World War II Japanese American Incarceration: Researching an Individual or Family

Getting Started

Exclusion from Militarily Restricted Areas

Wartime Civil Control Administration (WCCA) Microfilm Rolls

Records of the Assembly Centers

The records of the Assembly Center Branch document the administration of the temporary detention camps, including general operational procedures as well as detailed information on individual sites. Assembly Center records contain both administrative files and folders for individual families (called Family Folders).

• Copy of Records of the Assembly Centers, 1942–1945 (National Archives Identifier: 22476356)
• Copy of the General Correspondence of the Assembly Center Branch, 1942–1943 (National Archives Identifier: 22476358)
• Copy of the Index of the Records of the Assembly Center Branch, 1942–1945 (National Archives Identifier: 22476353)

Accessing Assembly Centers Microfilm Rolls

►Requests and questions may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, at archives2reference@nara.gov.

War Relocation Authority Camps

War Relocation Authority (WRA) Case Files

Starting Your Research

In addition to creating individual and family folders, the WRA collected statistical information upon arrival and near the closing of the camps. This data can be useful for locating information about those incarcerated in WRA camps, including family numbers.

Entering the WRA Camps, 1942

Evacuee Summary Data Cards, 1942–1946 (National Archives Identifier: 1055737): These computer punch cards consist of basic information gathered soon after Japanese American individuals and families entered the WRA camps. These data cards are particularly useful to locate individuals who left the camps early during the war (to enlist in the military, to work in the civilian workforce, or other), before the Final Accountability Rosters were created in 1944.

Data from the computer punch cards can be searched electronically via the Access to Archival Databases (AAD). 

• For search tips, please see Search the Database page.
• For more information about this database, please see these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Closing the Camps, 1944–1946

Final Accountability Rosters of Evacuees, 1944–1946 (National Archives Identifier: 1055789): These rosters were created as the WRA camps prepared to close and contain valuable information including the trajectory of a person’s incarceration from the method of original entry (from an "assembly center," other institutions, Hawai'i, another "relocation center," or birth) to the type of final departure (indefinite leave, internment, repatriation/expatriation, segregation, relocation, or death). While these rosters are useful to locate individuals who were still in the WRA camps near the end of the war, including those transferred from DOJ-INS camps, the rosters will not include those who left earlier in the war.

• Digitized microfilms are arranged by WRA camp. Name searchable indexes are also available from Ancestry.com.

**Both the Final Rosters and Data Cards have been indexed into a combined Names Registry developed by Densho.org.

Accessing WRA Case Files

Researchers may request to view WRA case files on site at the National Archives in Washington, DC, or order copies of case files using the WRA case file request form.

In your request, please provide the following information so that our staff can locate the case file:

• Individual’s full name
• ​If the individual used a Japanese name and an English name, please provide both names.
• Individual's date of birth
• WRA camp or camps

​If the individual of interest is not the head of their family, please also provide the following information:

• Head of family's name
• Head of family's date of birth

More questions?

►If you have any questions or for more information, contact the National Archives in Washington, DC, at archives1reference@nara.gov.

Records of the Provost Division and Japanese American Branch

Accessing the records

►Requests and questions may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, at archives2reference@nara.gov. 

Enemy Alien Internment Facilities

What you will find in these records:

These individual case files generally document administrative proceedings to determine whether an alien enemy would be released, paroled, or interned for the duration of the war. The cases may include Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports, pleadings submitted to federal court, agency administrative or investigative files, agency and public correspondence, newspaper clippings, and transcripts of the Alien Enemy Board Hearings.

In the alphabetical index to the DOJ case files, you will find the person's:

• Name
• Alias
• Date of birth
• Address
• Case file number
• Dates of salient actions
• Remarks on the internees case

Conducting Initial Searches

World War II Japanese Internee Cards, 1941–1947 (National Archives Identifier: 720246): These index cards are name searchable in the National Archives Catalog. Enter the person’s name in the Search within this Series box.

Accessing DOJ Case Files

To request a DOJ case file, please provide the following information:

• Name of internee (include all names used)
• Date of birth
• Department of Justice case file number, if known

►Requests and questions about the DOJ case files may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Immigration (INS) Case Files

After receiving an order from the U.S. Attorney General for the internment of an enemy alien, the person was sent to an Enemy Alien Internment Facility run by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (Record Group 85). The INS oversaw all the Department of Justice and many of the Department of State internment facilities. INS field offices also maintained case files for the initial arrests of enemy aliens.

The INS ran twelve permanent enemy alien internment facilities:

INS records also include files from the Tule Lake Segregation Center, covering the immediate post-war period when the camp held those who renounced their U.S. citizenship, and those seeking repatriation and expatriation to Japan.

