Founded in 1947 after WWII, The Japanese American Medical Association (JAMA) is a Southern California non-profit, tax-exempt organization, comprised of physicians and their spouses. JAMA's physicians are involved in multiple medical specialties and subspecialties, and practice in private practice, health care maintenance organizations, and university-based settings.
JAMA's purposes are to maintain and advance the professionalism of its physicians in the communities of Southern California, while serving the Nikkei community, and to promote the social relationships of its members and spouses.
JAMA's members are active in:
- Providing excellent medical care to their communities
- Providing a social network for its members
- Supporting physicians of the future, by providing yearly scholarships for medical students
- Supporting community events in health-related endeavors
- JAMA's history during and after the imprisonment; the final product, Silent Scars of Healing Hands, is now re-published!!! And available for purchase at JANM's website at www.janm.org.
History of JAMA
The Japanese American Medical Association was established in 1947 and is the oldest Japanese American professional group in Southern California. JAMA was founded to create a social and professional network for members to share information, to establish referrals for patients, and to socialize with spouses and other physicians. At the time of JAMA's establishment, Japanese physicians were not permitted to practice in most Los Angeles hospitals, making cooperative communication imperative.
JAMA has obtained a tax-exempt status that permitted it to become a charitable organization for sponsorship of a Scholarship Fund. The first Scholarship Awards were presented on April 29, 2007. JAMA has also completed its book, Silent Scars of Healing Hands, to record the oral histories of some of its pioneering members of the World War II internment period. The publication, funded by the California Civil Liberties Education Program, represents a medical legacy for future generations.
On June 10, 1997, the Japanese American Cultural Community Center presented the President's Award to JAMA for 50 years of distinguished service to the community. JAMA has enjoyed a significant history, reflective of its members and their achievements, and looks forward to continued growth in our organization.
Our Mission
The Past: The mission of JAMA is to preserve and transmit the legacy of our founding members who embodied the importance of providing excellent health care & service to our communities. In 2004, under the leadership of past JAMA president Gordon Sasaki, the "Silent Scars of Healing Hands" book was published, which documents the oral histories of the Nikkei physicians & nurses in the prison camps. This book went out of print in 2006, but JAMA was able to have the book re-published in December of 2025. We hope the book serves as a reminder of the hardships that our ancestors experienced, so that we might practice medicine in a time of relative peace & harmony.
The Present: We aim to offer professional networking for physicians and physicians in training, while also providing a means of social gathering and community for our members and their families, for those, regardless of their ethnic background or political affiliation, who love and wish to serve the Nikkei community. We also are involved in community service to the Nikkei population, partnering with Seinan-Koreisha Senior Care, through our yearly Nikkei Health Fair, where Japanese speaking patients can come and obtain medical information from Japanese & English speaking health care providers from various medical specialties. Other opportunities for community service are available at the Seinan-Koreisha Adult Day Care Center, located in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, which has many memories of active Nikkei life after WWII. For more information about community service at Seinan-Koreisha's adult day care, please go to info@seinankoreisha.org.
The Future: JAMA actively supports our medical students through our yearly $5,000 scholarship, to assist them as they complete their training, for our physicians of the future, with the hope that they may return and serve the Nikkei community. Applicants are assessed based on their academic performance, financial need, and their service to the Nikkei community.
Upcoming Events
Our next JAMA Scholarship Banquet is tentatively scheduled for latter part of April of 2027, as a Sunday luncheon, and we will keep you up to date as the event draws near.
Seinan Koreisha Senior Care and JAMA are also planning our yearly Nikkei Health Fair on Sunday November 1, 2026 at 12 noon; and our host will be the St Francis Xavier Chapel - Japanese Catholic Center (MaryKnoll) near Little Tokyo. Previously known as MaryKnoll Japanese Catholic Church, the church is now the last remaining Japanese Catholic Church in the country, which has served the Japanese before and after World War II, despite widespread discrimination against the Nikkei community.
Past Events
We were privileged to have author & director Jeffrey Chin present his short film, "Lil Tokyo Reporter," and his book "A Rebel's Outcry," about the life of Sei Fujii at our April 2026 Spring Banquet, with Cindy Abrams and Karen Chu from the Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS). Sei Fujii was the Japanese-American community equivalent to Martin Luther King Jr, and even though everybody knows MLK, hardly any of us (even in the Nikkei community) knew of Sei Fujii. Sei Fujii successfully challenged the US Supreme Court to open Japanese Hospital in 1928, and also successfully challenged the California Supreme Court to overturn the California Alien Land Law in 1952. Although he graduated law school at USC, he could not legally practice since he was Japanese, so he partnered with a former classmate, J. Marion Wright to challenge the Supreme Court. The opening of Japanese Hospital in 1929 was crucial for the survival of the Nikkei community, as Japanese physicians were not allowed to practice at most hospitals, and surprisingly, most Japanese were not allowed admission to most US hospitals. If you enjoyed the presentation, you may consider visiting www.littletokyohs.org, and consider becoming a member of LTHS.
