It's important to remember that the racisim against Japanese at the time dates to decades BEFORE Pearl Harbor.
A combination of racism (the result of economic jealousy, the Russo-Japanese war, side effects of the Yellow peril era, and Japan's invasion of China, which many thought of as a friend during the time) and paranoia (not helped by the Niihau incident and increased by the support of various political, military, and economic leaders).
Even after December 7, the string of Japanese victories also made people seek a scapegoat, and who better to blame than those from the enemy homeland?
Given that combination, at least one (or even more) of these factors must be changed to prevent internment:
- Russo-Japanese war never happens or goes differently (stalemate/defeat for Japan)
- Less Japanese economic presence
- No Japanese invasion of China (which might have precluded US involvement in the war anyhow)
- Japanese have less success in the conquests of 1941-42
- no Niihau incident
You know, this thread makes me wonder, could the US have turned its various axis-heritage citizens against their home countries, like maybe sending the 442nd against Japan instead of/as well as Germany, or sending an all-Germany brigade into Europe?
Heck, I may actually write a timeline based on that
