{"id":"We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists (film)","doctype":"articles","links":{"html":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/We%20Hereby%20Refuse:%20The%20Akutsu%20Family%20Resists%20(film)/","json":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/api/3.0/articles/We%20Hereby%20Refuse:%20The%20Akutsu%20Family%20Resists%20(film)/"},"title_sort":"weherebyrefusetheakutsufamilyresistsfilm","description":"Simply animated story focusing on the Akutsu family, told in Nisei Jim Akutsu's first-person voice, starting with the arrest of his father after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his internment and interrogation, Jim's unsuccessful attempts to enlist, and the family's subsequent removal to\n  \n   Puyallup\n  \n  . In between the Akutsu family story are scenes of\n  \n   Japanese American Citizens League\n  \n  leaders\n  \n   Mike Masaoka\n  \n  and\n  \n   James Sakamoto\n  \n  cooperating with government officials to facilitate the roundup. The story was adapted from the book\n  \n   We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration\n  \n  by Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura, with the animation based on Ross Ishikawa's artwork for the book.","rg_rgmediatype":["films"],"mediatype_label":"Films and Video","mediatype_icon":"fa-film","rg_interestlevel":["Grades 9-12","Adult"],"rg_genre":["Animation"],"rg_theme":["Chaos and order","Evils of racism","Heartbreak of betrayal"],"rg_availability":["Widely available"],"categories":[{"title":"Arts"}],"topics":[],"authors":[{"title":"Brian Niiya","json":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/api/3.0/authors/Brian%20Niiya/","html":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/authors/Brian%20Niiya/"}],"sources":[],"title":"We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists (film)","published_rg":true,"modified":"2025-03-10T23:44:40","databoxes":{"rgdatabox-Core":{"rgmediatype":["films"],"title":["We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists"],"creators":[],"interestlevel":["Grades 9-12","Adult"],"readinglevel":[],"guidedreadinglevel":[],"lexile":[],"theme":["Chaos and order","Evils of racism","Heartbreak of betrayal"],"genre":["Animation"],"pov":["Told from perspective young Nisei man"],"relatedevents":[],"availability":["Widely available"],"freewebversion":["Yes"],"primarysecondary":[],"hasteachingaids":["No"],"warnings":[],"denshotopic":[],"geography":[],"chronology":["1940s"],"facility":["Puyallup (Camp Harmony) [11] - Puyallup, Washington"]},"databox-Films":{"title":["We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists"],"date":["2023"],"genre":["Animation"],"released":[],"director":[],"producer":["Shannon Gee","Randy Eng","Ian Devier"],"writer":["Frank Abe"],"screenplay":[],"story":[],"basedon":["<i>We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration</i> by Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura, artwork by Ross Ishikawa"],"narrator":[],"starring":["Joe Reilly (Jim Akutsu)","Randy Eng (Kiyonosuke Akutsu and Gene Akutsu)","Kyoko Matsumoto Wright (Nao Akutsu)","Derek Wing (Mike Masaoka)","Norm Ohashi (James Sakamoto)","Jeff Renner (Milton Eisenhower)","Cliff McCloe (Rep. John Rankin and Leland Ford)","Ian Devier (Col. Carl Bendetsen and Earl Warren)"],"music":["Stephen Thomas Cavit"],"cinematography":[],"editing":["Randy Eng","Ross Ishikawa","Lisa Sairy","Ian Devier"],"studio":[],"distributor":[],"runtime":["14 minutes"],"country":[],"language":[],"budget":[],"gross":[],"imdblink":[],"trailerlink":[]}},"rg_title":["We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists"],"rg_pov":["Told from perspective young Nisei man"],"rg_freewebversion":["Yes"],"rg_chronology":["1940s"],"rg_hasteachingaids":["No"],"body":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n <div class=\"rgonly\">\n  <!--\"rgdatabox-CoreDisplay\" removed-->\n  <div id=\"rgdatabox-Core\" style=\"display:none;\">\n   <p>\n    RGMediaType:films;\nTitle:We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists;\nCreators:;\nInterestLevel:Grades 9-12; Adult;\nReadingLevel:;\nGuidedReadingLevel:;\nLexile:;\nTheme:Chaos and order; Evils of racism; Heartbreak of betrayal;\nGenre:Animation;\nPoV:Told from perspective young Nisei man;\nRelatedEvents:;\nAvailability:Widely available;\nFreeWebVersion:Yes;\nPrimarySecondary:;\nHasTeachingAids:No;\nWarnings:;\nDenshoTopic:;\nGeography:;\nChronology:1940s;\nFacility:Puyallup (Camp Harmony) [11] - Puyallup, Washington;\n   </p>\n  </div>\n </div>\n <div id=\"databox-Films\" style=\"display:none;\">\n  <p>\n   Title:We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists;\nDate:2023; \nGenre:Animation;\nReleased:;\nDirector:;\nProducer:Shannon Gee; Randy Eng; Ian Devier;\nWriter:Frank Abe;\nScreenplay:;\nStory:;\nBasedOn:\n   <i>\n    We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration\n   </i>\n   by Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura, artwork by Ross