[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 105 (Wednesday, July 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8213-S8214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INOUYE:
  S. 1237. A bill to allow certain individuals of Japanese ancestry who 
were brought forcibly to the United States from countries in Latin 
America during World War II and were interned in the United States to 
be provided restitution under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Wartime Parity and 
Justice Act of 2001, the Senate companion bill to H.R. 619. Among other 
things, the bill provides restitution to Latin Americans of Japanese 
ancestry who were brought to the United States, then interned in 
Immigration and Naturalization Service camps during World War II.
  Between December, 1941, to February, 1948, more than 2,000 men,

[[Page S8214]]

women, and children of Japanese ancestry were relocated from thirteen 
Latin American countries to the United States. During World War II, the 
United States had these individuals shipped to the United States to be 
traded with the Japanese Government for American prisoners of war. Of 
this number, approximately 800 were traded for American prisoners of 
war. The remaining individuals were placed in internment camps 
throughout the United States.
  The governments of those thirteen Latin American countries cooperated 
with the United States because they received millions of dollars in 
monetary compensation for their assistance. Much like their Japanese 
American counterparts in the United States, these people were selected 
merely because of their ethnic origin.
  The big difference, however, is that the United States made an effort 
to redress the wrong committed against the Japanese Americans. The 
Civil Liberties Act of 1988, signed into law by President Reagan, 
allowed for monetary compensation of $20,000 and an apology from the 
United States Government to all Japanese Americans interned in camps 
throughout the country. More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were 
placed into these internment camps because they were a ``threat'' to 
national security. To this day, not one case of sabotage or espionage 
by Japanese Americans during World War II has been uncovered by the 
United States Government.
  Japanese Latin Americans were not an eligible class under the Civil 
Liberties Act of 1988 even though they suffered under the same 
conditions experienced by their Japanese American counterparts.
  In 1996, Japanese Latin Americans sued the United States Government 
in Mochizuki v. the United States of America. Through the settlement of 
this case, the Japanese Latin Americans were eventually awarded $5,000 
each, along with a letter of apology signed by President Clinton. The 
settlement agreement explicitly allows for further action by Congress 
to fund Japanese Latin American redress, in light of the fact that 
Japanese Americans were allowed $20,000 under the Civil Liberties Act 
of 1988.
  My bill will allow us to correct this inequity by offering $20,000 to 
eligible Japanese Latin Americans. The Japanese Latin Americans who 
chose to accept their $5,000 award would be offered up to an additional 
$15,000 each. This bill would also reauthorize the educational mandate 
in the Act to continue research and education efforts, ensuring the 
internees' experiences will be remembered, and hopefully, to prevent 
recurrences.
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