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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Kenji Ito, L.A. civic leader who fought spy charges, dies
Thursday August 14, 2003
ALHAMBRA, Calif. (AP) Kenji Ito, the first Japanese American
admitted to the California state bar after World War II, has died
at age 94.
Ito, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Sunday at his home.
The civic leader in 1942 was found innocent of charges that he
was spying for Japan after a dramatic trial in which he declared
his loyalty to America was so strong he would ``rather live in this
country behind prison bars'' than in a nation under dictatorship.
Born in Seattle, Ito earned his law degree at University of
Washington, provided legal assistance to other Japanese Americans
while in a West Coast detention camp, and was admitted to the
California bar in 1945. He practiced law in Los Angeles for more
than 50 years.
Ito long served as president of the Southern California Japanese
Chamber of Commerce. He helped found the Japanese American Cultural
and Community Center in Little Tokyo.
Ito is survived by his wife of 63 years, Fumiye Betty, three
children and a brother.
A memorial was scheduled for Aug. 23.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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