JACL Celebrates Announcement of Mitsuye Endo Presidential Citizens Medal

January 2, 2025

For Immediate Release

Seia Watanabe, VP Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org

Matthew Weisbly, Education Programs/Comms Manager, mweisbly@jacl.org

Today the Biden Administration announced 20 recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal. These medals are given out to those “who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” Among the recipients this year is Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi, whose Supreme Court case, Ex Parte Endo, helped to end the mass incarceration of the Japanese American community during World War II. As it was with JACL’s urging that Endo brought forth her case, we have long advocated for Presidential recognition of Endo for her actions, including passing a national council resolution in 2014. We thank President Biden for acknowledging and recognizing such a monumental case and the woman behind it all.

In the words of the administration in their announcement: “In a shameful chapter in our Nation’s history, Mitsuye Endo was incarcerated alongside more than 120,000 Japanese Americans. Undaunted, she challenged the injustice and reached the Supreme Court. Her resolve allowed thousands of Japanese Americans to return home and rebuild their lives, reminding us that we are a Nation that stands for freedom for all.” 

This award is especially fitting, as several weeks ago, was the 80th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Ex Parte Endo to bring an end to the incarceration and allow Japanese Americans to return to the West Coast. This anniversary was commemorated in Congress by Senator Mazie Hirono, whose speech can be found here. In addition to Senator Hirono, we recognize that it has been several Japanese American women who have led the advocacy for recognizing Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi including, but not limited to, Deputy Assistant to the President and AANHPI Senior Liaison Erika Moritsugu, the Endo Presidential Medal of Freedom Committee leadership Peggy Nagae and Kathryn Bannai, and former JACL executive director Priscilla Ouchida. 

We once again thank President Biden and the many members of the Japanese American community for their ongoing efforts in fighting for recognition of Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi’s contribution to the Japanese American community and of her place in American history. 

The full announcement from the White House on the 20 medal awardees can be found here and the White House ceremony honoring the recipients can be viewed here.

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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.