The Rafu Shimpo Digital Archive
The longest-running Japanese American newspaper in the United States
The Rafu Shimpo (羅府新報, L.A. Japanese Daily News) is the preeminent Japanese American newspaper in the United States. The paper began in 1903 supporting the small but growing Japanese community in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles, California. By the 1940s it was the most widely circulated paper in the region and included a weekly English section for second generation Japanese Americans. The Rafu Shimpo rests squarely at the scholarly intersection of Japanese history and the Japanese American émigré community—especially in California, with its unique coverage of news, community history, and announcements of births, marriages, and deaths. Scholars of Japanese history and émigré communities will find this to be a valuable source for research with full search capabilities. Media and literary scholars will appreciate the rich archival history of the paper, with full high-quality page images (including photos, graphics and advertisements) from every issue available.
The Rafu Shimpo Digital Archive is part of the East View Essentials: Émigré Newspapers package. Learn more
