STORY OF BUILDING OF JAPANESE HOSPITAL IN 1920s TO BE DISCUSSED APRIL 11

The story of the Japanese community’s fight to get better medical care in the 1920s by going to court to gain the right to incorporate their own hospital will be recounted in the public program, "Japanese Hospital: Caring for the Pre-War Nikkei Community", organized by the Little Tokyo Historical Society and Discover Nikkei and set for Sunday, April 11, at 2 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum. The program is free with Museum admission and open to the public.

For the early Issei immigrants, access to medical care was limited. In order to provide medical services to the community, a Japanese Hospital was envisioned. Five Issei doctors sued the State of California after being denied papers of incorporation to build a hospital. A landmark court case, Jordan v. Tashiro, was won in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1928. This historic decision allowed the project to proceed and the Japanese Hospital opened in Boyle Heights in 1929.

Dr. Troy Kaji, grandson of one of the doctors involved in the lawsuit, will explain the story in some detail. Gwenn Jensen, author of Silent Scars of Healing Hands: Oral Histories of Japanese American Doctors in World War II Detention Camps, will be the program’s moderator. Video clips from interviews sharing stories related to the community hospitals will also be featured, including Dr. Sakaye Shigekawa and Dr. Masako Miura and descendants of the early pioneers. The event will be followed by a light reception.

F. Carole Fujita, a retired pharmacist administrator, and Eiko Masuyama, both active volunteers of the Little Tokyo Historical Society, conducted much of the original research for the event. "It was fascinating to uncover so much about our Nikkei medical pioneers. We are eager to welcome Janice LaMoree, daughter of J. Marion Wright—the attorney who represented the Issei doctors in the Supreme Court decision—as our special guest," commented Fujita. Mrs. LaMoree will speak about visiting the Supreme Court in Washington to watch her father present the Tashiro case as part of the program.

Discover Nikkei, a project of the Japanese American National Museum, and the Little Tokyo Historical Society are partnering to present this program, which was made possible through the generous support of The Nippon Foundation.

The organizers recommend that those who wish to attend RSVP at least 48 hours prior to the event at rsvp@janm.org or (213) 625-0414.