Why were Japanese America and held in interment camps?

Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps during World War II primarily due to widespread fear and suspicion following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The U.S. government, influenced by racial prejudice and concerns about national security, deemed them potential threats. As a result, around 120,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens, were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in camps across the country until the end of the war. This decision has since been recognized as a violation of civil liberties.