James Tsutomo Kai was born in Denver, Colo., where his father had opened a photography studio. In 1936, he and his family moved to Los Angeles where he attended Japanese school and practiced kendo. On October 7, 1941, he enlisted in the Army at Fort MacArthur, Calif., and received medical basic training.

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the FBI picked up his mother and sent her to Terminal Island because she taught Japanese at the language school, and his father and siblings left for Poston Detention Camp in Arizona. Kai's three-year-old Chevy sold for 35 dollars.

After basic training, he traveled to Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and ended up at Camp Robinson, Ark., at the base hospital. His commanding officer submitted his name in for a special training program at the University of Southern California to become a doctor, but the program denied his application. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to visit the base, all the Japanese-American soldiers were confined.

Itching for combat, Kai volunteered for all the combat units, and eventually received orders to report to Camp Savage, Minn., for the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS). Even though he studied in the lower classes, he retained his rank of Staff Sergeant and became a team leader. His Kibei friends from basic training made a special request to join his team, and unlike other groups, he had three top-notched Kibei working with him and six of the 10 linguists had graduated from college.

His team joined the 81st Division and worked on the Palau Archipelago as translators and interpreters. They also mimeographed leaflets to encourage Japanese soldiers to surrender. Many of the soldiers heard rumors that U.S. Forces would torture and mutilate them, so instead of facing the pain and shame of capture they would commit suicide. Kai's commanding officers seemed more preoccupied with gathering bounty, samurai swords, or Japanese money, than winning the war.

After Palau, the 81st went to Leyte, Philippines, to capture stragglers and then moved to Aomori, Japan, as part of the Occupation. In Japan, Kai caught pneumonia and returned to the United States. 
Kai, James - bio.doc

Scott Hoshida	Page 1	4/8/03


