Hirono, Colleagues Support Nomination of Mitsuye Endo for Presidential Medal of Freedom

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Representative Judy Chu (D-CA), and Representatives Mark Takano (D-CA), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), and Doris Matsui (D-CA) led 14 other CAPAC members in sending a letter to President Biden expressing their support for the posthumous nomination of Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government forced 120,000 people to leave behind their homes, businesses, and nearly everything they owned and incarcerated them in some of the most desolate locations in the western United States. This imprisonment was based solely on their Japanese ancestry. Four people—Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Minoru Yasui, and Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi—legally challenged this incarceration. Despite the legal significance of Endo’s case, which forced the government to close the internment camps and allowed thousands of Japanese Americans to return to the West Coast, only Korematsu, Hirabayashi, and Yasui have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“In recent years, Endo’s selfless courage has gained more attention but continues to be overlooked. She is the only challenger to the government’s incarceration that has not received the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” the lawmakers wrote. “It has been nearly 26 years since Fred Korematsu received his medal and nearly 80 years since Endo won her legal victory for Japanese Americans. Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi should no longer be overlooked. Her bravery and unswerving dedication to justice should be recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” 

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear President Biden:

As Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), we write with wholehearted support for the posthumous nomination of Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is past time her courage and determination in challenging the incarceration of Japanese people during World War II be acknowledged and honored with the nation’s highest civilian award.

 After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government forced 120,000 people to leave behind their homes, businesses, and nearly everything they owned and incarcerated them in some of the most desolate locations in the western United States. This imprisonment was based solely on their Japanese ancestry and in a presidential proclamation has been called, “one of the most shameful chapters in our nation’s history.”

Four brave people stood up and legally challenged this incarceration. Three of these challengers, Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Minoru Yasui, were all men who lost their cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. Decades after losing at the Supreme Court, their cases were revisited and their convictions were overturned. All three men have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the last was bestowed on Minoru Yasui in 2015, posthumously.

The fourth challenger to the incarceration, Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi, was the only case brought by a woman. Although her case is less well-known, her case was legally significant because in a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Endo, forcing the government to close the internment camps and allowing thousands of Japanese Americans to return to the West Coast. This outcome is all the more significant because when given the opportunity for an early release, Endo refused, knowing her release would end her legal challenge. Her sacrifice and dedication to “the good of everybody” led to victory and justice for thousands.

In recent years, Endo’s selfless courage has gained more attention but continues to be overlooked. She is the only challenger to the government’s incarceration that has not received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It has been nearly 26 years since Fred Korematsu received his medal and nearly 80 years since Endo won her legal victory for Japanese Americans. Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi should no longer be overlooked. Her bravery and unswerving dedication to justice should be recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

We thank you for your time and attention on this important matter for our caucus, and we look forward to working with you.

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