World War II officially starts. Germany invades Poland, leading to Britain and France to declare war on Germany. 

Japan enters WWII.

The Munson Report is created by Curtis B. Munson. FDR asks John Franklin Carter (who in turn hires Munson) to conduct an investigation on the loyalty of Japanese Americans along the West Coast. Munson concludes that this segment of the community poses no threat to the government.

Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, prompting the US to formally enter WWII. Within 24 hours, Japanese-American community leaders are arrested for their potential for treason. Items such as cameras, radios, and magazines are also confiscated. 

FDR signs Executive Order 9066, which deems Japanese Americans a threat to national security, forcing them into concentration camps.

Dorothea Lange is hired by the federal government to photograph the camps, but her gritty, unsanitized work is ultimately impounded. Her straightforward and often disturbing record of life in the camps goes largely unseen until the 21st century. 

Yasui Minori willfully disregards curfew and demands to be arrested. He becomes the first Japanese American to openly defy the US Army's orders.

Fred Korematsu resists Executive Order 9066. "Korematsu v. the United States" becomes a landmark case. The Supreme Court rules this detainment constitutional and a "military necessity." 

The 100th Infantry Battalion is formed, primarily composed of Nisei at this .

The 442nd Infantry Regiment is established, also primarily made up of Nisei.

Famed landscape photographer Ansel Adams visits Manzanar to chronicle life in the concentration camps. Although his photos depict the more positive aspects of the camps, his exhibition "Born Free and Equal" is not received well in wartime America. At the time of his death, Adams worries these photographs are lost to history and, from a social perspective, considers them to be the most important work of his career.

The 100th and 442nd arrive in Italy and assist in the battle to ultimately win back Rome.

The Supreme Court rules in favor of Mitsuye Endo, who sued the United States for denying her the right to work due to the unlawful detention of Japanese Americans. The US declares that "loyal" Japanese Americans cannot be incarcerated without cause, leading to an announcement that the concentration camps would close by 1945.

The 442nd comes across survivors of the Dachau Death March near the border of Austria. The Nazi escorts flee the scene and the soldiers of the 44nd provide food, water, and interim medical support to the survivors until medical professionals arrive at the scene.

Germany formally surrenders, exiting the war. 

In order to quickly eliminate the Japanese threat and mitigate the number of American soldiers lost, the US drops atomic bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Japan surrenders, marking the official end of WWII.

Tule Lake, a WRA-designated high-security center, is the last of the concentration camps to close, marking the end of Japanese-American incarceration.

President Gerald Ford formally rescinds Executive Order 9066.

The National Council for Japanese American Redress (NCJAR) is formed for the purpose of seeking redress for Japanese-American citizens affected by unlawful incarceration during WWII.

President Ronald Reagan signs the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which calls for a formal presidential apology and grants $1.6B in reparations to incarcerated Japanese Americans or their families

Redress payments of $20,000 and a formal apology from President George H.W. Bush are presented to ~60,000 survivors of the concentration camps.

President Bill Clinton bestows Congressional Medals of Honor to 21 Japanese-American war heroes, including Senator Daniel Inouye. 14 of these are given posthumously.