National Education Center
Conflict History
Asiatic-Pacific Theater
The Military Intelligence Service (MIS) took part in much of the action in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II accompanying every major Army and Marine unit in the US Armed Forces as well as units of Allied nations, including Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, India and China. The MIS Nisei also worked in intelligence centers in the United States, Australia and India.
China-Burma-India Theater
In the China-Burma-India Theater, the MIS varied from a single individual to a team of ten or more as translators, interrogators, and interpreters while also facing combat. The length of their involvement would range from a few weeks to several months.
European Theater
The 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) and the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team took part in several major campaigns in Italy, France and Germany during World War II.
A Different Type of Battle
While the Nisei soldiers were fighting overseas, other Japanese Americans fought a different – but just as courageous – battle on the home front against unjust and discriminatory treatment.
Those Who Helped
Not only are the Japanese American wartime experiences as varied as the thousands of people who endured them, but they also involved many other individuals who were not of Japanese descent, people who with courage stood up for Japanese Americans when others would not. They fought for the rights of their Japanese American neighbors when others refused.
Korean War
Members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team also served in Korea. However due to racial integration, exact numbers of Japanese Americans who served in the Korean War are difficult to determine though the National Japanese American Historical Society estimates that about 5,000 Japanese Americans served in the conflict and more than 240 Japanese Americans were killed in action.