Haruka Sakaguchi Documents Japanese-American Incarceration Sites in The Camps America Built

Photographer Haruka Sakaguchi investigates the legacy of Japanese-American incarceration during World War II through her project The Camps America Built. Following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, more than 120,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and detained in government-operated concentration camps across the United States. Two-thirds of those incarcerated were American citizens by birth. Sakaguchi's work captures the ten camps in their current state and records the experiences of families who return to these locations on pilgrimages seeking healing and closure. The project originated from a journalistic assignment but transformed into a personal exploration of memory, allegiance, and belonging in America. Former detainees and their descendants have been visiting these sites since the war's conclusion. Sakaguchi's photographic documentation serves as a visual record of these journeys and the ongoing intergenerational dialogue about this historical trauma.