Koji Ariyoshi facts for kids

Koji Ariyoshi (有吉幸治, Ariyoshi Kōji) (1914–1976) was an important person who worked to improve conditions for workers. He was a Nisei, which means he was born in America to Japanese parents. He also served as a sergeant in the United States Army during the Second World War.

Koji Ariyoshi's Early Life

Koji Ariyoshi was born in Hawaii in 1914. His parents were Japanese immigrants. Koji grew up helping his family on their small eight-acre coffee farm.

He went to Konawaena High School. After school, he worked for six years to help his family pay off their debts. Around this time, Koji became very interested in how workers were treated.

He started attending the University of Hawaii. However, he felt that the university wasn't fair to labor unions (groups that protect workers' rights) and new ideas. So, he moved and got a scholarship to the University of Georgia.

In Georgia, Koji met people who were sharecroppers. These were farmers who worked on land owned by others and paid rent with a share of their crops. Koji wanted to help them and make working conditions better for all working people.

In 1941, Koji graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism. After graduating, he went to San Francisco. There, he became friends with Karl Yoneda, who helped start a big union called the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Soon after, the U.S. government issued Executive Order 9066. This order forced many people of Japanese descent, including American citizens like Koji, into special camps. Koji was sent to the Manzanar War Relocation Center, which was a Japanese American internment camp.

Koji Ariyoshi During World War II

While at the Manzanar camp, Koji met and married his wife, Taeko Ariyoshi. He decided to help the war effort. He worked as a language specialist for the United States Army Military Intelligence. Because he could translate Japanese, he was soon moved out of the camp.

He was sent to India, Sri Lanka, and Burma. While in these British Colonies, Koji saw how unfair the colonial system was. He later moved to China. There, he learned about the communists, who believed in a system where the community owns everything.

The Dixie Mission in China

Koji was stationed at the Dixie Mission in Yan'an, China. He worked with both Chinese and Japanese communists, including Mao Zedong, a famous Chinese leader. Koji's main jobs were to learn about how the communists trained Japanese prisoners of war. He also translated Japanese materials and helped create messages against the Japanese for the Allied forces.

In China, Koji saw big differences between the poor lives of farmers under the Kuomintang government and the ideas of the Communist Party of China. He began to appreciate how communism, or at least a progressive form of socialism (a system where the community controls wealth), could help people.

Other Wartime Activities

During the war, Koji also met people from the Korean independence movement. He also met a Japanese person named Kaji Wataru who disagreed with the Japanese government.

Koji Ariyoshi After the War

Koji Ariyoshi returned to Hawaii in 1948. He was inspired by a progressive Japanese-language newspaper called Hawaii Hochi. He decided to start his own newspaper, the Honolulu Record, which focused on workers' rights.

As the editor, Koji wrote strongly about poor working conditions. He also wrote about other unfair social issues in Hawaii. His socialist views helped the local labor movement grow. It also helped the Democratic Party in Hawaii.

However, during a time called the Second Red Scare (when many Americans were afraid of communism), Koji and six other progressive people were arrested. They were accused of trying to overthrow the American government under a law called the Smith Act. This case became known as the Hawaii Seven. Koji spent one night in jail. After he was released, he kept promoting his socialist views through his newspaper.

The court found him guilty at first. But he appealed the decision, and eventually, all charges against him were dropped. A special person named Madame Sun Yat-sen, the widow of Sun Yat-sen (who is called "the George Washington of China"), even donated her mother's wedding dress to be sold to help pay for Koji's legal defense.

In 1958, Koji had to close his newspaper because he ran out of money. He then became a florist (someone who sells flowers). People started calling him "The Red Florist."

In 1969, he became a member of the Hawaii Foundation for History and the Humanities. Koji was later made president of this organization and held that position for three years.

When America started to have better relations with China, Koji was one of the first Americans invited to visit China again. This was even before President Nixon's famous visit. Koji wrote a series of articles for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper. He also made a TV show about Chinese arts and crafts. This show helped make cloisonne (a type of enamel work) popular again in the country.

Koji also helped start the Hawaii-China People's Friendship Association. This group worked to improve relations between China and the United States. He served on a national committee for the U.S.-China Friendship Association from when it started in 1974 until he passed away.

Later in his life, Koji Ariyoshi began teaching at the University of Hawaii. In 1976, the Hawaii Legislature honored Koji for all his life's work. They also apologized for the unfair things that happened to him during the McCarthy era. Koji Ariyoshi died later that year. An annual award was created in his name by the U.S.-China Peoples Friendship group. This award honors people who do great work in promoting friendship between the U.S. and China.

Koji Ariyoshi in Film

On May 5, 2005, Koji Ariyoshi was featured in a TV series called Biography Hawaii. This show aired on PBS Hawaii. The documentary included old videos of Koji when he was in Yen'an, China. It also showed how he was treated unfairly in the 1950s.

See also

• Dixie Mission
• Japanese resistance during the Shōwa period