We also awarded our annual JAMA Scholarship to Chiaki Takebayashi! See the pictures above, and in the scholarship section of our website! We like to thank our sponsors again, Bulgantamir Enkh-Erdene and Khaliun Otgonbat, for allowing us to use the Oakmont Country Club in Glendale.
Dr. Kenji Irie, JAMA member, was awarded the Pioneer Spirit Award during a banquet at Nisei week on August 2026, for his lifetime of community service to the healthcare needs of the Nikkei community. He is currently serving the needs of Nikkei seniors at Seinan-Koreisha's Adult Day Care program; and pictures below show other volunteers at the banquet, such as 1st Princess of Nisei Week, Ai Grace Kusayanagi, and Barry Goy. Also, pictures below from the Cell-phone/Computer support class at Seinan-Koreisha, along with a presentation by Steve Lau about detecting & avoiding internet & phone scams on seniors, with pictures of Steve Lau & Barry Goy assisting ladies from the Kashu club at Seinan-Koreisha, helping them with their cell phones & computers.
For many years, the Taisho Club use to provide an annual Nikkei health fair, but due to its aging members, the Taisho club disbanded in 2017. In attempt to resurrect the tradition of the Taisho club, JAMA provided physician support for the Nikkei health fair (picture below), in coordination with Koreisha Senior Care & Advocacy (www.koreishasca.org), and on 10/29/23, 10/26/24, 10/26/25 at the Maryknoll Japanese Catholic Center, provided general health information to the Nikkei community! This would not have been possible without the work of Toshiko Sugiyama (Koreisha volunteer), John Kanai (past president of Koreisha), Masano Siu (Koreisha volunteer), and Michael Toji (past secretary of Koreisha). Much thanks to our Koreisha colleagues, JAMA physicians, medical staff, Japanese translators, volunteers, and all of our sponsors, who made all this possible.
The JAMA auxiliary hosted Jeanne Kanemistu, an artist in Japanese handcrafted cardmaking, at the JACCC on 9/21/24. Jeanne now lives in Las Vegas, but came all the way to perform a demonstration, with proceeds from her sales going to JAMA. I've included pictures of her work, with cards so nice, you'd want to frame them. See pictures below.
Manzanar trip
On April 11, 2026, Troy Kaji organized a group tour of Manzanar for a group of friends from northern CA, and JAMA. Starting out from the visitor center, he guided us through the mess hall, barracks, Merritt park gardens, and the cemetery, displaying the kanji writings "I(ee) Rei To," meaning "Soul Consoling Tower." In our world of hustle and bustle, Troy read excerpt of his father's book, "Jive Bomber," and led us in a time of reflection, remembering the past experiences of hardship that our ancestors experienced, so that we might live in a time of relative peace & harmony.
Interesting Links
If you're interested in viewing our Zoom conference that was held on 3/19/24, which was a powerpoint presentation (English w/ Japanese translation), titled "Cancer in the Nikkei Community," please copy the URL below to KSCA's website that has the video on youtube:
https://www.koreishasca.org/post/ksca-2024-medical-seminar-1-cancer-in-the-nikkei-community-was-held-via-zoom-on-march-19th-2024
If you'd like to read our memorial edition of our newsletter from 2025 where we give a tribute to our past JAMA members and supporters, please copy the link below.
https://mailchi.mp/f408c0eb9a6a/jama-newsletter-january-2019-please-forward-to-interested-colleagues-16530473
If you'd like to read our newsletter from January 2026 where we share the story of the last Nikkei church in Manhattan NY, how it was established by an Issei man walking from Oregon to NY, and the story of one of its members, a 90 year-old "hibakusha," please copy the link below.
https://mailchi.mp/5e3e6bebd815/jama-newsletter-january-2019-please-forward-to-interested-colleagues-16538396
If you'd like to read our newsletter from April 2026 about our spring banquet, and the presentation of "Sei Fujii," who I consider the Martin Luther King Jr. of the Nikkei community, given by director and author Jeffrey Chin, as well as our visit to Manzanar led by Dr. Troy Kaji, please copy the link below.
