Isamu Shibayama Dies at 88, His Quest for Reparations Unfulfilled

Until he turned 11½, Isamu Shibayama’s childhood was idyllic.

His father was a successful textile importer and dress-shirt wholesaler in Lima, Peru. His house was staffed by servants. He was chauffeured to private school. He spent summers living on the coast with his grandparents, who owned a department store, and swimming in the Pacific.

Then, on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.