Recommended Resources for Learning about Japanese American History

Don’t know much about Japanese American history?  Not sure where to start?  Whether you are expanding your personal horizons or looking for material to use in a classroom setting, we know it can be overwhelming to sift through the ever-expanding world of digital resources.  The lists below contain some of our favorites, but don’t be afraid to explore beyond these lists!  In many cases, a resource listed here can serve as an excellent springboard to additional high-quality information and learning tools.

Use these links to jump directly to a relevant category:

Japanese American History through a Chicago Lens   |   Japanese American History through a National Lens   |   Terminology and Euphemisms   |   Teacher Resources

Japanese American History through a Chicago Lens

Resettlement in Chicago
Densho Encyclopedia
This article written by Dr. Ellen Wu for the Densho Encyclopedia is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the history of Chicago’s Japanese American community. Specifically, it discusses the wave of post-incarceration resettlement that occurred in Chicago during and after WWII.

Uprooted
Japanese American Service Committee
This interactive, multimedia-based digital experience traces the multigenerational journeys of three families to tell the story of World War II incarceration and resettlement in Chicago. Designed with classroom use in mind, it features first-person narrative elements and includes key terms, reflection questions, and supplemental resource lists pointing to many primary source materials for further exploration. It was developed with funding from a Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant from the National Park Service and can be used by anyone but is best suited for grades 6-12.

Reckoning
Japanese American Service Committee
This interactive, multimedia-based digital experience shines a light on the Japanese American redress movement and the contributions of Chicagoans to the national effort. Designed with classroom use in mind, it features first-person narrative elements and includes key terms, reflection questions, and supplemental resource lists pointing to many primary source materials for further exploration. It was developed with funding from a Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant from the National Park Service and can be used by anyone but is best suited for grades 9-12 and college students.

The Orange Story
Full Spectrum Features
The Orange Story is a short fictional film and accompanying educational website. The film follows the owner of a small grocery store as he prepares to abandon everything and report to an assembly center. The website includes archival documents, images, and oral histories to expand upon the themes of the film. Although the subject matter is not specifically connected to Chicago, Full Spectrum Features is a Chicago-based company and worked closely with the Chicago JA community to develop the project and cast many local Chicagoans in the film itself.

Resettlement: Chicago Story
Full Spectrum Features
Building on the concept of The Orange Story, this is a new film + educational website project from the same Chicago-based team that created The Orange Story. Resettlement: Chicago Story follows the Yamamato family – Mary, Kimiye, and Sam – as they adjust to life in postwar Chicago after being unjustly incarcerated by the U.S. government during WWII.

Then They Came for Me – Introductory Video
Alphawood Gallery
Produced in 2017 as part of the Alphawood Gallery’s groundbreaking exhibit, Then They Came for Me: Incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and the Demise of Civil Liberties, this 23-minute video features Chicagoans sharing their families’ stories and speaking out against injustice.

Resettled Roots
Japanese American Service Committee
Produced by Anna Takada and Maria Pimentel for the Japanese American Service Committee, this 33-minute documentary incorporates oral histories, archival footage, and contemporary footage to tell the stories of the Nisei, Sansei, and Yonsei – second, third, and fourth generation Japanese Americans whose families resettled in Chicago following their incarceration during World War II.

JASC Oral History Collection
Japanese American Service Committee
For a deeper dive, visit JASC’s portal for access to over 80 oral history interviews with members of the Chicago Japanese American community, many of whom experienced incarceration directly or are descendants of survivors. All interviews are fully transcribed and full-text searchable.

What Happened to Chicago’s Japanese Neighborhood?
Katherine Nagasawa, Curious City, WBEZ
This is an episode of the Curious City series and an accompanying interactive digital experience produced by Kat Nagasawa of Chicago’s NPR-affiliate station WBEZ.

Preserving the memory of Lakeview’s Japanese community
Afternoon Shift, WBEZ
On this episode of WBEZ’s Afternoon Shift, local writers Erik Matsunaga and Fred Sasaki speak about their families’ experiences, share their knowledge of Chicago’s Japanese American neighborhoods, and discuss what inspired them to launch the Nikkei Chicago website.

Japanese American History through a National Lens

Introduction to WWII Incarceration
Densho
This series of introductory-level modules are comprehensive without being overwhelming and are easy for anyone to use as a self-paced learning tool.  There are six modules, each paired with a short video, 5-7 minutes each.  Key terms are highlighted throughout and linked to entries in the Densho Encyclopedia for anyone who isn’t familiar with a term or wants to know more about a particular topic.

