final self reflection letter

Asam100bb

Xinyu Shang

Reading journal week4

It has been a commonly held view that the Issei, even though they had migrated to

the United States, held a strong patriotic sense for their own country, especially in times

of crises or war. Some believe that it’s simply because they were the first generation of

Japanese immigrants in the United States, while others view it as a manifestation of their

accumulated anger. Although not being a unique case as the likes of Irish, Polish ad

Jewish also largely supported their homeland, the Issei showed their nationalism quite

strongly through even material means. In times of war, the Issei made every possible

effort to support their homeland. For example, the use of “comfort bags” as a token of

their appreciation and support was very common for Japanese immigrants. Inspired by

this sentiment, the Japanese immigrants collected comfort bags from their communities

throughout the United States and sent them to help their homeland. However, this

contribution to the war soon took on other forms as the war continued with no end in

sight. After the initial few years, it became a matter of competition with the other

transnational Japanese communities as the Issei strove to be recognized as the largest

contributors in the war.

The Issei made sure this was achieved by resorting to more extreme methods such

as forcing even the reluctant and indifferent Japanese residents to contribute to their

cause and feelings of nationalism. This behaviour especially focused on the Nisai, since

they were born in the United States and didn't share the Issei's patriotism for Japan.

However, this problem was also dealt with in the form of social pressure. Though they

were now Americans by nationality, the Japanese immigrants still lived in separate

communities and had their social structures and norms. This fact was exploited by the

Issei, as they started taking records of all the donations given by their residents. In their

social structure, due to the intense atmosphere of patriotism driven by the Sino-Japanese

war, any individual not contributing to their cause was looked down upon while those

that did rose in the social hierarchy. This phenomenon forced even many of unwilling

and indifferent immigrants to donate even though they held no ties to the war. Despite

their support of Japan in these times of crisis, it became apparent to the Issei that their

country of residence didn’t see their homeland in a positive light. They soon realized the

threat this posed when the danger of the Americans boycotting Japanese exports, a

measure initiated by China, became clear. Again, motivated by their feelings of

nationality and patriotism, the immigrants took it upon themselves to “educate” the white

Americans on the full extent f the circumstances around the Sino-Japanese War.

Even though the effort was sold in the image of their worry and loyalty to Japan,

the immigrants were actually concerned about their circumstances if the Americans

started viewing them in a bad light. Their main purpose was to "educate" the population

of the United States by providing them with a new perspective of the situation, one that

viewed Japan in a positive light. They showed this extensively through forming

numerous committees, publishing journals, giving lectures in various areas and even

educating the Nisai, who had little knowledge of their homeland, of all they needed to

know in this effort.

The patriotic Issei felt compelled and free to take part in these nationalistic

activities because of Japan's war with China alone. However, later when America started

opposing their homeland as well, all the immigrants seized their activities for the sake of

self-preservation. The issue had exceeded enough to risk their own personal lives, which

outweighed their patriotic feeling.