James Hatsuki Wakasa
Millard County, Millard County, Utah
Marker Inscription
In memory of "James Hatsuki Wakasa" shot and killed west of this spot April 11, 1943
The Story
This spot lies within the Topaz War Relocation Center, one of ten camps where the United States confined Japanese Americans after Executive Order 9066. On April 11, 1943, James Hatsuki Wakasa, an elderly resident of the camp, was shot and killed by a sentry near the perimeter fence. His death became a rallying point for the incarcerated community and a lasting symbol of the injustice they endured.
Why it matters
It marks the human cost of wartime incarceration, a grave violation of civil liberties that the nation later formally acknowledged and apologized for.
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