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Closed for Renovations

JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation and will reopen in late 2026. While the museum and store are closed, join us for programs and events on our Little Tokyo campus, throughout Southern California, and beyond. 

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  • Japanese American Innovators from ArtCenter’s Transportation Design Program

    Nov 08, 2025

    Join JANM and ArtCenter for a panel that looks at the roles that Japanese American alumni from ArtCenter’s vaunted Transportation Design Program have played in shaping auto design over the last sixty years. The Transportation Design Program has produced generations of influential Japanese American designers that include Bud Sagano and Larry Shinoda (GM) in the 1950s, Tom Matano (Mazda) in the 1970s, Jon Ikeda (Honda/...

  • Strategic Synergies: Reinforcing the Japan-US Alliance

    Nov 05, 2025

    Amid the growing instability in global security, the resilience of US-Japan relations has never been more vital to the Indo-Pacific region. JANM and the Japan America Society of Southern California present this free program that reexamines the future of this bilateral relationship, particularly in trade and security. Dr. Tosh Minohara, a Japanese American from California who chairs the Research Institute for Indo-Pac...

  • “Cruising J-Town”—JANM Members Curator Tour

    Nov 01, 2025

    This event has been rescheduled to Saturday, November 1 Meet us in Pasadena for a Members Only tour of JANM’s exhibition, Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community, with exhibition curator Dr. Oliver Wang.Cruising J-Town tells the stories of influential figures and everyday car lovers alike. See the five classic cars anchoring the exhibition: George Nakamura’s 1940s “Meteor” hot rod; Brian Omatsu’s cu...

  • JANM Mourns the Passing of Legendary Filmmaker Robert A. Nakamura

    Jun 23, 2025

    Editors please note: JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus and at other locations at janm.org/OnTheGo. LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) mourns the passing of Robert A. Nakamura. Known to generations of artists as “the Godfather of Asian American media,” he was a legendary photographer, filmmaker, and activist who was on the original advisory ...

  • JANM Book Club: Every Peach Is a Story with Nikiko Masumoto

    Apr 19, 2025

    Celebrate Little Tokyo Earth Day with author and farmer Nikiko Masumoto as she shares about her debut picture book, Every Peach is a Story, written with her father, David Mas Masumoto, with illustrations by award-winning artist Lauren Tamaki.Every Peach Is a Story follows young Midori and her grandfather, Jiichan, as they uncover the stories of their farm’s fresh fruit and discover that every peach is a sweet reminde...

  • JANM Calls for Restoration of Contributions of People of Color on US Department of Defense Websites

    Mar 19, 2025

    Editors please note: JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus and at other locations at janm.org/OnTheGo. LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is gravely concerned and disheartened by the ongoing efforts to erase the contributions of people of color to US military history from the US Department of Defense websites. This includes erasing the contribu...

  • Book Launch—Giant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian-American Pop Culture

    Oct 25, 2024

    Celebrate the release of a new book that dives deep into the pop culture phenomenon of Giant Robot. Author and Giant Robot founder, Eric Nakamura, will be joined by special guests Randall Park, Martin Wong, and Daniel Wu to talk about the zines, stores, exhibitions, and more that redefined what it means to be Asian American. About the bookGiant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian-American Pop Culture features the b...

  • JANM to Relaunch the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy on December 1, 2023

    Nov 15, 2023

    LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) will relaunch the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy as the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (Democracy Center) on Friday, December 1, 2023. The relaunch will include remarks by James E. Herr, director of the Democracy Center, and Bill T Fujioka, chair of the JANM Board of Trustees. Musical performances wil...

  • Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo—JANM Store

    Purchase items related to the “Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo” exhibition from the JANM Store.

  • History

    Japanese immigration to Hawai‘i began in 1868—more than 140 years ago. From Tokyo and Yokohama, seekers of fortune and adventure responded eagerly to the recruiters sent by the sugar industry in Hawai‘i who promised a wage of four dollars a month, plus food, lodging and medical expenses, with boat passage to the Islands and back after the fulfillment of three-year contracts. In reality, those who came to the Is...