10 August 1988
Civil Liberties Act acknowledges Japanese American incarceration
United States; Japanese Americans
Signed on 10 August 1988, the law acknowledged the injustice of the wartime removal and incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry and apologized on behalf of the nation. Title I provided $20,000 payments to eligible individuals, subject to appropriated funds.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
Original eligibility generally required being alive on enactment, Japanese ancestry, U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residence during the specified wartime period, and a covered deprivation or military-zone record. It was broader than camp incarceration alone, but did not compensate everyone harmed. Specified relatives could receive payment if an eligible individual died before payment.