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In response, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order that led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry—two-thirds of whom were U.S.-born citizens—into “internment” camps.
The incarcerees were held in makeshift “assembly centers”—some as crude as horse stalls—and forced to live in concentration camps scattered across the country for up to four years.
The trauma of displacement, incarceration and family separation continues to shape lives today.
Since the war, former incarcerees have been making pilgrimages to their camps to find healing and closure. This project documents their journeys and explores the question:
What does it mean to be American?
Is it to be born on American soil, or to be of a certain race?
Is it to declare loyalty to your country despite unjust treatment, or to stand up for your rights as an American citizen?
These Japanese American families share how they have defined belonging here in America—behind barbed wire.
Campu: An American Story is a project facilitated by photographer Haruka Sakaguchi about the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. It documents Japanese American families as they make pilgrimages to their former camps and reflect on this dark chapter in American history. This website serves to educate future generations about the human costs of incarceration to ensure that this injustice is never repeated again.
Meet the Families
Explore the Camps
Learn the History
Teach the History
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Henry Kaku’s father was discharged from the U.S. Army, imprisoned in two concentration camps, and deported to Japan after refusing to declare “loyalty” to the United States. Join Henry as he makes a pilgrimage to Tule Lake to retrace his father’s footsteps.