Final answer:
Henry's father may hate the Japanese due to the historical trauma of the Japanese internment camps during World War II and the anti-Japanese sentiment which led to widespread discrimination and internment solely based on ethnicity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry's father's animosity towards the Japanese can likely be attributed to the historical context of Japanese internment camps during World War II, as well as the broader anti-Japanese sentiment that stemmed from both pre-war discrimination and wartime hostilities. The Japanese army invasions in Asia, reports of atrocities, and the attack on Pearl Harbor fueled fear and prejudice amongst Americans, leading to measures such as Executive Order 9066 signed by President Roosevelt. This order resulted in the forced relocation and internment of over 110,000 individuals of Japanese descent, regardless of citizenship or loyalty to the United States, with no evidence that any had committed acts of disloyalty. Although other ethnic groups, like Germans and Italians, were also interned, the policy disproportionately targeted those of Japanese ancestry.
Particularly after Pearl Harbor, many Americans, perceiving a threat of sabotage or espionage, supported the internment as a necessary precaution. Notably, none of the internees were found guilty of espionage or sabotage against the United States, and Japanese Americans demonstrated their allegiance by serving valiantly in the U.S. military during the war. The hardships suffered in the internment camps, such as loss of property, separation of families, and subpar living conditions, compounded the sense of injustice. These camps were later acknowledged as a violation of human rights and led to formal apologies and reparations in 1988.