Campu Podcast
Densho
This carefully researched and beautifully produced series of six podcast episodes created by siblings Hana and Noah Maruyama draws heavily from Densho’s extensive oral history collection.  Each episode explores a different theme of camp life through the voices of camp survivors woven together with carefully crafted narrative.

Timeline of Japanese American History and Vocabulary List
Japanese American National Museum (JANM)
Including a timeline from 1790 through 1990 and a list of vocabulary terms with definitions, this resource from JANM provides important foundational knowledge for anyone interested in Japanese American history.

Japanese American Confinement Sites During World War II in the United States
Japanese American National Museum (JANM)
This map from JANM illustrates the locations of every Japanese American confinement site operated by the U.S. government during WWII.  It includes War Relocation Authority sites, Department of Justice sites, Department of War sites, and federal penitentiaries where people of Japanese ancestry were imprisoned during the war.

A Brief History of Japanese American Relocation During World War II
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
This article from the National Park Service, which oversees many former incarceration sites and manages the Japanese American Confinement Sites grant program, contains excerpts from Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites by J. Burton, M. Farrell, F. Lord, and R. Lord.

Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and WWII
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Based on a physical exhibit that was on view at the National Museum of American History from February 2017 to July 2019, this website traces the Japanese American experience from immigration to incarceration to redress and beyond.

Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History: Japanese
Library of Congress
This five-part chapter within the Library of Congress’ series on Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History explores the Japanese American experience beginning with early immigration to Hawaii and the mainland.  The section titled “Behind the Wire” focuses on the incarceration experience.

Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive (JARDA)
Calisphere, UC Libraries, University of California
Consisting of four digital exhibits (People, Places, Everyday Life, and Personal Experiences), an accompanying essay (Relocation and Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II), and three related lesson plans for teachers, this resource draws from the rich holdings of primary source documents and photographs in the California Digital Library.

Voices from the Archives: Japanese American Internment, 1942-1946
Hoover Institution Library and Archives, Stanford University
Adapted from a 2017 physical exhibit, this digital exhibit draws from the collections of the Hoover Institution archives to explore WWII incarceration history.

Teacher Resources – Curriculum Guides, Lesson Plans, etc.

Teach About the Incarceration
Densho
Curriculum, short films, and other resources for teaching WWII incarceration history, geared toward secondary and undergraduate classrooms. Sign up for the Densho Education Newsletter to receive information about the latest education resources, events, trainings, webinars, and teach-ins. Other key resources offered by Densho include the Densho Encyclopedia and the Densho Digital Repository.

Campu Podcast
Campu Education Hub
Densho
Six podcast episodes and an accompanying educational material produced by siblings Hana and Noah Maruyama for Densho. The intended audience for the educational materials is high school and college-age learners.

Uprooted
Japanese American Service Committee
This interactive, multimedia-based digital experience traces the multigenerational journeys of three families to tell the story of World War II incarceration and resettlement in Chicago. Designed with classroom use in mind, it features first-person narrative elements and includes key terms, reflection questions, and supplemental resource lists pointing to many primary source materials for further exploration. It was developed with funding from a Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant from the National Park Service and can be used by anyone but is best suited for grades 6-12.

Reckoning
Japanese American Service Committee
This interactive, multimedia-based digital experience shines a light on the Japanese American redress movement and the contributions of Chicagoans to the national effort. Designed with classroom use in mind, it features first-person narrative elements and includes key terms, reflection questions, and supplemental resource lists pointing to many primary source materials for further exploration. It was developed with funding from a Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant from the National Park Service and can be used by anyone but is best suited for grades 9-12 and college students.

The Japanese American Experience: A Lesson in American History
The Journey from Gold Mountain: The Asian American Experience
Japanese American Citizens League
Two curriculum guides developed by the national Japanese American Citizens League. The first contains a summary of the history of Japanese Americans, a chronology of important dates, a resource listing of books, videos and websites, learning activities for the classroom and an appendix with photos and copies of primary documents from the incarceration era. The second covers Asian American history beginning with Chinese immigration in the mid-1800s, including the Japanese American incarceration during WWII, and continuing into the early 2000s.

Educational Resources
Japanese American National Museum
Activities and resources for learners of all ages. Resources include printable offline activities, videos, web resources and lessons, printable curriculum, and more.

Asian Americans
PBS LearningMedia
More than 30 lesson plans to accompany the PBS film series Asian Americans, categorized for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Several relate to Japanese American topics.

