The Rafu Shimpo

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The Rafu Shimpo is the premier newspaper of the Japanese American community. Since 1903, it has provided bilingual coverage and analysis of Nikkei news in Los Angeles and beyond. Visit the Rafu Shimpo website to read articles and to explore subscription options for print and online news.

Updated September 2015

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OBITUARY - Juan Pollo Restaurant Founder Albert Okura, 71

By The Rafu Shimpo
17 Feb 2023

Albert Ryo Okura, the founder of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain and a major figure in the fast-food industry, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 27 at the age of 71. Juan Pollo issued the following statement: “Albert was an entrepreneur characterized by his unwavering work ethic, resolute determination, and passion. He believed that it was his destiny to personally sell more chicken than anyone in the world. “His journey started in 1984, where he opened the first Juan Pollo in Ontario, Calif. Even through widespread doubt of his success through his peers, he set a personal dead…

culture en

Architect Gyo Obata, Founding Partner at HOK, Dies at 99

By The Rafu Shimpo
25 Apr 2022

ST. LOUIS — Gyo Obata, FAIA, a world-renowned architect who cofounded HOK in 1955 with a vision for enhancing lives through building design, passed away on March 8, 2022. He was 99. Obata was one of three principals who built HOK from a regional, St. Louis-based architectural practice into one of the world’s most respected global design, architecture, engineering and planning firms. His distinguished career spanned six decades. From the time of his retirement in 2012 and continuing into 2018, he maintained an office in HOK’s St. Louis studio, where he regularly se…

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Bishop Diana Akiyama Breaking Ground for Asian American Women

By The Rafu Shimpo
22 Aug 2021

PORTLAND — The Rt. Rev. Diana D. Akiyama was ordained and consecrated as the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon on Jan. 30 at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland. Akiyama was the first Japanese American woman ordained to the Episcopal priesthood, and she is the first Asian American woman consecrated bishop in the Episcopal Church. She is the first bishop to be consecrated at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in over a century. Ordained in 1988 in the Diocese of Eastern Oregon, Akiyama has extensive experience in Christian formation, teaching, social justice advocacy a…

war en

Graphic Novel Recalls Experiences of 442nd RCT

By The Rafu Shimpo
13 Mar 2019

Against the contemporary backdrop of the immigration debate and family separation, of nationality-based travel bans and ultimately, the debate over what it means to be a loyal American, a trio of Japanese American artists has created 442, a graphic novel that recounts the experiences of members of their families and of their community who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which became the most decorated unit in the history of American warfare for its size and length of service. Made possible by a grant from the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, which supports pro…

culture en

Playwright Wakako Yamauchi, Remembered for And The Soul Shall Dance

By The Rafu Shimpo
29 Aug 2018

Wakako Yamauchi, a renowned Nisei writer best known for her play And the Soul Shall Dance, passed away on Aug. 16 at her home in Gardena, CA. She was 93. She is remembered for depicting the struggles of Japanese immigrants and their children during the Great Depression and World War II, which she personally experienced. Yamauchi, who was also a short-story writer, a poet, and a painter, published two books, Songs My Mother Taught Me: Stories, Plays, and Memoir” (1994) and Rosebud and Other Stories (2011). She was born Wakako Nakamura on Oct. 24, 1924, in Westmorland to Issei p…

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Grammy-Nominated Musician Masa Takumi and His Move to the U.S. in 2018

Telma Shiraishi Gives a Unique Flavor to Japanese Cuisine with Brazilian Ingredients

Two Worlds: The Life and Photography of Wakaji Matsumoto

Wakaji Matsumoto: An Artist in Two Worlds

Who is Nikkei? A Conversation with the President of The Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad, Mr. Katsuyuki Tanaka

Aloha, France — Part 2

Aloha, France — Part 1

Finding Forgiveness: Director Stafford Arima on Bringing the Award-Winning Memoir to the Stage

オハヨウ・ボンディア II

「バッチャン」は人気の言葉

Ancestry and Toxicity: Breaking Free From Old Patterns and Toxic Relationships

書評：和泉真澄『日系カナダ人の移動と運動―知られざる日本人の越境生活史』

1992年渡米、目標は「アカデミー賞」— 俳優の井上英治さん

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tiempos pandémicos: teletrabajo y koden digital

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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香川県海外移民の父：今雪真一の情熱と功績

第３部：金子正則知事の南米訪問とその主な見解

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Aloha, France — Part 2

Aloha, France — Part 1

Finding Forgiveness: Director Stafford Arima on Bringing the Award-Winning Memoir to the Stage

Ancestry and Toxicity: Breaking Free From Old Patterns and Toxic Relationships

A Letter to My Community Urging Protection of Minidoka

Journal Entry #At Least 4500 Years Old: "Infinite Bands..."

When We Enable Racism

Surrender

Thomas Takashi Nakahara

Pacific Bridges' Innovative Approach to Financial Services

Postwar Japanese Emigration to the Dominican Republic — Part 2: The Japanese American Response

In Remembrance of the Tohoku Earthquake & Tsunami: An Interview with The Hidden Japan’s Derek Yamashita—Part 1

Dutch Leonard - The Ballplayer who challenged Fresno's racism

Toronto Japanese Canadian Duo Releases Groundbreaking EP

Yasuko Aratani—She Never Stopped Dreaming

Tokita Tales—Only in America

Journal Entry #My Top 6: "Holy Crappy Cartoon, Batman!"

Being Blasian

Bill Mauldin – An Artist with a Cause

70th Anniversary of Fukuoka Kenjinkai Mexico

Staff Sergeant Higuchi

Remembering Roger Daniels

Postwar Japanese Emigration to the Dominican Republic — Part 1: A Tragic Tale

Barbed Wire, Guard Tower, Tar Paper Barracks, Roll Call

Lessons Realized

American Dream

Journal Entry #Only 2 Choices: "Do or Not Do..."

Our Man on the Hill: Sidney Yates — Part 2

OBITUARY - Juan Pollo Restaurant Founder Albert Okura, 71

Ask a Historian: How Did Alaska Natives Wind Up Inside Japanese American Concentration Camps?

Celebrating a Century: Nisei War Veteran and Esteemed Journalist Frank Moritsugu Turns 100

Setsuko Moriya — Part 1

The Morgenthau Diaries and FDR's Troubling Views of Minorities

Journal Entry #6am – 8am: "Childhood Delusions..."

In Remembrance of the Tohoku Earthquake & Tsunami: An Interview with The Hidden Japan’s Derek Yamashita—Part 2

Tea with my Ancestors

Journal Entry #15th C. Prose: "Weapons are Bad for Me..."

Maia Harima – Distinctive Fashion Designer

Yoshie Fujiwara and Japanese Americans II: A Day at the (Olympic) Races

Our Man on the Hill: Sidney Yates — Part 1

Flight

Setsuko Moriya — Part 2

The Search for Truth: Piercing Three Layers of Deception

Journal Entry #Lesson 3450: "Sharpen Your Pencils!"

Mercedes Luna: Thriving Within Her Rich Heritage - Part 2

Journal Entry #1 Supplier: "A Company Making Everything..."

Seiichi Higashide — A Man With Three Homelands

Futon, Shoyu, and More: Japanese Words Incorporated into the Vocabulary of Brazil

Remembering Them—Tsuchiya Family Honors Elders Through Ireichō

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Setsuko Moriya — Part 3

Redress: A film about the Office of Redress Administration