JAAZ Oral History Project
The Japanese Americans in Arizona Oral History Project (JAAZ) is a community-campus collaboration between JACL Arizona and APAS, with sponsorship from APS and members of the Japanese American community. The project is documenting the experiences of Nisei living Arizona, especially those in Arizona during WW II.

George Kishiyama, a Kibei (Japanese Americans born in the U.S. who returned to America after being educated in Japan), came back to Arizona and took over his father’s flower farm on Baseline. Mas Inoshita came to Arizona from California, and was interned at Gila River until he left to work for the Military Intelligence Service in the Pacific Theatre. Hide Watanabe grew up with her sisters and brothers in Glendale; the war interrupted her senior year at Glendale High, and she completed her degree at Peoria High school, the only high school that allowed Japanese Americans who were not interned to attend. Ophelia Salas, whose parents came from Texas, spoke of growing up in Mesa, and the challenges she faced as a multi-racial, half-Japanese, half-Mexican being a part of both communities.

More information on the JAAZ Oral history project, now in its second year, is available on the JAAZ website , which features excerpts from a few of the thirty interviews (totally more than 80 hours) that the project has collected. In addition, Karen Leong, Doris Asano, and Karen Kuo are editing a book based on the oral histories from the project.

International Nikkei Legacy Project
APAS is an affiliate member of this international project spearheaded by the Japanese American National Museum.

Our role within this project is to archive the Nikkei Legacy Database in the state of Arizona as a contribution to the DISCOVER NIKKEI website which features resources, and information about Nikkei communities worldwide.

APAS Japanese American Project partnership with the
Japanese American National Museum
This forthcoming project involves state and local historic research and education on the experiences of Japanese Americans in Arizona. Japanese American National Museum will work in collaboration with APAS faculty and the Arizona community including the Japanese American Citizen’s League–Arizona Chapter, and the Japanese Americans in Arizona Oral History Project to bring national awareness to Arizona and the Southwest as regions rich in Japanese American history.