisei themselves are very vague about their dual-citizenship status since they are not well acquainted with the many laws that affect their status. However, 32 percent seem to hold this dual-citizenship status to the best of their knowledge, according to the Nisei survey. This figure includes those who are not certain of their status, and therefore the percentage figure is increased thereby.

CRIME AND DELINQUENCY

It is safe to say that, according to the best reliable sources, there is practically no crime or delinquency record involving the Japanese in San Francisco. It is also safe to say that relief cases (pre-war) have been very scarce and practically unknown though there were a few isolated cases now and then.

SELECTIVE SERVICE

The number of selectees in the United States Army from San Francisco has been variously estimated as being between 175 to 200, of which about 20 percent are volunteers. Of the total Nisei population, it is further estimated that 3,000 are probably in the United States armed forces.

PUBLIC CHARITIES

The community chest in its history of fund-raising campaigns have always received 100-percent response from the Japanese group. The usual quota for the Japanese community has been between $3,500 to $4,000, which is almost a dollar a head. Even since the outbreak of war the Japanese contribution to the Red Cross fund exceeded the expectation of local Red Cross officials.