Fujii, Ryoichi

Ryōichi Fujii (1905-1983) was a bilingual journalist, political commentator, and political activist. Born as Asano Katsu in Gifu city in Gifu Prefecture, he was known as "Bob" Fujii in English. A graduate of Doshisha Univ., Fujii came to the U.S. as a student in 1931, where he attended Oberlin and received his M.A. in 1934. Between 1936 and 1940, he was a member of the American Communist Party active in Southern California. During the wartime years, Fujii was interned first at Santa Anita and then at Heart Mountain. As an advocate of cooperation with the American government, he was a key figure in the resettlement phase of internment, especially in the Chicago area. In 1945 he founded the Chicago Shimpo. As an editor and writer, he was an outspoken opponent of McCarthyism, white racism, the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Pact, and the Vietnam War and a supporter of the civil rights movement. Besides his prolific writings as a newpaperman, he was also the author of Shikago Nikkeijinshi, a history of Japanese-Americans in Chicago, published in 1968.

From the description of Papers, 1919-1999. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 50389508

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