Find lost Japanese relatives in Kure

No, there is no name of relatives, just the mother's name. I'm sure at one time there were letters, but they were lost when the family moved. This is a case of a grief-stricken and very busy father who had 5 children to raise on his own. Things just got lost in time. The children are willing to hire a PI, but they would like to find one who speaks English.

Tess,

I just received an email from my cousin in Boston. He is an assistant professor of medicine Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital (he is a Doctor in Japan), and he is authorized to access the medical record in Japan.

When he was informed by me that children does not know relatives name, his response was "nanimodekinai". Also, he disagree with you about enlisting the private firm to search since those firm also will be stymied from very beginning without having the full name of subject. Furthermore, he disagree with children that their mother birthplace is Kure since Kure was the Japan's industrial base for building naval ships. Because of the Japan military marshall law that was in effect, only resident permitted to live in Kure was those working for the military (he reminded me about a story my mother's sister in Japan told us about the town of Chiran that was the training ground for the "Zero" pilots-whole community had to relocate). He said it was a norm for people from other smaller community to migrate to Kure and say, "I was born in Kure" to gain a leverage in getting a job or enrolling kid in school.

He agree that she may have been a resident of Kure up to her leaving for U.S., and if she was registered resident of Kure, her file, if still exist, will be in the City's archive. Such file can't be accessed without the judicial authorization. In order for the Court to order the government to access the file, her children must be in Japan to petition the Court, with their birth certificate certified and translated by the U.S. embassy. Another word you nor the media will not be granted access to her file.... Very similar to the U.S. procedures.

Sorry I couldn't help more. Best wishes.

That is the problem, they were too young to remember any names of the Japanese relatives.

I want to call serveral pirvate investigators and try to find a PI who speaks English to work with this family to try to find their Japanese relatives. As I said earlier, the family was not estranged. It was a case of a father losing contact with the family after her death in childbirth. The language barrier, the frequent moves, the hardship of caring for five children on his own-he just could not keep in contact. Before more time goes by, the family wants to make a push for this issue to be resolved (they have been looking for their relatives for years). Naturally the problem is they are here in the US and don't speak the language. They only recently found me, a person who speak some Japanese and willing to do some advance work for them.

The suggestion to use a PI has been accepted. Now I need to find the telephone numbers of some in the Hiroshoma/Kure area and call them to find one who speaks English. The family would like to be actively involved with the search.

I'm wondering about Kure as well. It was Japanese naval station and shipyard before the war and it was bombed by American airstrikes even before A-bomb was dropped in Hiroshima I believe.
So if you look there now there are civilians but back then no civilians. That's why I said she may not have been from Kure but the father (her American soldier husband) may have been sent there shortly after the war and it may be that Kure is in his memory and that is what he remembers.
I still wonder how she was able to come to US right after the war.
As for searching, you can only go by her last name in phone listings to seek a posible link in relatives by calling each one and ask.
There is no way for PI to search anywhere if there is no link such as her profile history.
Only posible link you have so far is US government (army?) if they have father record document from 1946 or so. Generally a person who has been in the military keep his military record document (discharge record, etc) like a marriage certificate (requested by the military), very important they save and keep these to prove he is an veteran to use for burial and to get veteran's services etc.
Another thing is the mother who the father said she kept in touch with her siblings mosy likely by exchanging letters, only practical way back in the year 1948~ 55. I would urge family to look hard and track those letters if she kept any. The father must have kept some sort of mother's document knowing it would be important to their children someday. Unless he remarried and things got stirred up. Where is his marriage cetificate to this woman, does he have it?

No, they do not know the relatives names, only their mother's full name, DOB and where the parents meet, which is Kure and likely the mother's hometown and where relatives might still be living.

What I would like to di for them is contact private dectives to start the search for relatives with just this info. I would imagine PI's in Japan are willing to do this type of investigation.

Is anyone who lives in Hiroshima willing to call around and find one who speaks English for me? Thanks

Their marriage certificate, where is it?
Where is this man's military record (enlistment paper, dishcarge paper, etc), does he have it?
Her full name and date of birth should be at family register at the city where she was born and where her parents lived.
Before coming to USA, she had to fill out personal history statement required by US govenment. Where is this document?
Only way you can come across tracking down her history is to track down her husband's military record first, it'll show where he was commissioned at in Japan.

by the way, their marriage certificate should indicate where she was from and where she was residing at the time of marriage.

No, they don't know the relatives names. That is the problem. I am trying to find a way to find them without this info-I only have the name of the Japanese mother and her hometown as known facts. Thanks

That is certain. Whether she was actually born there in 1922 (well before the war, by the way), is another matter. My mother lived near Kure and she said she doesn't recall people being forced out of their homes there. Maybe those who were too close to the naval base were moved for safety and security reasons, but not the whole town. I have seen pictures of the city when I visited the Yamato Museum and saw a thriving town. My mother's own nearby town was bombed during WWII but they went to the hillsides to hide in bomb shelters and never moved away in all those years.

I still have hope, we have the name of the mother, her DOB, her hometown, the fact she had relatives in Kure, right after the war. A PI could at least make those phone calls someone memtioned. My hope is to get some of their numbers.

Tess,

Somehow by reading your replies I believe you have already contacted your relatives and they couldn't help. I keep wondering why hire a private investigator just to browse all the local phone book [Japan populations is about130 millions and people with identical surname is very common in Japan as much in U.S.]

Also, I am shocked that anyone that have lived long time in U.S. haven't heard or utilized the U.S. Freedom of Information, which apply to the Department of States and U.S. Arm Forces and all other government/public agencies. A copy of the immigration record of parents can be gotten from the Immigrations.

Moreover, it is a written fact that the U.S. and Japan destroyed tons of records regarding Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Especially those foreign soldiers and citizen of Japan that were exposed to the radiations.

What option left? Beside enlisting the media. People today make a video and upload it to the various 'tube' like the "YOUTUBE".

Good luck,

contacted my relatives in regards to finding this family in Kure. I want to actually be in Japan when I do so I can follow up any leads. I intend to return next year. I will ask them to send me the names and number of private investigators soon if the Hiroshima mayoral office does not respond to my email soon.

Naturally I would not call every single person in Japan with the last name :) Only in Kure, and luckily it is not a common name. I think the suggestion to ask the father to contact any US governemental agency that might have records is a fair one. I will find out if they have tried this route before.

Have you tried looking in Kure or Hiroshima family registry for her name?
Also look for parents marriage certificate or see if you can get a copy if it's lost, it will tell you her birth place and living location at the time of their marriage. It's very unusual this man didn't keep a marriage certificate.
Kure shouldn't be too big of a place for you to go through every name (her maiden name) in the phone book.
Contact mayor of Hiroshima, google through their website (the one I give you earlier), you can find Kure city on their web page. Ask questions. They may be able to help you.
Most importantly, US government should be able to help you. Write to your senator or somebody.