Jap is an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese". Today, it is generally regarded as an ethnic slur among Japanese minority populations in other countries, although English-speaking countries differ in the degree to which they consider the term offensive. In the United States, Japanese Americans have come to find the term very controversial or extremely offensive, even when used as an abbreviation, after the events of the internment of Japanese Americans. In the past, Jap was not considered primarily offensive; however, following the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Japanese declaration of war on the United States, the term became derogatory. Nisei veterans who served in World War II were shunned with signs that read "No Japs Allowed" and "No Japs Wanted", denied service in shops and restaurants, and had their homes and property vandalized.
