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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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  • JANM Statement on the 2024 Presidential Election

    Nov 11, 2024

    LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) respects the democratic process to select the next president of the United States. As an institution whose mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity, JANM is committed to democracy and to standing against divisiveness and discrimination. The Museum continues to welcome all visitors to its exhibitions, ...

  • Members Only Curator Tour: “Contested Histories”

    Nov 02, 2024

    JANM Members are invited to join exhibition curator Clement Hanami, JANM’s Vice President of Exhibitions and Art Director, for a walkthrough of JANM’s exhibition, Contested Histories: Preserving and Sharing a Community Collection. The exhibition consists of the Eaton Collection, some 400 objects made by Japanese American incarcerees that were saved from the auction block by the incredible efforts of community organiz...

  • Democracy and AI

    Oct 25, 2024

    In an era where AI is transforming everything from how we communicate to how we vote, this program brings together Dave Lesher, cofounder of CalMatters; Ted Schilowitz, a noted futurist; John Bwarie of Stratiscope; and artist Michelle Woo from For Freedoms for a conversation about the intersection of democracy and AI. The panel will dive into burning questions, examine whether governments should take legislative act...

  • Community Screening—Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement

    Oct 04, 2024

    Experience this new sweeping documentary from JANM’s Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center and PBS SoCal that follows the life of visionary artist-activist Nobuko Miyamoto and her work that changed Asian America forever. This screening will be followed by a conversation and Q&A with co-directors, Tadashi Nakamura and Quyên Nguyen-Le.Featuring rare archival footage, Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement tells the story of a...

  • Pioneers to Prodigy: Pioneering Asian Dancers on Film

    Sep 08, 2024

    Discover the power of dance with screenings of the documentaries Michio Ito Pioneering Dancer-Choreographer (2012, 22 minutes) and Ten Times Better (2024, 30 minutes) and a short film featuring the Music Center’s Spotlight Award Winner, Lex Ishimoto. Jennifer Lin, director of Ten Times Better, will be joined in conversation with Nancy Kwan, star of the film version of Flower Drum Song. Learn about the dancers who bro...

  • Big Trouble in Little Tokyo presents "The Curse of Quon Gwon: When the Far East Mingles with the West" (1916-17)

    May 13, 2015

    In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, JANM presents a rare screening of The Curse of Quon Gwon: When the Far East Mingles with the West (1916–17), a silent black-and-white film directed by Marion Wong. The Curse of Quon Gwon is the earliest known film directed by an Asian American, and one of the earliest directed by a woman. Reflecting the filmmaker’s desire to present authentic Chinese culture t...

  • SMITHSONIAN TOUR OF CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL AWARDED TO JAPANESE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II VETERANS MAKES NEXT STOP AT THE JANM

    Apr 25, 2013

    LOS ANGELES—The Congressional Gold Medal awarded in 2011 to Japanese American, or Nisei, World War II veterans in recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments will be on view at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA, May 4–June 9, 2013. The medal is on a national tour that will visit seven cities in 2013. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has partnered with the...

  • "Because they might be a threat..." Memories of the Children's Village at Manzanar

    Jan 14, 2007

    On June 23, 1942, forty orphans arrived at Manzanar. By the time the camp closed, more than sixty joined their ranks. As assistant superintendent, Lillian Matsumoto oversaw the operation of the facility and care of the orphans. Now in her nineties, Matsumoto shares her memories in a very special program that includes her daughter, Karyl Matsumoto, and oral historian, Greg Marutani. Reservations recommended. This p...

  • U.S. Government Appropriates Federal Funds To Establish National Center For The Preservation Of Democracy At Japanese American National Museum

    Oct 17, 2000

    The Japanese American National Museum and the Chairman of its Board of Governors, The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, United States Senator from Hawai‘i, announced today the appropriation of $20 million in federal funds to establish the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy which will be affiliated with the National Museum in Los Angeles. The new National Center will be headquartered in the National Museum’...

  • Japanese American National Museum and National Coalition for Redress/Reparations Present 'Day of Remembrance' Programs on Feb. 19 and 20

    Feb 01, 1999

    In annual remembrance of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the unconstitutional incarceration of more than 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II, the Japanese American National Museum and the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (NCRR) are featuring a weekend of programs and events at the Japanese American National Museum on Friday, Februa...