John Okada

Who was John Okada?

John Okada was a Japanese American writer. Born in Seattle, Washington, he was a student at the University of Washington when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Okada and his family were interned at Minidoka in 1942. He was released from internment to enlist in the Army. He served as a Japanese translator in the United States Army Air Forces, overflying Japanese forces in the Pacific and translating intercepted Japanese communications. He earned two bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington and a master's degree from Columbia University. In 1957, Okada completed the manuscript for the novel No-No Boy. Okada is interred at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park.