Article
Missionaries and Nisei as “Informants” in U.S. Preparation for the Military Occupation of Japan
The Journal of American-East Asian Relations
(2023)
Abstract
From 1944 to 1945, the U.S. Department of War contracted with six universities,
including Stanford University, to operate Civil Affairs Training Schools (cats) for the
Far Eastern theaters. Their mission was to prepare U.S Army and U.S. Navy officers
with assignments to administer civil affairs in the anticipated occupation of Japan.
This article focuses on two groups of “informants” that Stanford University sourced for
language and area study instruction in its cats program – first, Christian missionaries
repatriated to North America after spending many years in Japan and second, Nisei
(second-generation Japanese Americans) recruits from War Department incarceration
camps. In response to Stanford University’s inquiries, nearly 130 missionaries shared
their first-hand experiences in Japan and offered suggestions on how civil affairs
officers should engage with the Japanese. Some of these suggestions showed Christian
biases that led to mixed reactions among the Stanford staff. Despite the challenge of
bringing persons of Japanese ancestry to a campus with the U.S. government’s exclusion
orders in place, Stanford University managed to hire 23 Nisei as “language informants.”
Their work, however, largely consisted of leading language drills for student officers as
“native speakers” rather than providing expert knowledge. This article highlights the
circumstances and issues around the U.S. military’s use of missionaries and second generation
immigrants for their linguistic and cultural knowledge of the enemy.
Keywords
- occupation of Japan,
- Civil Affairs Training School,
- missionaries,
- Nisei,
- Japanese American incarceration camps,
- language instruction
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2023
DOI
10.1163/18765610-30040003
Citation Information
Kayoko Takeda. "Missionaries and Nisei as “Informants” in U.S. Preparation for the Military Occupation of Japan" The Journal of American-East Asian Relations Vol. 30 Iss. 4 (2023) p. 392 - 417 ISSN: 1876-5610 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kayoko_takeda/68/