Tetsuya Hirahara
@HiraharitoHe began his hobby of receiving foreign shortwave broadcasts when he was in junior high school. He is also interested in the history of radio in general, and in recent years has been researching the history of radio programs for Japanese immigrants that were broadcast in North and South America. In 2020, he self-published "Japan Hour," which introduces programs that were broadcast in North America before the war.
(Updated September 2022)
Stories from This Author
Part 4: Teruo Kawabe, a leading figure in Japanese language broadcasting
Jan. 16, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
When talking about the history of Japanese language broadcasting in Los Angeles, there is one person who cannot be left out. That person is Kawabe Teruo, who stayed in the United States for about nine years from 1929 and served as an announcer for various programs. However, even for those who lived at the time, it seems that very few people would know who Kawabe Teruo was. This is because in public he did not use his real name, Kawabe, …
The 3rd Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
Jan. 9, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
The antenna tower with the neon sign of KRKD, which stands on the roof of an arcade building near Broadway and 5th Avenue in Los Angeles, has been a beloved downtown landmark for many years. Before the war, KRKD had a studio on the third floor of this building, where Japanese people gathered every Monday night to broadcast a 30-minute Japanese program. Thus, KRKD was a familiar broadcasting station to Japanese people living abroad. Japanese language broadcasts began on KRKD …
Episode 2: The Beginning of Japanese Broadcasting
Dec. 26, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
In 1930, the long-awaited first regular Japanese broadcasting began in Los Angeles. It was the "Japanese Broadcasting Station" (or Japanese Language Broadcasting Station), presided over by Utah-born Kazumasa Kawachi. It began on April 28, 1930. It aired for 30 minutes from noon Monday through Saturday on KGFJ. The announcements were made by Kanda Koichi, a graduate student of political science at the University of Southern California. Described as "a passionate orator, enthusiastic, and caring person" (Rafu Nichibei, August 22, 1932), …
Part 1: The Prehistory of Japanese Broadcasting
Dec. 19, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
Commercial radio broadcasting in America began with the launch of KDKA in Pittsburgh in 1920. In Los Angeles, the first station was KQL, which was licensed in October 1921. By June of the following year, there were 25 stations. At the time, the frequency allocated for broadcasting was limited to one, 833 kHz, so each station broadcast for a short period of time, adjusting the day of the week and time. Regular Japanese radio programs began in Los Angeles in …
Episode 4 (final episode) A radio program by Nisei and its end
Oct. 3, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
Read Part 3 >> Japanese American Courier Broadcasting The Japanese American Courier (hereafter referred to as the Courier) was an English-language weekly newspaper (President: James Sakamoto) that was launched in Seattle in January 1928 and targeted at second-generation Japanese, and was published every Saturday. It initially only covered the Seattle area, but later expanded its reach to the West Coast. A radio program sponsored by this English-language newspaper began on KXA in February 1934 (it was renamed KOL and KJR …
Part 3: Japanese businesses rush into radio broadcasting
Sept. 26, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
Read Part 2 >> Miwado As of January 1931, KFQW aired Nakamura Watch Shop's "Japanese Music Broadcast" (2nd period) every other Thursday, but on weeks when this program was not aired, Japanese music also began to be broadcast at the same time (7:30-8:00 pm). The program was sponsored by Miwado, a retailer of books, magazines, stationery, photographic equipment, and more. This meant that Japanese music could be enjoyed on the radio every Thursday. The program is thought to have already …
The 2nd Popular Japanese Music Program
Sept. 19, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
Read Part 1>> Nakamura Watch Shop's Japanese Music Broadcast While there were almost no regular Japanese radio programs in North America in the 1920s, "Japanese Music Broadcasting" began on Seattle's KFQW station on August 24, 1928. The Nakamura Watch Company, run by Nakamura Masakichi, a native of Fukui Prefecture, was the sponsor. In addition to clocks, the store also sold radios and gramophones, and came up with the innovative idea of lending out radios free of charge for listening. The …
Part 1: The Prehistory of Japanese Broadcasting
Sept. 12, 2022 • Tetsuya Hirahara
The activities of Japanese musicians Before the Japanese language programs began, there were Japanese musicians who were active on American radio broadcasts. As early as March 1922, a Hawaiian newspaper reported that soprano singer Tamaki Miura, who was performing in Seattle as a member of the San Carlo Opera Company, had made a radio appearance. There are no reports in the local Seattle newspapers, so the veracity of this story is unknown. What is certain is that Miyoshi Natori, a …
