War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory: HERSTORY

On an expansive Oxnard beach, historian Lily ("Dekasegi") compares early migrants (who left Japan for work hoping to return someday) to Japanese war brides (who left much later) married to their former enemies; as well as the American men who occupied their post-WWII country.

From her West Los Angeles home, another historian, Regina ("Japanese Brides, American Wives"), adds to the discussion about the Occupation and the War Brides Act of 1945 that allowed GI's to marry local Japanese women; even as anti-miscegenation statutes prevented some couples from living in certain US states.

Both historians describe the American Red Cross bridal schools in Japan that trained Japanese brides to become perfect American wives.