Japanese American National Museum

The Japanese American National Museum is dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry as an integral part of U.S. history and culture through exhibitions, public programs, resources, educational programs, and more. The Japanese American National Museum is the first museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry as an integral part of U.S. history. In 1985 the Japanese American National Museum was incorporated as a private, nonprofit institution. Over the next several years, volunteers sought backing from community groups. Seeking to safeguard the rich oral histories of first generations immigrants, or Issei, and the artifacts, photographs, written records and other materials documenting the lives of Japanese Americans before, during, and after the World War II mass incarceration, National Museum founders enlisted the support of the Japanese American community. In 1992, the Japanese American National Museum opened its doors to shed light on the Japanese American experience--a process of immigration and re-settlement common to so many Americans.