Conducting Initial Searches

INS Central Office:

• Indexes to the INS enemy alien case files are not available online. Proceed below for further information.
• Subject and Policy Files, 1906–1957 (National Archives Identifier: 559947): These INS records include files concerning INS-run Enemy Alien Internment Facilities. For further instructions on how to access these records, see INS Subject and Policy Files, 1906–1957.

INS office in Los Angeles:

• Enemy Alien Case Files, 1941–1948 (National Archives Identifier: 6217699): These case files relate to those apprehended in Southern California and may be name searchable in the National Archives Catalog. Enter the person’s name in the Search within this Series box.

Accessing INS Case Files

To request an INS Case File, please provide the following information:

• Name of internee (include all names used)
• Date of birth
• INS camp (if known)

►For records from the INS Central Office, contact the National Archives in Washington, DC, at archives1reference@nara.gov. 

►For records from the Los Angeles INS office, contact the National Archives at Riverside at riverside.archives@nara.gov.

Enemy Alien Control Program in the U.S. Territories

Records of the Enemy Prisoner of War Information Bureau (part of the Office of the Provost Marshal General (OPMG) (Record Group 389) includes documents related to the Enemy Alien Control Program in the U.S. Territories. Files from Hawai'i include 1,202 case files for internees of Japanese ancestry.  

Subject Files, 1942–1946 (National Archives Identifier: 833674): 

• Hawai'i, Civilian Internees Folders: Records pertain to both Japanese and Japanese American civilian internees living in Hawai'i at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. Name searchable in the National Archives Catalog. Enter the person’s name in the Search within this Series box. Here are the query results for the full list.
• Hawai'i: Enemy Alien General File (National Archives Identifier: 900260): This one file documents the deportation of Japanese Americans to the mainland.
• Hawai'i, Return Groups Files: Records consist of lists of Japanese Americans deported to the mainland and later returned, or offered the option to return, to Hawai'i at war's end. Here are the query results for the full list.

Records Relating to Japanese Civilian Internees During World War II (National Archives Identifier: 872144): Consists of files of Japanese nationals (and possibly U.S. citizens) interned in the United States, including those who were apprehended from overseas (Peru, Guam, and Saipan).

Records from the Military Government of the Territory of Hawai'i (MGH) (Record Group 494) include internee case files and lists:

• Internee Release Forms, 1942–1945 (National Archives Identifier: 1088866)
• Internee Case Files, December 15, 1941–1945 (National Archives Identifier: 1073970)
• Lists of Names of Japanese Alien Internees, 1945 (National Archives Identifier: 1089727)
• Internee Property Case Files, 1943–1945 (National Archives Identifier: 1112476)
• Index of Paroled Enemy Aliens, 1942–1943 (National Archives Identifier: 7873232)

Accessing OPMG and MGH Records

►Requests and questions may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Enemy Alien Diplomats and Latin Americans Deported to the United States

The Department of State (Record Group 59) managed the internment of enemy alien diplomats and Latin Americans deported to the United States. The State Department was also responsible for negotiating a civilian internees exchange, facilitating the return of U.S. citizens held in Axis nations in return for the repatriation of Axis citizens detained in the United States. Records include hearings to determine whether former enemy aliens could return to their Latin American country.

Records:

Reports on Interned Enemy Aliens, 1942–1947 (National Archives Identifier: 719525)

Transcripts of Proceedings before the Hearing Board of the Alien Enemy Control Section, 1946 (National Archives Identifier: 657806)

Subject Files, 1939–1955 (National Archives Identifier: 2173219): Includes documentation on internees from Latin America and case files on Japanese nationals who died in the camps.

Accessing State Department Records

►Requests and questions may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch in College Park, MD, at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Military and Civilian Service

​For records affected by the 1973 Fire, additional information—such as place of discharge; last assigned unit; and place of entry into service—may be useful.

Requests for OMPFs may be submitted online: Request Military Service Records. To request additional assistance:

• If the veteran separated from military service before 1962, contact the National Archives at St. Louis at stl.archives@nara.gov.
• If the veteran separated from military service in 1962 or after, contact the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC).

Online Indexes

National Archives and Records Administration (Record Group 64)

World War II Army Enlistment Records, June 1, 2002–September 30, 2002 (National Archives Identifier: 604357)

• The Army Serial Number Enlistment Card Records table has records for almost nine million men and women who enlisted in the Army and the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.
• The database is name searchable in the Access to Archival Database (AAD).

