Abe, Sanji

Sanji Abe was born on Hawaii Island. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War I, serving in the Headquarters Company of the Hawaiian Regiment. (Other interned WWI veterans include Frank Futoshi Arakawa, Frank Takeshi Ishii, Sukeichi Koide, Shigeru Ernest Matsusaka, Ichitaro Ozaki, and Ichiro Sato.)

A community leader and businessman, Abe was the first Japanese American to be elected senator to the Territorial Legislature in 1940. War changed everything.  He was arrested and interned at Honouliuli Internment Camp and he was forced to resign as senator. 

Time hung heavy for internees in camp. Abe requested that his family send his go game. In camp, he fashioned a table on which the game board could be placed. According to Internee Jack Tasaka’s memoirs, Abe taught many how to play go. He also displayed leadership abilities which the others respected.

During the time of Abe's incarceration, two of his sons served in the U.S. Army. George Yoshinori Abe was with the Medical Detachment of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Stanley Gunji Abe was a linguist with the Military Intelligence Service. 

After the war, Sanji Abe lived the rest of his life quietly, never seeking public office again.