MASATATSU "MASA" YONEMURA was the 6th of 8 children born to Tameki Yonemura and Kiku Imamura. He was raised in Riverside, CA. As a youth he was a chauffer for Mrs. Belle White, who became his mentor. Masa first graduated from Riverside Community College, then in 1939 from UCLA with a degree in Economics.
By December 1941, he was in his last semester as a Law student at Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U. S. Army's Military Intelligence Unit recruited Masa as a Linguist. Meanwhile his parents and sisters and their families spent the next 3 years in the Internment Camps.
1st Lieutenant Masatatsu Yonemura served most of the War in Australia as a translator. During the Occupation of Japan, he served as a translator for the Japanese War Crimes Trials in Tokyo.
After Masa's discharge from the Army, he completed his Law studies at U C Berkeley. He went into practice in Oakland, CA as an Immigration and Civil Rights attorney. Masa actively supported many organizations and individuals who were fighting for social justice, such as California farm workers, representing them Pro Bono. Later in his career Masa also became an attorney for several major Japanese companies seeking to do business in the U.S., including Japan Airlines and Japan Foods.
Among the many honors earned in his distinguished career, Masa was decorated by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for his work in bettering bilateral relationships between the United States and Japan through a better understanding of the laws of each country.
Masa married Toshiko Furuta April 14, 1943. Toshi was the daughter of Charles Mitsuji Furuta and Yukiko Yashima of Huntington Beach, CA. Masa and Toshi were married for 59 years before her death in 2002. Masa lived to the age of 91.
They raised their 3 children, Ann, Jean and Paul, in Berkeley, CA.
By December 1941, he was in his last semester as a Law student at Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U. S. Army's Military Intelligence Unit recruited Masa as a Linguist. Meanwhile his parents and sisters and their families spent the next 3 years in the Internment Camps.
1st Lieutenant Masatatsu Yonemura served most of the War in Australia as a translator. During the Occupation of Japan, he served as a translator for the Japanese War Crimes Trials in Tokyo.
After Masa's discharge from the Army, he completed his Law studies at U C Berkeley. He went into practice in Oakland, CA as an Immigration and Civil Rights attorney. Masa actively supported many organizations and individuals who were fighting for social justice, such as California farm workers, representing them Pro Bono. Later in his career Masa also became an attorney for several major Japanese companies seeking to do business in the U.S., including Japan Airlines and Japan Foods.
Among the many honors earned in his distinguished career, Masa was decorated by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for his work in bettering bilateral relationships between the United States and Japan through a better understanding of the laws of each country.
Masa married Toshiko Furuta April 14, 1943. Toshi was the daughter of Charles Mitsuji Furuta and Yukiko Yashima of Huntington Beach, CA. Masa and Toshi were married for 59 years before her death in 2002. Masa lived to the age of 91.
They raised their 3 children, Ann, Jean and Paul, in Berkeley, CA.
MASATATSU "MASA" YONEMURA was the 6th of 8 children born to Tameki Yonemura and Kiku Imamura. He was raised in Riverside, CA. As a youth he was a chauffer for Mrs. Belle White, who became his mentor. Masa first graduated from Riverside Community College, then in 1939 from UCLA with a degree in Economics.
By December 1941, he was in his last semester as a Law student at Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U. S. Army's Military Intelligence Unit recruited Masa as a Linguist. Meanwhile his parents and sisters and their families spent the next 3 years in the Internment Camps.
1st Lieutenant Masatatsu Yonemura served most of the War in Australia as a translator. During the Occupation of Japan, he served as a translator for the Japanese War Crimes Trials in Tokyo.
After Masa's discharge from the Army, he completed his Law studies at U C Berkeley. He went into practice in Oakland, CA as an Immigration and Civil Rights attorney. Masa actively supported many organizations and individuals who were fighting for social justice, such as California farm workers, representing them Pro Bono. Later in his career Masa also became an attorney for several major Japanese companies seeking to do business in the U.S., including Japan Airlines and Japan Foods.
Among the many honors earned in his distinguished career, Masa was decorated by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for his work in bettering bilateral relationships between the United States and Japan through a better understanding of the laws of each country.
Masa married Toshiko Furuta April 14, 1943. Toshi was the daughter of Charles Mitsuji Furuta and Yukiko Yashima of Huntington Beach, CA. Masa and Toshi were married for 59 years before her death in 2002. Masa lived to the age of 91.
They raised their 3 children, Ann, Jean and Paul, in Berkeley, CA.
By December 1941, he was in his last semester as a Law student at Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U. S. Army's Military Intelligence Unit recruited Masa as a Linguist. Meanwhile his parents and sisters and their families spent the next 3 years in the Internment Camps.
1st Lieutenant Masatatsu Yonemura served most of the War in Australia as a translator. During the Occupation of Japan, he served as a translator for the Japanese War Crimes Trials in Tokyo.
After Masa's discharge from the Army, he completed his Law studies at U C Berkeley. He went into practice in Oakland, CA as an Immigration and Civil Rights attorney. Masa actively supported many organizations and individuals who were fighting for social justice, such as California farm workers, representing them Pro Bono. Later in his career Masa also became an attorney for several major Japanese companies seeking to do business in the U.S., including Japan Airlines and Japan Foods.
Among the many honors earned in his distinguished career, Masa was decorated by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for his work in bettering bilateral relationships between the United States and Japan through a better understanding of the laws of each country.
Masa married Toshiko Furuta April 14, 1943. Toshi was the daughter of Charles Mitsuji Furuta and Yukiko Yashima of Huntington Beach, CA. Masa and Toshi were married for 59 years before her death in 2002. Masa lived to the age of 91.
They raised their 3 children, Ann, Jean and Paul, in Berkeley, CA.
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