Ishikawa;\nNarrator:;\nStarring:Joe Reilly (Jim Akutsu); Randy Eng (Kiyonosuke Akutsu and Gene Akutsu); Kyoko Matsumoto Wright (Nao Akutsu); Derek Wing (Mike Masaoka); Norm Ohashi (James Sakamoto); Jeff Renner (Milton Eisenhower); Cliff McCloe (Rep. John Rankin and Leland Ford); Ian Devier (Col. Carl Bendetsen and Earl Warren);\nMusic:Stephen Thomas Cavit;\nCinematography:;\nEditing:Randy Eng; Ross Ishikawa; Lisa Sairy; Ian Devier;\nStudio:;\nDistributor:;\nRuntime:14 minutes;\nCountry:;\nLanguage:;\nBudget:;\nGross:;\nIMDBLink:;\nTrailerLink:;\n  </p>\n </div>\n <p>\n  Simply animated story focusing on the Akutsu family, told in Nisei Jim Akutsu's first-person voice, starting with the arrest of his father after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his internment and interrogation, Jim's unsuccessful attempts to enlist, and the family's subsequent removal to\n  <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"https://encyclopedia.densho.org/wiki/Puyallup_(detention_facility)\" title=\"Puyallup (detention facility)\">\n   Puyallup\n  </a>\n  . In between the Akutsu family story are scenes of\n  <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"https://encyclopedia.densho.org/wiki/Japanese_American_Citizens_League\" title=\"Japanese American Citizens League\">\n   Japanese American Citizens League\n  </a>\n  leaders\n  <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"https://encyclopedia.densho.org/wiki/Mike_Masaoka\" title=\"Mike Masaoka\">\n   Mike Masaoka\n  </a>\n  and\n  <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"https://encyclopedia.densho.org/wiki/James_Sakamoto\" title=\"James Sakamoto\">\n   James Sakamoto\n  </a>\n  cooperating with government officials to facilitate the roundup. The story was adapted from the book\n  <i>\n   We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration\n  </i>\n  by Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura, with the animation based on Ross Ishikawa's artwork for the book.\n </p>\n <p>\n  <i>\n   We Hereby Refuse: The Akutsu Family Resists\n  </i>\n  debuted on local television on the Seattle Channel on December 18, 2023, as part of the \"Community Stories\" series.\n </p>\n <div id=\"authorByline\">\n  <b>\n   Authored by\n   <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"https://encyclopedia.densho.org/wiki/Brian_Niiya\" title=\"Brian Niiya\">\n    Brian Niiya\n   </a>\n   , Densho\n  </b>\n </div>\n <div id=\"citationAuthor\" style=\"display:none;\">\n  Niiya, Brian\n </div>\n <p>\n  Might also like\n  <i>\n   <a class=\"encyc rg\" href=\"/wiki/Conscience and the Constitution (film)/\" title=\"Conscience and the Constitution (film)\">\n    Conscience and the Constitution\n   </a>\n  </i>\n  (2000);\n  <i>\n   <a class=\"external text offsite\" href=\"https://resourceguide.densho.org/Yamashita%20(film)/\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n    Yamashita\n   </a>\n  </i>\n  (2013);\n  <i>\n   <a class=\"external text offsite\" href=\"https://resourceguide.densho.org/Those%20Who%20Helped%20Us%20(film)/\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n    Those Who Helped Us\n   </a>\n  </i>\n  (2022)\n </p>\n</div>\n","moreinfo":"<div class=\"section\" id=\"For_More_Information\">\n <h2>\n  <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"For_More_Information\">\n   For More Information\n  </span>\n </h2>\n <div class=\"section_content\">\n  <p>\n   <a class=\"external text offsite\" href=\"https://seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x152392\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n    Streaming link\n   </a>\n   at the Seattle Channel\n  </p>\n  <p>\n   Abe, Frank. \"\n   <a class=\"external text offsite\" href=\"https://resisters.com/2023/12/18/new-animation-puts-drawings-of-we-hereby-refuse-into-motion/\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n    New Animation Puts Drawings of 'We Hereby Refuse' Into Motion.\n   </a>\n   \" Resisters.com, Dec. 18, 2023.\n  </p>\n  <!-- \nNewPP limit report\nCached time: 20250625170717\nCache expiry: 86400\nDynamic content: false\nComplications: []\nCPU time usage: 0.025 seconds\nReal time usage: 0.031 seconds\nPreprocessor visited node count: 365/1000000\nPost‐expand include size: 8054/2097152 bytes\nTemplate argument size: 2550/2097152 bytes\nHighest expansion depth: 4/40\nExpensive parser function count: 0/100\nUnstrip recursion depth: 0/20\nUnstrip post‐expand size: 0/5000000 bytes\nExtLoops count: 0\n-->\n  <!--\nTransclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template)\n100.00%   12.835      1 -total\n 26.28%    3.373      1 Template:Databox-Films\n 24.94%    3.201      1 Template:RGDatabox-Core\n 16.45%    2.112      1 Template:AuthorByline\n 16.27%    2.088      1 Template:Published\n 14.68%    1.884      1 Template:publish-rgonly\n-->\n  <!-- Saved in parser cache with key encycmw:pcache:idhash:4648-0!canonical and timestamp 20250625170717 and revision id 37497\n -->\n </div>\n</div>"}