The National Japanese American Veterans Memorial Court ( ja, 日系米国人退役軍人慰霊碑, ''Nikkei Beikokujin Taiekigunjin Ireihi'') is a

national memorial National memorial or National Memorial may refer to: * National Memorial (Thailand) * National memorial (United States) *National Martyrs' Memorial, in Bangladesh * National Memorial of the Republic of Belarus See also *Memorial (disambiguation) ...

court in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, honoring the bravery and sacrifice of

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

s 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 opposin ...

, the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. It is maintained by and located adjacent to the

Japanese American Cultural & Community Center Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

( ja, 日米文化会館) on San Pedro Street, in Little Tokyo.

Japanese American Vietnam War Veterans Memorial

The Japanese American Vietnam War Veterans Memorial is similar in appearance to the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those s ...

, consisting of three black granite slabs, on which the names of 116 Japanese American veterans are carved. The base of the memorial bears the following inscription:Japanese American Veteran Association, DC: Genesis of A Viet Nam Memorial
/ref>

Planning

The planning for the memorial began in Los Angeles during the summer of 1987. The

Japanese American Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Committee Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

was formed in order to construct a memorial to honor Japanese American veterans who were killed in action or were listed as

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

. This committee consisted of Duane Ebata, Gary Hayakawa, Ken Hayashi, Dennis Ishiki, Victor Kato, Dave Kobyashi, Lance Matsushita, Mike Nagaoka, Mel Nakashima,

Vincent Okamoto Vincent Hichiro Okamoto (November 22, 1943 – September 27, 2020) was an American attorney, judge, author, and retired United States Army officer. An Army Ranger during the Vietnam War, he was the most highly decorated Japanese American to su ...

, Tom Okamura, Ed Sakihama, and George Tanaka. By the time of the Vietnam War, the United States military had completely integrated, which prevented the designers from distinguishing Japanese Americans among those that served. Enlistment and casualty records were of little assistance and frequently inaccurate, occasionally listing Japanese Americans as "Indonesian" or "Eskimo". This made it impossible to find all Japanese American veterans of the Vietnam War. In 1988, the committee began sorting through the complete list of all 58,159 names on the

for last names that were obviously Japanese. After compiling the list, they come to a total of 99 killed in action and 14 missing in action. It would be almost seven years before the committee was able to locate a suitable spot to begin construction. The

agreed to the memorial's construction at 244 San Pedro Street. It was dedicated on Veteran's Day, 11 November 1995.Vietnam Veteran Memorials
/ref>

References

{{reflist Monuments and memorials in Los Angeles Japanese-American memorials Japanese-American culture in Los Angeles Little Tokyo, Los Angeles Outdoor sculptures in Greater Los Angeles