Norio Mitsuoka (1917-2010) was discharged from the Air Corps following Pearl Harbor and was subsequently incarcerated in Minidoka, where he worked at the fire station. This collection is largely comprised of letters sent to Norio from friends who were incarcerated or serving in the 442nd Infantry Regiment. It also includes government documents, photographs, Norio’s postcard collection, and materials related to his work at the canneries before the World War II.

Norio Mitsuoka was born in the Seattle, Washington area in 1917. He graduated from Garfield High School in the Seattle Public Schools district. Mitsuoka worked at a cannery as an oysterman along the coast of Alaska after high school.

1.25 linear feet, 2 oversized newspapers, 16 artifacts

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).

By appointment only. Please Contact the Collections Management and Access Unit by email (collections@janm.org) or telephone (213-830-5615).