| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Kenji Ito, L.A. civic leader who fought spy charges, dies
Thursday August 14, 2003ALHAMBRA, 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.
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