Hans Baerwald was born in Japan to German-Jewish parents. The Japanese language was a regular part of the Baerwald household, as his father had established business relations in Japan in 1912 and had served as an interpreter during World War I. Baerwald grew up steeped in the language but felt that he was "fluent and illiterate" at the same time.
<br><br>In 1940, the family immigrated to the United States, where Baerwald finished his secondary education and began studies in Japanese language at the University of California, Berkeley. Having been on the Army's list of BIJs (foreigners born in Japan), he received draft notice in mid-1945. Military Japanese language training began later that year, making Baerwald the last person to have been admitted to the Army Intensive Japanese Language School at the University of Michigan. This school trained more than 1,500 Caucasian officers and enlisted men during its three years of operation.
<br><br>Upon graduating from the language school, Baerwald returned to Japan with assignment under the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) but shortly after transferred to the Government Section of General Headquarters SCAP, where he remained until 1949. Most of his work involved interpreting and translating on political matters and conducting political analyses--an experience that parlayed into an academic career teaching political science at Miami University and the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to academia, he has also been a consultant to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
<br><br><br><br>