William Marutani, a retired Philadelphia judge, was the only Japanese American named to serve on the federal Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. In 1983, the commission determined that the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was prompted by “race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership.” Former Judge Marutani talked about the issue of redress for Japanese Americans who had been detained and the commission’s work.
This interview from the Densho Visual History Collection was conducted September 11, 1997, at the University of California-Los Angeles, by Becky Fukuda and Gary Kawaguchi for Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project.