During World War II, the U.S. government forcibly relocated and interned around 120,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens. This action was taken due to fears of espionage and sabotage following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The internment camps were established in remote areas, where families lived in cramped conditions with limited resources. The internment lasted from 1942 until 1945, and many Japanese Americans lost their homes, businesses, and personal belongings. In 1988, the U.S. government formally apologized and provided reparations to surviving internees, acknowledging that the internment was a grave injustice driven by racial prejudice and wartime hysteria.