Japanese-American World War II Relocation Files

This order became the basis for the mass, forced migration and internment of around 110,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry, including both citizens and non-citizens of the United States. The Japanese-Americans Relocation record set documents from 1942-1946 where entire families were forced to abandon businesses and homes to remote internment camps called "relocation centers" on the West Coast.

A clear violation of civil rights and due process, the records were preserved and gathered by the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in 1988. This collection largely includes Japanese-Americans living in Washington, California, and Oregon, who were detained and transferred to one of the ten relocation centers in California, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Arkansas, and Wyoming.

The Supreme Court ruled against detention of U.S. citizens without cause in January of 1944, ending the the exclusion order. The last Japanese-American interment camp closed in 1946, allowing families to return back to their homes and businesses across the country.

How to use Japanese-Americans WWII Relocation records

This Immigration and Travel record set looks at the forced migration of 109,382 Japanese-American ancestors during World War II offering detailed information about place of relocation, family history, education and occupation.

Although a dark period in US history, the transcripts often have valuable and specific information about where the individual was born, father's occupation and where the person lived in at the time of the relocation. These records may fill blanks about where to look for further information about ancestors and other family members.

Japanese-Americans WWII Relocation Files 1942-1946 may include:

• First and last name
• Year of relocation
• Parent's place of birth
• Birth year
• Birth place
• Marital status
• Last permanent address
• Relocation camp
• Education
• Number of times in Japan
• Languages
• Father's occupation

The history of Japanese-Americans WWII Relocation Files

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 marked the entrance of the United States entering into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the designation of military zones within the US from which "any or all persons may be excluded."