Educator Resources
Wing Luke Museum
Located in Seattle, WA, the Wing Luke Museum focuses on the culture, art and history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.  They offer high quality resources for educators, such as curriculum, reading lists, lesson plans, and educational videos.  Resources specific to the Japanese American experience include a Japanese American History curriculum and three graphic novels produced in collaboration with the museum.

Digital Library of Japanese American Incarceration
Archive.org, Densho
A collaborative, grant-funded project from the Internet Archive (Archive.org) and Densho, the Digital Library of Japanese American Incarceration provides access to more than 500 English language books related to the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans.  Curated by scholars and organizations from the Japanese American community, the collection includes adult non-fiction titles, books for younger readers, and creative works such as novels, compilations of short stories, poems, and plays.

Resource Guide to Media on the Japanese American Removal and Incarceration
Densho
This database includes information about hundreds of resources such as books, films/videos, museum exhibits, and websites.  It was designed for educators and is searchable and browsable by title, media type, grade level, reading level, genre, theme, and more.  Many of the titles included in the Resource Guide are accessible for free via the Digital Library of Japanese American Incarceration.

Lesson: Japanese American Incarceration
Assessment: Japanese Incarceration
Assessment: Forced Removal of Japanese Americans
Stanford History Education Group
Lesson plans and assessments, complete with teacher materials, student materials, and primary sources, available for free (registration required) from Stanford University.

DOCSTeach: Japanese American Incarceration During World War II
National Archives and Records Administration
A learning activity designed by staff at the National Archives, featuring primary source documents and photographs illustrating the U.S. government’s efforts to justify wartime incarceration and the denial of civil liberties.

Primary Source Set: Japanese American Internment
Lesson Plan: Japanese American Internment: Fear Itself
Library of Congress
A set of primary source materials with accompanying teacher guide and a separate lesson plan drawing from the holdings of the Library of Congress.

Lesson Plans: The Fred T. Korematsu Institute collection
PBS LearningMedia
Nine standards-aligned lesson plans on the WWII Japanese American incarceration, exploring topics such as Japanese American resistance to the incarceration and the U.S. government’s misleading use of language and euphemisms. Each lesson plan integrates a documentary film clip and includes background information, focus questions, objectives, historical thinking skills, detailed activities, and supplementary materials.

We Are All Americans
National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS)
Downloadable curriculum from NJAHS, designed for secondary school students but can be adapted for middle school use.  Additional resources for teachers are available on the NJAHS website.

Prisoner in My Homeland
Mission US
Prisoner in My Homeland offers young people a nuanced understanding of the choices and challenges faced by Japanese Americans in the WWII era. The game is played from the perspective of a fictional 16-year-old Japanese American boy whose family is forced to leave its home on Bainbridge Island, WA, for a military prison camp in Manzanar, CA. Players must make choices that reflect broader strategies of survival and resistance: will they help their community, focus on family, support the war effort, resist injustice? The game seeks to help correct the image of the incarcerees as passive victims by highlighting instances of resistance, and to place the events within the larger context of Asian immigration to the West Coast and Asian communities’ longer-term struggle to be accepted as American.

Specifically for Illinois Educators:

TEAACH Act Implementation Resources
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago (AAAJ-Chicago)
Passed in 2021 and implemented in the 2022-2023 school year, the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act mandates that every public elementary school and high school in Illinois must teach at least one unit of Asian American history, including the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest.  AAAJ-Chicago played a pivotal role in the passage of this groundbreaking legislation and is now offering free professional development workshops and educational resources to assist teachers with implementation.

Our Story: The Japanese American Incarceration
Japanese American Citizens League – Chicago Chapter (JACL-Chicago)
JACL-Chicago offers a speakers bureau of knowledgeable individuals who can provide in-person or remote presentations on Japanese American incarceration history.

Terminology and Euphemisms

Terminology
Densho

It’s Time to Retire WWII-era Euphemisms for Japanese American Incarceration
Densho

Do Words Matter?
Densho Encyclopedia

The Power of Words
Japanese American Citizens League

Euphemisms, Concentration Camps, and the Japanese Internment
NPR

Words Do Matter: A Note on Inappropriate Terminology and the Incarceration of the Japanese Americans
National Park Service

Why “Japanese American” Doesn’t Need a Hyphen
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington

AAJA commends The New York Times’ Decision to Drop the Hyphen in “Asian American”
Asian American Journalists Association

Drop the Hyphen in Asian American: On the historical divisiveness of an unnecessary punctuation mark
Henry Fuhrmann, Conscious Style Guide

I am Asian American. No Hyphen Required
Frances Kai-hwa Wang, Mic.com