https://mailchi.mp/db10f2282285/jama-newsletter-january-2019-please-forward-to-interested-colleagues-16540696?e=[UNIQID]
The Nikkei health care provider's book corner
"A Rebel's Outcry," is about the life of Sei Fujii, from the Little Tokyo Historial Society (LTHS), written by Jeffrey Gee Chin and Fumiko Carole Fujita. Sei Fujii was the Japanese-American equivalent of Martin Luther King Jr, and even though everybody knows MLK, hardly any of us (even in the Nikkei community) are aware of Sei Fujii. Sei Fujii successfully challenged the US Supreme Court to open Japanese Hospital in 1928, and also successfully challenged the California Supreme Court to overturn the California Alien Land Law in 1952. Although he graduated law school at USC, he could not legally practice since he was Japanese, so he partnered with a former classmate, J. Marion Wright to challenge the Supreme Court. The opening of Japanese Hospital in 1929 was crucial for the survival of the Nikkei community, as Japanese physicians were not allowed to practice at most hospitals, and surprisingly, most Japanese were not allowed admission to most US hospitals.
“Through rich oral history interviews, this book brings to vivid life the experiences of Nisei men and women—including medical staff in the WRA-run concentration camps—during and after World War II. Illuminating the profound effects of mass removal and confinement on health, this unique study brings new dimension to Japanese American history.”
—Valerie Matsumoto, University of California, Los Angeles, George and Sakaye Aratani Nikkei in the Americas series editor
In Echoes of Trauma, medical anthropologist Gwenn Jensen traces the longitudinal ramifications of racism, the chronic stress of imprisonment in concentration camps, and widespread healthcare inadequacies on the well-being of Japanese American Nisei during WWII and beyond.
Based on ninety oral history interviews conducted between 1995 and 2005, Jensen’s work uncovers long-term health impacts on former incarcerees, relating personal stories of Japanese Americans with archival corroboration of their traumatic experiences of having been made prisoners in their own land. These memories illuminate the betrayal and lifelong consequences of imprisonment not only on physical and psychological health but also including intergenerational trauma passed on to subsequent generations. Echoes of Trauma details these short- and long-term health effects and records the stories of these Americans for posterity.
In the wake of the current political climate, with echoes of this past reverberating, the reexamination of Japanese American incarceration undertaken here underscores the importance of comprehending the fallout from incomprehensible injustice visited upon innocent and law-abiding citizens.
Hardcover: $45.00
ISBN: 978-1-64642-896-0
Ebook*: $36.00
Pages: 352
Illustrations: 19
"Jivebomber" was written by Dr. Troy Kaji's and Jon Kaji's father, Bruce Kaji, who was JANM's 1st founding president in 1985. The book chronicles Bruce's life in Boyle Heights, life in Manzanar prison camp, service in the US Military Intelligence Service (MIS) during WWII, and his other important contributions to the Nikkei Community. This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
"Memoirs of a Certain Nisei" was written by Thomas Taro Higa, the father of JAMA member, Dr. Nolan Higa, which chronicles the life of Thomas Taro Higa, a Kibei born in Hawaii, and raised in Okinawa, captured, beaten & accused of being a spy while in Japan, who later returned to Hawaii, and was drafted into the 100th battalion. He was wounded in Italy twice, requiring surgery. He later did a speaking tour to various prison camps across the US. He also risked his life, performing numerous cave rescues in Okinawa to save the life of many Japanese soldiers, civilians, consisting of men, women & children, through his ability to speak Japanese, assuring them that they would be treated humanely. This not only saved Japanese lives, but also reduced American soldier casualties, so that they did not have to fight those hiding in the caves. After his military service, the Japanese were the only Asian group barred from citizenship. Thomas launched a national campaign to secure naturalization rights for the Issei's, who had sacrificed, and suffered so much so that subsequent generations could survive in America. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but Dr. Nolan Higa is working on getting this book re-published. Dr. Higa, Gambate Kudasai! We look forward to purchasing your father's re-published memoir's.
Containing Japanese recipe's for Osechi, Centenary Favorites were originally published by the Nikkei of Centenary United Methodist Church in Little Tokyo. As part of Oshogatsu, every year I make Osechi to celebrate the New Year with our family. It's the biggest holiday in Japan, and many of the recipe's I've used to make Osechi come from this book. Although no longer in print, you may purchase the digital version from Amazon, entitled "Centenary Favorites: Japanese New Year's Feast Edition," or Amazon may have used books for sale. Tanoshinde kudasai!
Theft prevention tips
- To prevent RFID (radio-frequency identification) theft of your wallet, consider using RFID-blocking wallets which contain metal shielding.
- To prevent your key fob signal from being intercepted, store your key fobs in a tin can at your residence. The key fob signal can be intercepted up to ~100 yards from the key fob, and your vehicle can be entered without taking your key fob. If you're concerned about this happening after you've parked your car away from home (eg. when going to the park), consider purchasing a key fob holder with shielding, which is fairly inexpensive.
- Older garage door remotes can also have their signal intercepted, so consider an upgrading your remote.