Glossary

Issei: Immigrants from Japan who by law were unable to become U.S. citizens.

Nisei: American born children of the Issei, who are American citizens.

Kibei: U.S. citizens by birth who were educated in Japan. Differentiated by how well they spoke English and/or whether they exhibited Japanese cultural traits.

Nikkei: General term meaning anyone with Japanese ancestors in their background.

No-no boy: Term labeling those Nisei who answered "no-no" to questions #27 and #28 on the loyalty questionnaire.

Renunciant: A person who renounced his or her U.S. citizenship after congressional legislation was passed to allow this. Undertaken by nearly 6,000.

Resister: Men who refused induction into the U.S. army after selective service (the draft) was reinstituted in 1944.

DOJ: Department of Justice. In this context, a DOJ camp was a prison for aliens who were suspected of subversive activity.

WCCA: Wartime Civil Control Administration. An Army run agency that rounded up the Japanese Americans and ran the assembly centers where they were temporarily placed.

WRA: War Relocation Authority. The civilian agency created to run the ten so-called relocation centers.

JACL: The Japanese American Citizens League. The organization designated by the government to represent the incarcerated people in the camps. Still existent as a contemporary civil rights organization.

Internment camp: The official name for the camps of the Department of Justice and Army centers where supposedly dangerous aliens were kept.

Assembly Center: The fifteen temporary centers that housed the population of incarcerated people. These were places like racetracks and fairgrounds.

Relocation camp: Euphemistic name used by the government for the ten permanent prison camps for the Japanese Americans.

442^nd Regimental Combat Team: U.S. Army regiment made up of Nisei that saw heavy action during WW II. Originally made up of 2600 volunteers from Hawaii and 800 volunteers out of the incarceration camps, their numbers were bolstered through the reestablishment of the selective service in 1944.