The Rafu Shimpo
@rafushimpoThe Rafu Shimpo is the premier newspaper of the Japanese American community. Since 1903, it has provided bilingual coverage and analysis of Nikkei news in Los Angeles and beyond. Visit the Rafu Shimpo website to read articles and to explore subscription options for print and online news.
Updated September 2015
Stories from This Author
U.S. Mint Begins Shipping Patsy Mink Quarter
April 11, 2024 • The Rafu Shimpo
Groundbreaking Hawaii congresswoman recognized on the quarter. The United States Mint began shipping the second coin in the 2024 American Women Quarters (AWQ) Program on March 25. The Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver are manufacturing these circulating quarters celebrating the late Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink (D-Hawaii). Mink was the first woman of color elected to Congress. She was one of the authors and sponsors of the Title IX law that stated that “No person in the United States shall, …
Obituary: Alan Nishio, 78; Beloved Civil Rights and Community Leader
Jan. 15, 2024 • The Rafu Shimpo
Alan Takeshi Nishio passed away on Dec. 27 at his home in Gardena, surrounded by family, after battling cancer for more than 17 years. He was 78. Born on Aug. 9, 1945 in the Manzanar concentration camp, Nishio grew up in the Venice-Mar Vista area of Los Angeles. He received his B.A. in political science from UC Berkeley in 1966 and his M.A. in public administration from the University of Southern California in 1968. He completed a certificate program in …
Obituary: Hank ‘Toto’ Kagawa, Owner of Fish King Market
April 6, 2023 • The Rafu Shimpo
Fish King in Glendale has announced that Hank “Toto” Kagawa passed away on the morning of March 16. He was 92. “Since 1956, Hank worked hard to grow Fish King, Inc. and provide a family atmosphere for all of us,” the company said on Instagram. “Please join us to mourn the passing of Hank Kagawa and keep his memory alive by continuing to strive to be your best.” Located at 722 N. Glendale Ave., Fish King is an independently owned …
OBITUARY - Juan Pollo Restaurant Founder Albert Okura, 71
Feb. 17, 2023 • The Rafu Shimpo
Albert Ryo Okura, the founder of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain and a major figure in the fast-food industry, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 27 at the age of 71. Juan Pollo issued the following statement: “Albert was an entrepreneur characterized by his unwavering work ethic, resolute determination, and passion. He believed that it was his destiny to personally sell more chicken than anyone in the world. “His journey started in 1984, where he opened the first Juan Pollo in …
Architect Gyo Obata, Founding Partner at HOK, Dies at 99
April 25, 2022 • The Rafu Shimpo
ST. LOUIS — Gyo Obata, FAIA, a world-renowned architect who cofounded HOK in 1955 with a vision for enhancing lives through building design, passed away on March 8, 2022. He was 99. Obata was one of three principals who built HOK from a regional, St. Louis-based architectural practice into one of the world’s most respected global design, architecture, engineering and planning firms. His distinguished career spanned six decades. From the time of his retirement in 2012 and continuing into 2018, he maintained …
Bishop Diana Akiyama Breaking Ground for Asian American Women
Aug. 22, 2021 • The Rafu Shimpo
PORTLAND — The Rt. Rev. Diana D. Akiyama was ordained and consecrated as the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon on Jan. 30 at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland. Akiyama was the first Japanese American woman ordained to the Episcopal priesthood, and she is the first Asian American woman consecrated bishop in the Episcopal Church. She is the first bishop to be consecrated at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in over a century. Ordained in 1988 in the Diocese of Eastern …
Graphic Novel Recalls Experiences of 442nd RCT
March 13, 2019 • The Rafu Shimpo
Against the contemporary backdrop of the immigration debate and family separation, of nationality-based travel bans and ultimately, the debate over what it means to be a loyal American, a trio of Japanese American artists has created 442, a graphic novel that recounts the experiences of members of their families and of their community who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which became the most decorated unit in the history of American warfare for its size and length of service. …
Playwright Wakako Yamauchi, Remembered for And The Soul Shall Dance
Aug. 29, 2018 • The Rafu Shimpo
Wakako Yamauchi, a renowned Nisei writer best known for her play And the Soul Shall Dance, passed away on Aug. 16 at her home in Gardena, CA. She was 93. She is remembered for depicting the struggles of Japanese immigrants and their children during the Great Depression and World War II, which she personally experienced. Yamauchi, who was also a short-story writer, a poet, and a painter, published two books, Songs My Mother Taught Me: Stories, Plays, and Memoir” (1994) …
Mifune Gets Posthumous Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Dec. 1, 2016 • The Rafu Shimpo
Nearly 20 years after his passing, Japanese screen legend Toshiro Mifune has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. An unveiling ceremony for the 2,594th star was held Monday [November 14, 2016] at 6912 Hollywood Blvd. with about 125 VIPs and fans in attendance. Flanked by two men wearing samurai armor, Vin Di Bona of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said, “Today we’re honoring a man who achieved more worldwide fame than any other Japanese actor of this …
James Michiya Yoshinaga
June 27, 2016 • The Rafu Shimpo
James Yoshinaga was born in 1929 in downtown Los Angeles as the eldest son of a mother from Fukuoka and a father from Kagoshima. His father was from a small land owning family in a farming village, and James’ family moved to Japan temporarily when he was three years old. Upon returning to the U.S., his parents operated a Chinese restaurant in Glendale in the suburbs of Los Angeles. But, in 1937, they moved to Kagoshima again which was intended …
