254:
340:, Aiso was an excellent student, despite encounters with anti-Japanese prejudice. He later described one of his first memories as being called a "Jap" by an elderly woman on a streetcar, explaining the amount of effort he put into his schoolwork was largely to counteract such comments. He was elected student body president of his junior high school in 1922, but the victory proved to be short lived: parents protested a Japanese American holding the position, and student government was suspended until Aiso left the school. He went on to attend
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Under his inspiring leadership as director of academic training, the MISLS rapidly expanded. He recruited and trained a staff of over 150, developed course materials, and set the highest academic standards. The more than 6,000 graduates contributed immeasurably to the
American victory over Imperial
344:, where he drew national attention when he won the school's oratorical competition on the U.S. Constitution in 1926. However, he was once again forced to step down, when he was told he could not compete at the national championship and would instead have to coach his runner up.
426:
Aiso distinguished himself in his role, earning praise from his commanders and his fellow instructors, and was soon appointed the
Director of Academic Training, a position normally held by a Lieutenant Colonel. When the Chief of Army Intelligence, General
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In 1950, he received an honorary master's degree from Brown
University. In 1952, he served as a Superior Court Commissioner for one year. Aiso was then appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1953, where he served until he was elevated to the
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Aiso died
December 29, 1987, from a head injury sustained in an attempted mugging. Aiso, 78, was filling his car at a Hollywood gas station when he was attacked and knocked to the pavement; he died two weeks later in a Burbank hospital.
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423:, and Japanese Americans were prohibited from being commissioned at the time, so he was to be discharged, transferred to Reserve service, and hired as a War Department Civilian.
431:, visited the school in 1944, he was outraged that a civilian was placed in command of military personnel, and went back to Washington to demand a direct commission for Aiso to
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officer, Capt. Kai E. Rasmussen, who was tasked with developing a
Japanese language school, and transferred Aiso to the hastily formed (and, at first, secret)
404:, Aiso was assigned to menial tasks due to discrimination, and was working in the motor pool when his proficiency in the Japanese language was recognized by
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478:. Aiso was released from active duty and returned to Los Angeles in February 1947, returning to private law practice. He would later be promoted to a
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385:. In 1936, he spent another year in Tokyo, working with Japanese banks on behalf of his U.S. law firm, and while there he studied Japanese law at
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538:(DLI) Foreign Language Center is named in his honor for his contributions as the chief instructor of MISLS, the predecessor of DLI. In the
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After his return to the United States, Aiso was drafted into the army, reporting for active duty in April 1941. Originally stationed at
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After graduating at the top of his
Hollywood High School class in 1926, Aiso spent a year in Japan, studying Japanese at
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Language School (MISLS). Recruited by MISLS head Lt Col John
Weckerling as an instructor at the school, Aiso, then a
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for his contributions to understanding and friendship between the United States and Japan. He was inducted into the
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After the Allied victory in August 1945, Aiso refocused the MISLS curriculum to prepare students for roles in the
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credited Aiso's MIS graduates with shortening the war by two years and saving close to a million lives.)
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between Temple
Boulevard and 1st Street has been renamed Judge John Aiso Street in his honor.
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during the Second World War, eventually separating from active duty with the rank of
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Hall of Famers: Col. John F. Aiso, Military
Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame (1991)
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360:. He returned to the United States after receiving a scholarship to attend
364:, where he captained the debate team and majored in economics, graduating
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804:"John Aiso, Prominent Nisei and Jurist, Dies After Mugger's Attack]"
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and serving as class valedictorian in 1931. He continued his studies at
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324:. He was also the first Japanese American appointed as a judge in the
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Loyal
Linguists: Nisei of World War II Learned Japanese in Minnesota
320:, and the highest-ranking Japanese American in the U.S. Army during
577:– first Asian American licensed to practice law in the U.S. (1888)
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613:– first Chinese American judge in the continental U.S. (1959)
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to enter the California State Judiciary when then Governor
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in 1965 for his service during World War II. In 1984, the
301:, December 14, 1909 – December 29, 1987) was an American
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Morrison, Pat; O'Donnell, Santiago (December 31, 1987).
