Sam Masao Nishimura

AKA: Masao Nishimura; Samuel Masao Nishimura
Released
Date of birth:28. 04. 1905
Gender:Male
Era:1940s
State:Hawaii
Support
Sam Masao Nishimura

Biography

Masao (Sam) Nishimura was a Japanese American civilian imprisoned at Honouliuli during World War II. The National Park Service describes his work making rings from toothbrushes and identifies him as the camp tailor. After release, he faced social stigma: friends visited only at night to avoid being seen with him. This was US wartime civilian internment, not a documented criminal conviction. Exact arrest and release dates are unverified. Source: https://www.nps.gov/hono/learn/historyculture/life-in-honouliuli-internment-camp.htm

Photo source: Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi. Samuel Masao Nishimura, circa 1940. Personal collection of Sandi Chang, scanned in 2026 by Reva Mai. Source image reproduced without alteration.

Case

Charges: US wartime civilian internment; no individual criminal charge established by the cited evidence
Sentence: Historical Honouliuli internment followed by release, explicitly described by the National Park Service. No judicial sentence, exact custody dates or measured duration established. Source: https://www.nps.gov/hono/learn/historyculture/life-in-honouliuli-internment-camp.htm

Related Cases

Ichiro Genishi Ichiro Genishi Alice Noriko Matano Alice Noriko Matano Naoichi Seto Naoichi Seto Harry Minoru Urata Harry Minoru Urata