Nisei

The term "Nisei" means "second generation" in Japanese. It refers mainly to Japanese Americans or preferably Americans of Japanese descent, who have been born in the United States. During World War II, Nisei and Japanese immigrants (Issei) alike were under intense suspicion motivated by racism and war-time hysteria, and were placed inside unfair military internment camps. No Japanese spies were ever found. The Nisei experienced similar racism alike African Americans, American Jews, Latinos and so on, but over the next few decades they overcame their struggle and are held as the "model minority". However, not all Japanese-Americans like the sound of the term, because it deletes their historical experiences with internment, discrimination, segregation and deprival of civil rights. There are about 1.5 million Japanese Americans in the USA, including a third of all people in Hawaii are of Japanese descent. The largest communities of Nisei are in Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington state, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and outside the West Coast such as New York state, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas and Illinois.