Army Transport Brings Nisei Soldiers Home

The Pacific Citizen, created as the organizational newsletter of the Japanese American Citizens League, became a full-fledged newspaper during World War II. During the war years, it represented the most articulate voice of mainland Japanese Americans, and acted as the principal purveyor of news to the community. The Pacific Citizen was founded in 1929 as the bulletin of the San Francisco "New American Citizens League," under the name Nikkei Shimin. Three years later, it was adopted as the official organ of the fledgling JACL and renamed. During the 1930s it was taken over by Seattle-based editor James Sakamoto as an adjunct of his newspaper Japanese American Courier. With the advent of World War II, the newspaper moved to Salt Lake City, chronicling the stresses and agonies of the Japanese Americans ripped from the homes and imprisoned in the desolate and forbidding "relocation camps" that had been hastily constructed. It covered the progress of the struggle to persuade the government to allow Nisei men to volunteer and fight against the fascist forces of sweeping through Europe and Asia. And then followed with the stories of sacrifice and heroic victories of the Nisei soldiers fighting in Europe. After the war the newspaper relocated to Los Angles, CA, and continues to publish as a national, award-winning semi-monthly newspaper focused on covering Asian Pacific American (APA) news.