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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 Congratulates Clement Hanami on Receiving the Western Museums Association’s Leadership Award

    Oct 08, 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) congratulates Vice President of Exhibitions and Art Director, Clement Hanami, on receiving the Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Leadership Award. This award is given to individuals who have significan...

  • “Third Act” at the Laemmle Monica Film Center

    Sep 26, 2025 - Oct 02, 2025

    JANM is proud to present Third Act at the Laemmle Monica Film Center from Friday, September 26 – Thursday, October 2. Bring your friends and family for this award eligible run of this film that was an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Variety calls it “a realistic portrait of America” and “a story of perseverance and how some people make their life’s work stand for more than just a personal accom...

  • World Premiere of Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement at the VC Film Fest

    May 04, 2024

    JANM is proud to present the world premiere of Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, at the VC Film Fest in Los Angeles on May 4, 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. Featuring rare archival footage, Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Mo...

  • JANM Announces the Recent Accolades of Its Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center

    Apr 26, 2024

    LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is pleased to announce the recent award and accomplishments of its Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center (MAC). MAC’s short documentary film, Benkyodo: The Last Manju Shop in J-Town, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the Disorient Asian American Film Fe...

  • JANM Mourns the Passing of Martha Nakagawa

    Aug 23, 2023

    LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) mourns the passing of Martha Nakagawa, an activist, journalist, writer, and researcher who was dedicated to unearthing groundbreaking stories in the Nikkei community. A native of Gardena, California, she earned her BA in Asian Studies and minor in Japanese from Stanford University. For over thirty years she worked for the Pacific Citizen, Rafu Shimpo, and...

  • JANM Mourns the Passing of Mary Adams Urashima, Leader of Effort to Preserve History of Japanese Americans in Huntington Beach

    Dec 01, 2022

    LOS ANGELES, CA –The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is deeply saddened by the passing of Mary Adams Urashima. A local history expert and preservationist, Urashima led the effort to preserve the history of Japanese Americans in Orange County, in particular Huntington Beach. She created the blog historicwintersburg.blogspot.com to raise awareness and document the history of Japanese pioneers in Wintersburg Vi...

  • Author Discussion—Invisible Vision with Roy Wesley

    Jul 16, 2022

    In Person RSVP Virtual RSVP Join Roy Wesley for a conversation around Invisible Vision, which tells the story of his father, Dr. Newton K. Wesley, who was an American contact lens pioneer. He will be in conversation around Dr. Newton K. Wesley’s impact on Roy’s own life as well as the field of optometry. This program is supported by the Asian American Optometric Society. We are thankful ...

  • 30th Anniversary Benefit

    Thank you to everyone who joined us in person or via livestream for JANM’s 30th Anniversary Benefit! On behalf of the Board, staff, and volunteers, thank you to our sponsors and to everyone who helped to make our first hybrid fundraiser such a success. Your generous support and faith in our mission means so much to us. Thank you for lifting us up with your generosity and unwavering commitment to JANM.

  • PHOTO EXHIBITION AT JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM DEPICTS TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY

    Oct 25, 2018

    Los Angeles, CA—Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit, going on view at the Japanese American National Museum on November 17, 2018, presents large-format contemporary photos taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Paul Kitagaki Jr. next to images shot 75 years ago by such noted photographers as Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, and others. Each pairing features the same individuals or their direct descendants as ...

  • Big Drum

    Big Drum: Taiko in the United States (2005) was the first major museum exhibition about taiko in America. The exhibition explored how the development of taiko in this country reflects the resilience of cultural traditions, the historical journeys of Japanese Americans, and the cultivation of new diverse communities. Big Drum: Taiko in the U.S. (intro video) A highlight reel of taiko groups across America, ...