A little history please

Taken from the Kyodo News July 11 - About 150 Japanese who emigrated
to the Dominican Republic under
a government program more than 40 years ago and their children will
file a suit next Tuesday against the Japanese government seeking
compensation for hardships suffered in the Caribbean country, their
attorneys said Tuesday.

The plaintiffs will file the suit with the Tokyo District Court,
seeking 3 billion yen ($28.04 million), or about 20 million yen per
person, they said.

Thanks

Just a little

First off this was way more than 40 years ago. Anyway....

Apparently this lawsuit seeks to recompensate the Japanese who, as I understand it, were obliged by the Japanese government to emigrate here to ease the population pressure in Japan. As such, they missed out on the economic explosion in Japan, the incredible growth in wealth, and the good life experienced by Japan in the last 40 years.

Trujillo had offered land and some support . There were fishermen and farmers in the group. They were sent to the Haitian border from Perdenales to Dajabon. In Dajabon they established schools, Shinto Shrines and an entirely japanese wayof life and prospered. In other areas of the country, particularly the fishermen and the people that went to Perdernales, their luck wasn't so good.

However, Japanese are Japanese, and many of these first families are well off. For example Mamoru Matsunaga was the designer of the Japanese Garden at the Botanical Gardens in Santo Domingo, and is considered to be the Father of Dominican Judo. The Tanaka family in Jarabacoa is doing well with flowers and agricurtural specialty products. The nisai-second generation-are fairly well integrated into the Dominican Society, and although perhaps not as prosperous as they might have become in Japan-a serious question in a legal battle-many are successful in their fields. Professor Masako Saito was thehead of the Math Department at PUCMM-no small feat, and her brother is a Ph.D. in Physics at the Mayaguez campus of the Universidad de Puerto Rico-the Puertorican A&M. And there are many more.

As Tamioshi Sakamoto explained it to me one evening, these forced emigrants are asking for compensation, since they were obliged by the Japanese Government to move, they feel that they should be compensated for what they were forced to renounce-a piece of the pie that Japan became after they left....

HB

Re: Just a little

Thank you, thank you and I checked PUCMM's web site and it still lists Ms. Saito.

Re: Just a little

Hi Hillbilly! I admire your grasp of Dominican facts. Your postings are always interesting and helpful. Canadian Bob.

Re: Just a little

You took the word out of my mouth!