No-No Boy

4 Pages 996 Words

No-No Boy

John Okada was a Japanese American of the second generation. He was born in the Seattle area as an U.S citizen. During 1957 Okada pointed out a specific crisis that American citizens of Japanese heritage faced during and after WWII. Okada’s book titled No-No Boy questions the ideal of loyalty in an unjust and unequal society of bitter realities and emotional conflicts.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Japanese, including those living in America, became the enemy. Those living on the West Coast were placed in internment camps. The Japanese in America during this time were questioned of their American patriotism, and were held under the suspicion of holding on to their loyalty to Japan. Therefore, the more the Japanese held on to their Japanese culture, the less ”American” they were viewed to be. The Nisei generation (which were the second generation of Japanese immigrants who are therefore born American citizens) was given a loyalty survey, intended to sort out those who were “loyal citizens” of America and those who were not. Two of the questions asked were very controversial for Japanese Americans. They were asked, if they would be willing to fight in the American army for the American war, and if they would give up all allegiance to Japan and its emperor. These two questions raised a great deal of conflict for young Japanese Americans, who had to choose to identify with either their Japanese ethnicity, or their American nationality. At this time in history, claiming an identity with both was not an option.
The questionnaire divided the young Japanese-American men into two distinct categories, those who answered yes to both questions, and those who answered no-no, who came to be known as ‘no-no boys.’ Those who answered yes-yes were drafted into the U.S. Army to fight for America against the Japanese. These men felt that by fighting for America they were proving the loyalty of Japanese-...