The Japanese American National Museum Welcomes Decision by the Los Angeles Times to Drop “Internment”

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) welcomes the decision by the Los Angeles Times to stop using the euphemism “internment” to describe the unjust incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans and their families during World War II. 

On the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, the newspaper’s editorial board published an apology for being an advocate of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Eighty-one years after the incarceration, the newspaper will use “incarceration,” “imprisonment,” or “detention” to accurately describe this period in history.

“Several years ago, JANM led a delegation to urge the newspaper’s editorial board to recognize their misdeeds against the Japanese American community,” said Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of JANM. “This historic decision is a step in the right direction for the Los Angeles Times towards understanding that the power of language is important to the communities it serves and plays an important role in accurately describing what happened to Japanese Americans during World War II. By adopting the term ‘incarceration’ to describe the unjust imprisonment of Japanese Americans, the Los Angeles Times tells the truth about what happened. As part of our commitment to an accurate account of history, the Museum also provides free educational resources, including a vocabulary list, at janm.org/education/resources.”

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