Sei Fujii

Sei Fujii (藤井 整, 1882–1954) was a human rights activist for Japanese-American individuals. He also established a California daily newspaper in 1931.[1]

Life

Sei Fujii was born in Shūtō, Japan (as of 2013, Yamaguchi).[2] After dropping out of Yamaguchi High School in the old system,[1] he moved to the United States in 1903.[1][3] He studied law at the University of Southern California[4] and graduated from USC Gould School of Law. However, he was unable to get a lawyer's license[3] because of a law that prohibited citizenship for those who were a member of "Mongolian race" and without citizenship he was unable to acquire a law license.[5] After that, he started to fight against discrimination for Japanese immigrants with his friend J. Marion Wright, a lawyer in California.[4] In 1928, the Supreme Court permitted Japanese-Americans to establish hospitals in Los Angeles.[1]

In 1942, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Fujii was arrested by the FBI and imprisoned at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station. He was then sent to an Immigration and Naturalization detention camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico and, later, an Army internment facility in Lordsburg, New Mexico. Fujii was not released until 1946.[6]

Several years after the war ended, the California Alien Land Law of 1913 was struck down, giving Japanese immigrants the ability to purchase land.[1] In 1952, the law limiting citizenship was judged unconstitutional,[2][4] and Fujii was finally able to acquire his citizenship at the age of 73.[5] "He died by heart attack 51 days later," according to the Los Angeles Times.[5]

"Lil Tokyo Reporter"

In 2012, the narrative short film "Lil Tokyo Reporter," an independent film about the activities and advocacy of Fujii in the fight for Japanese-American human rights, was produced in the USA.[2] The film was exhibited at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival[1] and won more than 18 awards in various parts of the USA.[7] It was directed by Jeffrey Gee Chin, a Chinese-American, and starred Japanese-American Actor Chris Tashima as Fujii.[1]

Law license after his death

In 2017, California's top court decided unanimously to grant him a law license 63 years after his death.[5] According to the lawyer in the case, there are only a few cases of individuals being granted law licenses posthumously; the Los Angeles Times reported a similar case involving a Chinese immigrant.[5]

See also

References
  1. "日系人の人権のため戦う：藤井整の勇気描く". Rafu Shimpo (in Japanese). 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  2. 大村隆 (2013-09-18). "記者藤井整 生きざま描く 米で排日土地法撤廃に尽力 映画製作者が市訪問". Chugoku Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  3. "米で故日系１世に弁護士資格". Swissinfo (in Japanese). 2017-05-26. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  4. 郷崇倫 (2011-12-27). "「正義の闘い」を映像に-藤田キャロル文子さん その1". ディスカバー・ニッケイ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  5. "Sei Fujii was denied a law license because of his race. California's top court has granted him one, 63 years after his death". Los Angeles Times. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  6. Okamura, Michael (2016). "Sei Fujii: Issei Civil Rights Leader". Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  7. 福田恵子 (2014-08-25). "排日土地法撤廃の功労者・藤井整を描いた「リトルトーキョーレポーター」 製作陣と出演者に聞く 〜その1〜". ディスカバー・ニッケイ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-06-30.
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