RE: https://universeodon.com/@georgetakei/116064657955859408
For anyone not aware, George Takei is one of the Japanese-Americans who were forcibly relocated and interned in camps by the US during the second world war. They lost much of their property, including businesses, that they were forced to abandon or sell at a loss, or which were outright stolen.
The people of German and Italian descent weren't incarcerated to anything like the same extent.
He's not being metaphorical about knowing firsthand.