JANM Raised Over $1.2 Million at the 2025 Benefit

The Museum Honored Toshizo Watanabe and Nobuko Miyamoto with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Judi Oyama with the Award of Excellence

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) hosted its annual Benefit and Online Auction at the JW Marriott on Saturday, April 12, 2025. This year’s theme, Unlocking the Future, celebrated JANM’s critical past, dynamic present, and ambitious future through stories of courage, determination, and resilience. The Museum raised over $1.2 million to support JANM's mission and educational programs. 

The Benefit honored the legacies of three inspirational community leaders: Toshizo “Tom” Watanabe, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Judi Oyama. Watanabe was honored for his lifelong dedication to strengthening the relationship between the US and Japan. Miyamoto was honored for her artistry, activism, and work that touches the soul and reveals humanity’s interconnectedness. Both received JANM’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Oyama was honored with the Museum’s Award of Excellence for her fearless dedication and contributions to competitive slalom and downhill skateboarding. A pioneer female competitor and now a mentor to the next generation, she continues to dominate the field after fifty years of competitive skateboarding.

“A deeply committed philanthropist and bridge-builder, Tom’s contributions have left an enduring mark on both sides of the Pacific and have advanced the ideals of democracy, diversity, and global citizenship. The embodiment of artistic transformation and change, Nobuko always responds to what’s happening in the world with creativity in action. Judi’s speed, skill, and fearless approach to competitive skateboarding continues to inspire future generations of women to skateboard with perseverance and passion, and proves that representation in sports and culture matters. Their visions inspire and strengthen us. Their legacies will live on for years to come,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM President and CEO.

Festivities also included the Bid for Education Program (BFE), the Lexus Opportunity Drawing, and the online auction. The BFE is the galvanizing force behind the Museum’s educational programming and serves over 12,000 students and educators each year. 

The 2025 Benefit was sponsored in part by Lexus, MUFG Bank, Ltd., Terasaki Nibei Foundation, U.S. Bank, ABC Stores, Kari Nakama and Kristine Nishiyama in partnership with Capital Group, Honda, the Picerne Family Foundation, the Sugimoto Family Foundation, Sycamore Tree Capital Partners, and the Takeo and Miyoko Yuki Family. The exclusive local television media partner was KTLA. The media sponsor was The Rafu Shimpo.

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About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, JANM promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a center for civil rights, ensuring that the hard-fought lessons of the World War II incarceration are not forgotten. A Smithsonian Affiliate and one of America’s Cultural Treasures, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories. JANM is a center for the arts as well as history. It provides a voice for Japanese Americans and a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public in 1992, JANM has presented over one hundred exhibitions onsite while traveling forty exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus, throughout Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Southern California, and beyond from early January 2025 through late 2026. For more information, visit janm.org/OnTheGo or follow us on social media @jamuseum.