Minoru Tonai

Minoru (Min) Tonai (1929–2023) was a Japanese American rights activist. He and his family were incarcerated at Amache from 1942 to 1945, and since their release, Tonai worked to preserve and tell stories about what his family—and so many others—endured during WWII. As the son of a teacher, one of Tonai’s passions was sharing his memories of Amache with students, including students from the ABC School District, the Katari program, UCLA, and Granada High School in Colorado. He was the grand marshal of the Nisei Week 50th anniversary parade, founder and president of the Amache Historical Society, and board president of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center. In 2015, Japanese Emperor Akihito presented Tonai with the Order of the Rising Sun medal, Gold Rays with Rosette, for “promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.” Tonai’s three children—Susan, John, and Teresa—continue to tell his story.