Meeting Japan’s World War II orphans born to US soldiers and Japanese mothers • FRANCE 24 English

I was born to a Japanese mother in Tokyo 1958. I lived with her until age 5. I was adopted by American parents and came to the U.S. My mother never prepared me. The day I was turned over to my new parents I was brought to an office building and told to wait until she walked away down the hall. I never saw her again. My adoptive parents told me the same thing she put me up for adoption because of the prejudice I would face. I don’t exhibit many Asian features I look Caucasian. Never had any issues living in America. People are very surprised when I tell them I’m half Japanese.

That "mama" was amazing, daughter of the Mitsubishi fortune. She sure put it to good use, bless her. What one person can do to change so many lives.

My wife is a child of GI who worked for MacArthur and a Japanese mother. She is very fortunate because my father in law married my mother in law and brought both my mother in law and my wife to USA where they stayed married and succeeded in life against bigotry and other obstacles. Many of the Japanese war brides who did make it to the USA were abandoned by their GI husbands. For those children who were abandoned, life was very difficult. My wife observed some of them in late 1960s sweeping streets.

Yes, many of them, during Korean War, Vietnam War too.

What a wonderful school at the end! The students look happy and confident.

It’s happen in every conflict

To say Japanese society is insular is a vast understatement. Look up YouTuber "Ask Shogo" he's got some heartrending episodes about how badly he was treated in Japan as a 100% Japanese who merely spent some years of his childhood in the US.

Those children are absolutely beautiful. Every single one of them.

What's messed up about this, for those who would've liked to have lived in the U.S. who weren't adopted, is the Amerasian Homecoming Act excluded kids who were born in Japan and the Philippines. WHY?! Doesn't make any sense.

My father was in the army and stationed in Japan during the occupation (1946 to about 1950). He was in his late teens and was a little on the wild side. Ive always wondered if he fathered any children while there. Is there somewhere where i could look into this?

British, Canadians and Australians left children behind.

Racisme is unfortunaly everywhere in the world also in Japan. The world is not a perfect place. We are all humans with red blood

American GI's left abandoned women & children all over the world. There are probably cases, wherever a US military base is.

Good story about a loving Mama.

Beautiful people

Great report!

I used to work with Paul Iiyama in the 90s when he worked for a large Japanese food distributor.

wonderful video. Thank you so much.

For those who got married at that time with mix-cultures were brave. Considered what happened between two countries just few years ago. For those who was abandoned, it was a tragic because children are innocent by their birth race.

Roberto Duran the Famous boxer was the child of a former U.S. Marine stationed in Panama.