Brothers Reunited After 6 Decades

They no longer speak the same language, but two brothers separated nearly 60 years each think the other hasn't changed a bit.

Japanese-American Minoru Ohye celebrate his 86th birthday Monday with his only brother, Hiroshi Kamimura, 84, after traveling to Japan for a reunion with him.

The brothers were born in Sacramento, California, but were separated as children after their father died in a fishing accident. They were sent to live with relatives in Japan and ended up in different homes.

The reunited brothers hugged in a hotel room and exchanged gifts of California chocolate and Japanese sake. The American brother wore his trademark baseball cap and jeans. The Japanese bother wore a suit and tie.

"If we miss this chance, we may never meet. You never know," said Ohye. "Either he may die, or I may die."

About 10 years ago, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a welfare service organization for U.S. veterans, found him a spot in the Eskaton Wilson Manor home for the elderly.

It was Eskaton's program to grant a wish called "Thrill of a Lifetime" that got Ohye back to Japan.

While others wished for rafting trips and football game tickets, the only thing Ohye wanted was to see his brother again. Eskaton administrator Debbie Reynolds put together a fundraiser for Ohye's trip.

Kamimura acknowledged it had been difficult to communicate with his brother through telephone calls because he didn't understand English. They would exchange a lot of "hellos" and then their conversations ended, he said.

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