Japanese War Bride III

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Between the years of 1947 and 1964, over 46,000 “war brides” emigrated to the United States from Japan after marriage to U.S. servicemen. The G.I. Fiancees Act passed by Congress in 1946 allowed servicemen to bring their Japanese wives home and provided an important exception to the overall ban on Japanese immigration imposed by the Johnson-Reed Act from 1924 until 1952. This film serves as a fascinating artifact from this period. Shot by the U.S. Army, the footage features a Japanese women speaking directly to the camera about her experience in her new country. Shot at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, the film clearly was intended to be sent back to Japan. This clip features a young woman from a rural Japanese area speaking in both standard Japanese as well as English.

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A rough translation of the wife’s speech: “Hello everybody, how are you? As you can see, we are in good health. This afternoon (?) came to shoot us to be on TV, so I thought I’d just show furniture. Soon we are going to buy a brand new car for John. There is nothing we are lacking, so do not worry. Please send my regards to the neighbors. Small John is as usual making a lot of mischief. He doesn’t want to come in once he goes outside, so I’m having trouble... Today is windy out, but inside the house it is warm and comfortable. It is my regret that I can’t eat sushi. I will write a letter again, so that is it for today. Good bye.”