Public Health Service (Record Group 90)

Cadet Nurse Corps Files, 1943–1948 (National Archives Identifier: 5605027)

• Membership cards are name searchable in Ancestry.com: U.S., World War II Cadet Nursing Corps Card Files, 1942–1948.

Office of Strategic Services (Record Group 226)

Personnel Files of the Office of Strategic Services, 1942–ca. 1962 (National Archives Identifier: 1593270): 

• These index cards are name searchable in the National Archives Catalog. Enter the person’s name in the Search within this Series box.

►Requests and questions about these records may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Renouncing—and Restoring—U.S. Citizenship

Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (Record Group 85)

General Files (Tule Lake), 1945–1946 (National Archives Identifier: 5717237)

►Requests and questions about these records may be submitted to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. at archives1reference@nara.gov.

Legal Challenges

Several lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Courts (Record Group 21) to prevent deportation and reinstate U.S. citizenship.

Northern District of California (San Francisco)

A good place to start searching for those who renounced is in the class action suit, Tadayasu Abo v. Clark, Civil no. 25294 (National Archives Identifier: 357434775), where the majority of Japanese Americans filed affidavits to reclaim their citizenship.

►Requests and questions about the affidavits in the Abo case may be submitted to the National Archives at San Francisco at sanbruno.archives@nara.gov.

Central District of California (Los Angeles)

Lawsuits were also filed individually or in smaller groups in the federal court in Los Angeles.
►Requests and questions about cases filed in Southern California may be submitted to the National Archives at Riverside at riverside.archives@nara.gov.

Post-War Redress and Reparations

The post-war redress movement—seeking financial compensation, and public recognition and apology for the forced removal and confinement—took decades to bear fruit. While the Claims Act of 1948 provided token compensation for lost property, only with the passing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 did the formerly incarcerated receive more substantial redress, including a public apology. Records at NARA include case files for claims filed under the 1948 Act, claims filed under the 1988 Act, and testimonies from the public hearings held by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC).

Japanese American Claims Act Case Files, under 1948 law

About the Claims

The Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act of July 2, 1948, provided compensation for losses of real and personal property to Japanese American citizens removed from the West Coast during World War II. The vast majority of the approximately 26,550 claims filed were compensated for $2,500 or less. The program was administered by the Justice Department, which later set a $100,000 limit on each claim. Approximately $37 million was awarded.

What you will find in these records, part of Department of Justice (DOJ) (Record Group 60):

• Description of the compensation and amounts requested by the claimant
• Award amount
• Basis for the decision

How to search these records:

Published Adjudications

The publication Adjudications of the Attorney General of the United States, Volume 1, Precedent Decisions under the Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act (GPO: Washington, DC), can serve as a finding aid. Link to chapters from list of claimant names, file numbers, and dates.

1. Go to the Adjudications main page
2. Look for the name of the person you are researching.
3. If you find the person, you can review the published decisions online by clicking on the link in the File Number column.

Case Files

Class 146-35 (Japanese American Claims Act) Litigation Case Files and Enclosures, 1942–1962 (National Archives Identifier: 783824):

• Case files are name searchable in the National Archives Catalog. Enter the person’s name in the Search within this Series box. Only precedent-setting adjudications, claims settled by the Court of Claims, and a selected representative sample of cases were preserved. 

Accessing the records

►Requests and questions about the claims case files may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD, at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Japanese American Redress Case Files, Under 1988 Law

What you will find in these records

The case files consist of written correspondence from the individual, copies of their personal credentials and supporting documentation. Each case is closed by either a letter of ineligibility or a payment document.

How to search these records

Please note: the index to these records is not currently available online.

Accessing the records

Researchers may request an index search for payments made by the Office of Redress Administration by providing the following information in their request:

• Name of individual
• Date of birth
• Residence at the time the application for restitution payments was submitted (if known)

►Requests for an index search or other questions may be submitted to the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD at archives2reference@nara.gov. 

CWRIC Public Hearings and Testimonies

About the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) (Record Group 220)

The CWRIC was set up to review the facts and circumstances surrounding the forced removal and incarceration, and its impact on American citizens and permanent residents.

What you will find in these records

These records reflect the Commission's twenty days of hearings and testimonies from more than 750 witnesses held between July and December 1981, in cities across the country. These witnesses included Japanese Americans and Aleuts who had lived through the events of World War II, former government officials who ran the incarceration programs, public figures, organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League, interested citizens, historians, and other professionals who had studied the subjects of the Commission's inquiry. Materials also include publications, reports, press releases, photographs, newspaper clippings, and transcripts that relate to the hearings. The transcripts contain many personal narratives that directly capture the intangible losses stemming from the wartime policies by the U.S. government.

Alien Files (A-Files)