The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce is a business organization that promotes economic growth in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

and Japan.

History

After the Chinatown fire of 1900, 37 Japanese businessmen formed the Emergency Japanese Association to help Japanese immigrants who became homeless because of the fire. The organization was soon renamed the Honolulu Japan Merchants Association (''Honolulu Nipponjin Shonin Doshikai''). Once all of the Japanese immigrants were rehoused and claims were filed with the Hawaiian government, the group changed their focus to issues of trade between Hawaii and Japan that affected

issei is a Japanese-language term used by ethnic Japanese in countries in North America and South America to specify the Japanese people who were the first generation to immigrate there. are born in Japan; their children born in the new country are ...

business owners. In 1908 the organization changed its name again to the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and from 1916 onward they worked out of an office above the

Yokohama Specie Bank was a Japanese bank founded in Yokohama, Japan in the year 1880. Its assets were transferred to The Bank of Tokyo (now MUFG Bank) in 1946. The bank played a significant role in Japanese overseas trade, especially with China. The original b ...

branch in Honolulu. In 1939, the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce merged with the Japanese Merchants Association (''Chuo Rengo'') and the Honolulu Japanese Contractors Association, and changed its name to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, many Chamber members were arrested and

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

either in Hawaii or on the

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

. Since many members were missing, the Chamber's activities were put on hold until 1947, when the organization reactivated. In 1960, the Chamber built an office in Moiliili. It included a cultural hall and

tea house A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment wh ...

. In 1968, the organization became an associate member of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. During the 1980s there was a movement to create a

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * Cen ...

to preserve Japanese American history in Hawaii. Thus, the

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (JCCH, ja, ハワイ日本文化センター, ''Hawai Nihon Bunka Sentā'') is a cultural center and history museum in Moiliili, Hawaii that focuses on the Japanese-American experience in Hawaii, especially ...

was founded in 1987.

Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce

The Junior Chamber of Commerce was founded by

nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...

in 1949. Its creation was initially opposed by the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce because they believed that the organization's goals would run counter to the post-war "Americanization" of second-generation Japanese people. They are associated with the

United States Junior Chamber of Commerce The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...

. Much of their work is focused on

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...

Activities

The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce holds many professional development and networking events throughout the year. They also hold cultural events such as their annual Shinnen Enkai New Year's Celebration. Since 1978, they have also sponsored an annual exhibition at the

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single co ...

Cherry Blossom Festival

The Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce has held an annual

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

since 1953. The Cherry Blossom festival is one of the longest-running ethnic beauty pageants in

. Until 1998, contestants had to be of full Japanese descent. Considered long overdue, given that other ethnic beauty pageants had allowed mixed-race contestants for years prior, these rules were changed to reflect Hawaii's multiracial population.

References

External links