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Between 1935 and 1952, he worked in private practice in
595:– first Asian American territorial court justice (1956)
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Japan and to winning the peace that followed. (General
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Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class
316:. Aiso was the Director and head instructor of the
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777:Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
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601:– first Native Hawaiian U.S. federal judge (1960)
583:– first Asian American U.S. federal judge (1971)
466:'s staff as a legal assistant under MacArthur's
862:American military personnel of Japanese descent
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502:appointed Aiso as an associate justice of the
318:Military Intelligence Service Language School
269:Military Intelligence Service Language School
77:November 4, 1968 – December 31, 1972
8:
932:United States Army personnel of World War II
462:. In January 1946, he would transfer to Gen
107:September 11, 1957 – November 1968
922:Superior court judges in the United States
715:, javadc.org. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
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711:Japanese American Veterans Association.
532:Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame
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389:. From 1937 to 1940, he worked for the
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897:Municipal judges in the United States
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857:American jurists of Japanese descent
892:Military personnel from California
644:. MIS Club of Southern California.
336:Born in the Los Angeles suburb of
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912:Recipients of the Legion of Merit
534:in 1991. The Aiso Library at the
374:, completing his degree in 1934.
95:Los Angeles County Superior Court
739:, Fall 1977 (45:7), pp. 273–287.
419:, couldn't be expected to teach
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902:People from Burbank, California
569:List of Asian American jurists
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907:People murdered in California
867:California state court judges
847:20th-century American lawyers
413:Military Intelligence Service
393:Company in Japanese-occupied
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887:Hollywood High School alumni
852:20th-century American judges
927:United States Army colonels
737:Minnesota History Quarterly
486:, before retiring in 1965.
65:California Courts of Appeal
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759:," from Martha Mitchell's
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536:Defense Language Institute
526:awarded him the 3rd Class
504:California Court of Appeal
494:in 1957. He was the first
492:Los Angeles Superior Court
27:American judge (1909–1987)
882:Harvard Law School alumni
640:Ichinokuchi, Tad (1988).
546:, a one-block segment of
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163:Burbank, California, U.S.
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429:Clayton Lawrence Bissell
391:British American Tobacco
326:contiguous United States
872:Brown University alumni
761:Encyclopedia Brunoniana
642:John Aiso and the M.I.S
528:Order of the Rising Sun
204:Order of the Rising Sun
755:July 24, 2019, at the
659:John F. Aiso biography
684:. Densho Encyclopedia
472:Charles A. Willoughby
342:Hollywood High School
241:Years of service
657:California Courts, "
510:Awards and accolades
348:Education and career
680:Nakamura, Kelli Y.
476:Potsdam Declaration
460:occupation of Japan
417:Private First Class
731:2014-03-10 at the
599:Cyrus Nils Tavares
453:Charles Willoughby
445:lieutenant colonel
441:United States Army
372:Harvard Law School
235:United States Army
181:Harvard University
809:Los Angeles Times
605:Wilfred Tsukiyama
516:Lyndon B. Johnson
496:Japanese American
464:Douglas MacArthur
437:Japanese American
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157:December 29, 1987
140:December 14, 1909
16:(Redirected from
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783:on June 17, 2006
779:. Archived from
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548:San Pedro Street
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518:awarded him the
362:Brown University
354:Seijo University
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128:Personal details
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686:. Retrieved
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581:Herbert Choy
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322:World War II
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279:World War II
275:Battles/wars
159:(1987-12-29)
113:Appointed by
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83:Appointed by
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18:John F. Aiso
842:1987 deaths
837:1909 births
682:"John Aiso"
544:Los Angeles
470:chief, Gen
406:Fourth Army
379:Los Angeles
53: 1944
831:Categories
618:References
514:President
332:Early life
267:Director,
215:Allegiance
147:California
395:Manchuria
367:cum laude
244:1941–1947
168:Education
103:In office
73:In office
36:John Aiso
787:June 19,
753:Archived
729:Archived
563:See also
421:officers
383:New York
308:leader,
306:military
295:Japanese
482:in the
480:colonel
439:in the
338:Burbank
143:Burbank
310:lawyer
258:Lt Col
224:
196:Awards
149:, U.S.
48:Aiso,
554:Death
433:Major
358:Tokyo
314:judge
303:nisei
299:相磯 藤雄
817:2014
789:2006
690:2014
381:and
312:and
264:Unit
249:Rank
154:Died
133:Born
735:,"
468:G-2
409:G-2
356:in
185:LLB
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176:BA
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50:c.
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