Comments on: Legacy Of World War II– Mixed Race Japanese Babies

By: paul dunnam

paul dunnam — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:36:17 +0000

I understand my father has adaughter in Japan. He was stationed in Japan after the war. I have some pictures ,I’am sure if the mother is in these pictures. Does any one know who to contact in Japan to find out more information.

By: Luke Horvath, formerly Yoshio Ichibachi

Luke Horvath, formerly Yoshio Ichibachi — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:54:33 +0000

I was born in Yokohama, Japan. My estimated date of birth is 12-19-47. My mother is Japanese and my father American. I am adopted and now 63 years old. I am attempting to find the name of the orphanage in which I was raised the first 4 and 1/2 years of my life. I have heard the orphanage was run by Salesian Nuns of French nationality. Can anyone help. Thank you.

By: Fredrick

Fredrick — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:40:52 +0000

I am also doing a project on Black-Japanese biracial history and life stories from the Allied Occupation period. I am a Black-Japanese, bilingual fellow, born in 1955, post-post occupation. My father was an occupation military policeman in Japan. My mother is ‘Japanese’ although she has also Chinese and Austrian heritage. I am working on a book relating this heritage in scenes from our lives woven together. I’m also working on a PHD on Afro-Japanese-ness and the Occupation. I would love to work with people involved. I’m also wanting to get others’ writings and documents on a large Afro-Asian/Afro-Japanese project that some of us scholars are working on together. Please contact if interested!!!

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:36:33 +0000

Midori, I thinking is that during the period of occupation censorship was very high regarding what was let known to the public regarding actions by occupying soldiers. This included the many rapes commited by those soldiers. Due to the way censorship seems to wrap around all things that may fit its needs, those innocent actions of love were most likely swallowed within that blanket, thus, children such as yourself with loving parents were included in the lost stories.

By: Beverley

Beverley — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:58:21 +0000

Does anyone know anything about Japenese babies been born to Australian Fathers and being left behind
Beverley (Sydney Australia)

By: Midori

Midori — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:43:14 +0000

I was born in Japan, during the Occupation. Japanese mother, American father. I guess my Dad was one of the few that took responsibility. He married my Mom and brought us to the US. When I was three, we returned to Japan. I remember being caught between two worlds/cultures. The Japanese children didn’t want to play with me because I was American. The American children, because I was Japanese. I haven’t been back since I was 7 (one of my dreams is to return).
Does anyone know where I can get information about Japanese-Americans born in Occupied Japan? I haven’t found much on the Internet.
Thanks.

By: linda

linda — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:03:32 +0000

Japan is so much more open and mixed now than ever before. The trend can only continue
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/japan-becoming-a-more-mixed-society/

By: Ken Alley

Ken Alley — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:37:41 +0000

Fred-
I’m looking to contact American-Japanese who were born during the Occupation and grew up in Japan. They would be in their 60′s by now. Interviewing them would be tremendous. Any contacts?
Ken Alley

By: Ken Alley

Ken Alley — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:55:47 +0000

No, not at this time. I am working with a Japanese writer to provide narrative for the book. In Sept 08 he wrote a series of 6 articles re: these letters for the Japan Times. “Letters From Kobe.” You can probably google this paper and check archives.
Looking for a publisher.
Ken Alley

By: Fred Stopsky

Fred Stopsky — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:19:15 +0000

What an historical treasure. Have you contacted a local history department at a university?

By: Ken Alley

Ken Alley — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:13:25 +0000

Fred-
I have recently transcribed 1000 pages of letters that were written by a young American (Milwaukee) lady who worked as a court reporter for the U.S. Army in Kobe, Japan, 1947 & 48. They are extremily interesting and two (?) of the letters speak of the orphanage in Yokohama that had nothing but American fathered babies. 180 to be exact.
I hope to publish these letters in book form some day.
Ken Alley
402-362-1244
alleykat51@hotmail.com

By: Fred Stopsky

Fred Stopsky — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:27:06 +0000

I’m glad to hear things are improving. During the Korean War, anger and hate in Japan toward the mixed children was intense.

By: Jerome K

Jerome K — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:21:05 +0000

To answer your question, no. Japanese people do not display much if any prejudice against children who are of Japanese and American parents.

In fact, mixed children in Japan is becoming more and more of a common and accepted thing. Simply put, Japanese women are seeking out foreign fathers to start a family with because they are tired of the treatment they receive from Japanese men.

My daughter, born from my Japanese wife, has never been ill-treated due to her mixture and in fact, it has made her that much more beautiful and accepted in the eyes of full-blooded Japanese.

The only problem I see left in Japan, is the weird looks her mother and I get from remains of the WW2-era Japanese. In their eyes we can see that they disapprove of my wife marrying a non-Japanese man and resentment towards me because I was there via the U.S. Military.

This isn’t common though. These people were far and few.