Takeshi “Tak” Furumoto is a Japanese American who was born in an incarceration camp, raised in Hiroshima, and fought in the Vietnam War. In the NHK documentary Raised in Hiroshima, Fought in Vietnam, Furumoto travels in search of closure to his complicated past.

About Tak Furumoto

Born in 1944 in Tule Lake War Relocation Center, one of the ten Japanese American incarceration camps established for the mass incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals living on the West Coast, during World War II, Tak Furumoto is the youngest of Sam Kiyoto and Yoshi Furumoto’s five children. Raised in his father’s war-torn hometown in Hiroshima after the atomic bombing, Furumoto’s family returned to the U.S. in 1956, settling in Los Angeles. After Furumoto graduated from UCLA in 1967, he volunteered to enter the Army. Despite the injustices his family endured in the U.S. during WWII, Furumoto valiantly served our country in the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star.

A New Jersey resident since 1971, Furumoto and his wife, Carolyn, have run Furumoto Realty in New Jersey, New York City, and Westchester for more than 50 years. They have dedicated their lives to the betterment of the Japanese American community in both New Jersey and New York. They were instrumental in New Jersey’s adoption of Fred T. Korematsu Day in 2023, relentlessly advocating for the state of New Jersey to recognize January 30 as the Fred T. Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, a day that honors civil rights hero Fred Korematsu, a California native who refused to enter the incarceration camps in 1942.

To learn more about Furumoto and his contributions to our community, please read Karen Kawaguchi’s in-depth article in Discover Nikkei.

On-Air Schedule

NHK World will broadcast Raised in Hiroshima, Fought in Vietnam on the following days:
Friday, March 21 from 8:10 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 22 from 2:10 a.m. until 3:00 a.m. | 8:10 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. | 2:10 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

NHK World is available in New York at these channels: Spectrum 1279, Optimum 142, FiOS 482, Xfinity 265 and 1157, and OTA channel 58.2 To find the full details of where you can watch the documentary in your area, please visit the NHK World Channel List on NHK’s website.

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Susan McCormac 1/28/25 Susan McCormac 1/28/25

Fred Korematsu Day in Fort Lee, NJ

Honoring the civil rights activist Fred T. Korematsu

Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution

Thursday, January 30 at 5:00 p.m.

Fort Lee Municipal Building – 309 Main Street, Fort Lee, NJ 07024

Admission: Free

The Borough of Fort Lee and New Jersey AAPI Commissioner Tak Furumoto celebrate Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. The event honors the legacy of Fred Korematsu, a U.S. civil rights hero who had the courage to stand up for what is right during World War II. January 30 would have been Korematsu’s 106th birthday.

About Fred Korematsu

In 1942, 23-year-old California native Fred Korematsu refused to enter the concentration camps established for the mass incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals living on the West Coast, citing the directive as unconstitutional. After his arrest for defying government orders, he took his case all the way to the Supreme Court – and lost. In 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Korematsu, claiming that the incarceration was justified by “military necessity.” However, nearly forty years later, researchers uncovered evidence revealing there were no acts of treason by Japanese Americans to justify their internment. This discovery of government misconduct led to the reopening of Korematsu’s case. On November 10, 1983, a federal court in San Francisco overturned Korematsu’s conviction, marking a significant moment in the fight for civil rights.

Korematsu dedicated his life to activism, becoming a symbol of resilience and justice. In 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, recognizing his tireless efforts to defend the civil liberties of all Americans. Learn more about him at the Korematsu Institute’s website.

Establishing Fred T. Korematsu Day

In 2010, when then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the legislative bill recognizing January 30 as the Fred T. Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, it became the first statewide day in U.S. history named after an Asian American. Following California’s lead, seven other states officially recognize the observance in perpetuity: Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. Other states, including Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Utah recognize Fred T. Korematsu Day by proclamation.

Tak Furumoto, who was born in Tule Lake War Relocation Center, one of the Japanese American incarceration camps, was instrumental in New Jersey’s adoption of Fred T. Korematsu Day in 2023. Raised in his parents' native Hiroshima after the atomic bombing, Furumoto returned to the U.S. to attend college and eventually served our country in Vietnam War. Furumoto and his wife, Carolyn, have run Furumoto Realty for more than 50 years and have dedicated their lives to the betterment of the Japanese American community in both New Jersey and New York.

Fred T. Korematsu Day in New York City

New York State, under the guidance of State Senator Shelley Mayer, passed a bill recognizing Fred T. Korematsu Day last year, but New York City first observed this day in 2018 after City Council unanimously passing Resolution 792, proposed by then Councilmember Daniel Dromm, on December 19, 2017. The day serves not only to honor Korematsu’s brave act to fight injustice, but also to educate the public in the hopes that the history of mass incarceration, prompted by wartime hysteria, will never be repeated.

Local Hero to Be Featured in NHK Documentary