History of Seattle Nikkei Immigrants from The North American Times
This series explores the history of pre-war Seattle Nikkei immigrants by researching old articles from the online archives of The North American Times, a joint project between the Hokubei Hochi [North American Post] Foundation and the University of Washington (UW) Suzzallo Library.
*The English version of this series is a collaboration between Discover Nikkei and The North American Post, Seattle’s bilingual community newspaper.
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The North American Times
The newspaper was first printed in Seattle on September 1, 1902, by publisher Kiyoshi Kumamoto from Kagoshima, Kyushu. At its peak, it had correspondents in Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Spokane, Vancouver, and Tokyo, with a daily circulation of about 9,000 copies. Following the start of World War II, Sumio Arima, the publisher at the time, was arrested by the FBI. The paper was discontinued on March 14, 1942, when the incarceration of Japanese American families began. After the war, the North American Times was revived as The North American Post.
Stories from this series
Final Chapter (Part 2)—Seattle Nikkei Immigrants’ Contribution to the US-Japan Relations
April 15, 2025 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Final Chapter (Part 1) US view on Japan “Current situation of Japanese Americans Viewed from the American point of view—Nationalism Among Japanese: Edited for use in the US Middle school textbook” (November 13, 1919 issue1) Nationalism is said to be of utmost importance in the life of Japanese. In reality, however, the Japanese are people who are loyal to the country they immigrated to rather than their country of birth. In the past, when Japan was divided into many …
Final Chapter (Part 1)—Seattle Nikkei Immigrants’ Contribution to US-Japan Relations
April 14, 2025 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the previous chapter, I discussed the achievements of Heiji Okuda and Chuzaburo Ito. In this final chapter, I would like to share the efforts of Japanese in the US who worked toward fostering US-Japan friendship. After the outbreak of the second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the Japanese community in Seattle faced a very difficult environment due to the boycott of Japanese products and the notice of the abortion of the US-Japan Treaty of Commerce and Navigation from the American …
Chapter 23 (Part 2) The Leaders of Seattle Japanese Community—Chuzaburo Ito
Feb. 5, 2025 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Chapter 23 (Part 1) Chuzaburo Ito Here is Chuzaburo Ito’s brief biography per some sources: 1871 Born on November 15 in the Okiura village, Oshima District in Yamaguchi Prefecture. 1893 Arrived in Seattle in December and started a barbershop business and launched bus and laundry services as side businesses. 1896 Opened a Japanese grocery store. 1900 Opened an artwork shop and a Western food restaurant as well as a wholesale store selling Japanese groceries. 1900 In November, started operating …
Chapter 23 (Part 1) The Leaders of Seattle Japanese Community—Heiji Okuda
Feb. 4, 2025 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last chapter, I wrote about the Community Chest and the Potlatch Festival. In this chapter, I would like to share with you the achievements of Heiji Okuda and Chuzaburo Ito, the two prominent leaders of the Seattle Japanese community. Heiji Okuda Here is Heiji Okuda’s brief biography per some sources: 1867 Born on January 2 in the Abe village, Shiki District in Nara Prefecture. 1890 Married a woman named Tamura when he was in Tokyo. She passed away …
Chapter 22—Participation in Potlatch Festival
July 31, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last chapter, I introduced articles highlighting contributions from Japanese associations to the community chest in Seattle. This chapter will delve into articles1 from the North American Times covering the Potlatch Festival, an annual seven-day event held in July in Seattle. Participation in Potlatch Festival The Potlatch Festival is a cultural celebration of Northwest Coast Native American tribes, attracting many American visitors annually as a beloved event in Seattle. The Japanese community contributed by showcasing Japan’s history and promoting …
Chapter 21—Contribution to the Community Chest Fund in Seattle
July 24, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last chapter, I wrote about the Nihonjin-kai which supported the Japanese community and this chapter, I will write about the contributions of the Japanese community to the Community Chest fundraising organized by the City of Seattle. What is the Community Chest? As I wrote in the last chapter, as a new way to secure financial resources after the Consulate ended the allocation of certification guarantee fees in 1918, the North American Nihonjin-kai participated in a charity program the …
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