Internment Locations
Arrested: February 1942
Kilauea Military Camp, Hawaii Island
Sand Island Internment Camp, Honolulu, Oahu Island
May 1942 - November 1942
Paroled: November 1942
Arriving in the islands as a contract laborer, Isojiro Kitagawa was by the start of World War II a very successful businessman in Hilo. One of the founders of the Suisan Fishing Company, Kitagawa early on recognized the potential for gasoline-powered engines to transform Hawaii's sampan fishing fleets. He became Hilo's largest petroleum distributor, opened a filling station and then an engine parts business to service not just the fishing fleets but the growing number of automobile owners as well.
In the 1930s, he launched a Chrysler car dealership and also led a group of businessmen in establishing the Nichibei Sake Brewing Company of Hilo.
During the war, Isojiro Kitagawa's grandson Iwao Kitagawa served with the U.S. Military Intelligence Service.
Today, I. Kitagawa & Co., maintains automotive businesses throughout Hawaii Island and is led by Isojiro Kitagawa's fourth-generation descendant.