Japanese-American Claims Act facts for kids

The Japanese-American Claims Act was a special law passed by the United States Congress and signed by President Harry S. Truman on July 2, 1948. This law allowed the U.S. government to pay back people of Japanese descent for property they lost. These losses happened when they were forced to leave their homes on the Pacific Coast during World War II.

Many people wondered if the U.S. government had the right to move all people of Japanese background into special camps. Because they were placed in these internment camps, many Japanese Americans lost their homes, belongings, and businesses. The government decided it was fair to pay them back for these losses. Over time, Congress set aside $38 million to settle about 23,000 claims. The last claim was settled in 1955.

Why Was the Claims Act Needed?

The Attack on Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This attack sank four U.S. battleships, destroyed many aircraft, and killed almost 2,500 people. The very next day, the United States officially joined World War II.

Fear and Mistrust of Japanese Americans

After the attack, many Americans felt angry and fearful. There was a lot of anti-Japanese sentiment and racism toward people of Japanese descent, even those who were U.S. citizens. Some people worried that Japanese Americans might be spies or disloyal to the U.S.

Because of these fears, the Treasury Department froze the money and property of all people born in Japan who lived in the U.S. The Justice Department also arrested about 1,500 Japanese American religious and community leaders. Many Japanese Americans lived near important military areas on the Pacific Coast, which added to the concerns of leaders.

Executive Order 9066

To address these public fears, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. This order gave military commanders the power to create "military areas" where certain people could be excluded. While the order didn't name any specific group, it was quickly used to remove almost all Japanese Americans from the West Coast.

Forced Relocation and Internment

After Executive Order 9066, all people of Japanese descent in the Western Defense Command were forced to leave their homes. They could only take what they could carry and weren't told where they were going or how long they would be away. By June 1942, over 110,000 Japanese Americans were moved to remote internment camps built by the U.S. military across the country. For more than two years, many faced very tough living conditions and poor treatment in these camps.

Returning Home

In December 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court made an important decision in a case called Ex parte Mitsuye Endo. The Court ruled that the government could not hold loyal U.S. citizens in these camps. Soon after, in January 1945, U.S. Major General Henry C. Pratt announced that Japanese Americans could return to their homes on the West Coast.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Evacuation Claims Act. This law finally gave former internees a way to ask for money back for the property they had lost because of the forced relocation.

What Did the Claims Act Do?

The Claims Act of 1948 was created to help Japanese Americans who had lost their homes and belongings during their time in the internment camps. Many had nothing left when they were released and desperately needed money for food and shelter.

The law allowed people to file claims for their losses. However, processing these claims took a long time. The law also set rules for how much money could be awarded and how claims would be handled. For example, it stated that money received from these claims would not be taxed.

Changes to the Act

The Claims Act of 1948 was updated on June 5, 1956. These changes set a maximum amount of $100,000 that the Attorney General could award for a claim without needing to send it to a special court called the Court of Claims.

How Claims Were Handled

The process for getting compensation could be complicated. People had to file a petition with the Court of Claims if the Attorney General didn't settle their claim. They had a limited time to do this after being notified.

One example of a claim was filed by Toshi Shimomaye. She was forced to sell many of her belongings quickly, which meant she lost a lot of money. The Claims Act aimed to help people like her get some of that money back.