For the early Issei immigrants, access to medical care was limited. Five Issei doctors sued the State of California after being denied papers of incorporation to build a hospital. The case, Jordan vs. Tashiro, was finally won in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1928. Japanese Hospital was opened in Boyle Heights in 1929.

Dr. Troy Kaji will present the history of the historic case and the establishment of the Japanese Hospital. Clips from recent interviews sharing stories about the pre-war community hospitals will be shown.

This program is co-sponsored by the Little Tokyo Historical Society and the Japanese American National Museum. It is part of a series presented by Discover Nikkei, a project of the Japanese American National Museum made possible through the generous support of The Nippon Foundation.