Territory of Hawaii - Japanese Registration Summon

Territory of Hawaii - Japanese Registration Summons -1942
This official summons was issued by the Hawaiian Territorial Office of Civilian Defense to Takahashi Shigeyoshi, a resident of Kamuela of the Island of Hawaii, in April 1942. Summonses like these were authorized after President Roosevelt initiated Executive Order 9066 on 19 February 1942, which allowed for the designation of "military areas from which any or all persons may be excluded." The entire program for resettling Japanese-Americans was carried out in a suite of corner offices on the second floor of the Presidio in San Francisco.

On the US mainland, this was a precursor to the segregation and internment of Japanese, who subsequently suffered tremendous financial losses and personal hardship. In Hawaii, while Japanese-Americans and ethnic Japanese were required to register for enumeration, they constituted such an integral part of the Hawaiian economy that very few were actually interned. Pre-WWII, it is estimated that around 157,000 ethnic and naturalized Japanese inhabited the Hawaiian Islands, comprising approximately 33% of the entire population. Conversely, on the mainland the Japanese-American population was only about 126,000 and mostly American-born.

Because of their high numbers, it would have been impractical to inter the Japanese in Hawaii. Instead they were merely required to register. Of the total Japanese population of Hawaii only 2,000 individual were actually interred, most of them were transferred to the mainland. In comparison, over 100,000 were interred on the U.S. mainland.

On 7 December 1941, immediately following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was placed under martial law with every aspect of Hawaiian life under control of the military. Curiously, however, because of extensive militarization, a large military and naval presence and the dependence of Hawaii on the war effort there was never any rationing in Hawaii (except for gasoline and alcohol).

This summons was issued in the name of Frank H. Locey, who was appointed to the advisory committee to the military governor in General Order #1 and also served as the director of the Office of Civilian Defense and the president of the Board of Agriculture and Forestry for the military government.
Little is known of Mr. Shigeyoshi. His domicile was in Kamuela, in Waimea, and it is assumed that he was an agricultural worker. Martial Law was lifted in Hawaii in October of 1944, with full statehood achieved 16 years later in 1960.

Provenance:
* Territory of Hawaii to Takahashi Shigeyoshi, 1942.
* Acquired by purchase, Hawaii, December 2013.

Sources:

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United States Executive Order 9066, Wikipedia, 13 April 2013, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9066

Anthony, Joseph Garner, Hawaii under Army Rule, Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1951.
Why Japanese in Hawaii Weren't Interned during WWII, Tofugu, 13 April 2013, from: http://www.tofugu.com/2008/07/28/why-japanese-in-hawaii-werent-interned-durin-wwii/

Cohen, Andrew , Treatment of Japanese-Americans in WWII Hawaii Revealed in Article, Berkeley Law, University of California, from: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/10983.htm
Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC) Archives, 2012.

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	3
Length of Fly	4.75

Frame
Is it framed?	no

Stars
Are there stars on obverse?	no
Are there stars on reverse?	no

Stripes
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Paper

Documentation
Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Drawings	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.

Condition
Condition	Excellent
Damage	Used, worn, creased
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1942