Sherrill to Bring Internment Camp Survivor and Vietnam Veteran Tak Furumoto as Guest to Japanese PM Joint Address

Washington, DC — Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) will bring Tak Furumoto of Closter, New Jersey as her guest to the Japanese Prime Minister’s Joint Address of Congress on Thursday.

“The U.S.–Japan alliance, forged after World War II, has become one of the most critical partnerships in our shared mission of sustained peace and economic prosperity. I look forward to hearing from Prime Minister Kishida about the importance of maintaining a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region and making strategic investments in technologies that will power the economy for generations to come,” said Rep. Sherrill.

“I am honored to bring as my guest, Tak Furumoto. Tak’s life story is one defined by resilience, bravery, and patriotism in the face of discrimination and injustice—one that follows the arc of the American-Japanese relationship. A survivor of a California internment camp, a Vietnam Veteran, and a New Jersey business owner, Tak’s experiences emphasize the importance of teaching and learning from our history, embracing our nation’s rich diversity, and supporting our veterans,” Sherrill continued.

“Attending Prime Minister Kishida’s address to Congress is a proud moment for me as a third generation Japanese American, as a decorated and disabled Vietnam Veteran, and as a New Jerseyan. My family is from the same area of Hiroshima that the Prime Minister hails from – I’ve had the privilege of meeting him when he was Foreign Minister and I look forward to hearing him address the U.S. Congress. My life was shaped by the relationship between the United States and Japan. But despite being born in an internment camp, I readily served my country in the Army. I am deeply proud to see the United States and Japan become such strong allies throughout my lifetime,” said Tak Furumoto. “I have called New Jersey home for over 50 years, so it is wonderful to join Congresswoman Sherrill, a fellow military veteran, as her guest.”

Tak Furumoto was born in 1944 at an internment camp in California during the Second World War. After he and his family were freed, they returned to Japan, living in Hiroshima as the city rebuilt after America dropped the atomic bomb. His family returned to America in 1956. Despite America’s treatment of him and his family, Furumoto stepped up and volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. When he returned home, he built a life in New Jersey alongside his wife, starting Furumoto Realty in Fort Lee, while navigating symptoms of PTSD. He helped grow New Jersey’s business industry, working with major corporations like Toyota, Panasonic and Sony as they brought offices and jobs to the Garden State.

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