History of Seattle Nikkei Immigrants from The North American Times

In the last part, I talked about Sumiyoshi Arima’s articles in The North American Times written as Chairperson of the Japanese Association and a newspaper reporter. In this part, I would like to introduce some articles that were published at the beginning of World War II and the last issue of The North American Times.

BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II 

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 shook the Japanese community in Seattle. By that time, Sumio Arima, Sumiyoshi’s younger brother, had taken over the Managing Editor role after Sumiyoshi left Seattle. On the day of the …

The last part shared articles by a female employee of the North American Times, the 5000^th anniversary issue and the increase of the subscription fee. This part features articles of Sumiyoshi Arima as Chairman of the Japanese Association and a newspaper reporter.

SUMIYOSHI ARIMA—CHAIRMAN OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION

After Sumikiyo Arima retired, his eldest son, Sumiyoshi Arima, took over the position of president and publisher of The North American Times. He also became chairman of the Nihonjinkai (Japanese Association) in 1932; staying active in the Seattle Japanese community. 

On March 3, 1938, Sumiyoshi Arima was re-elected as …

Previously, I introduced the contributors to the North American Times and its employees. This part shares articles by its female employee, the 5000th anniversary issue, and the increase of subscription fee.

OPINION FROM A FEMALE EMPLOYEE

This is an article by a female editor, Shikako Takatani, who worked as a corresponding writer in Montana.

“Newspapers, Reporters, Readers, and Contributors” (From Mar. 29, 1918 issue)

“I have something to ask you all, while encouraging efforts of the newspaper publisher. Even if the newspaper owner has a contributory spirit, the machine cannot run without oil. No matter how priestly a …

In the last part, I wrote about how The North American Times was launched, and in this part, I will introduce articles about the expanding circle of contributors and those who worked at The North American Times.

EXTENDED CIRCLE OF CONTRIBUTORS 

Even after the Arima family took over the North American Times, the founding members and former editors stayed involved in the publishing of the paper. Also, it seems that even after editorial staff left, many of them remained writing for the paper, from different locations.

“The North American Times Credit List” (From the Jan 1, …

In the last chapter, I wrote about the development of the Japanese hotel industry. In this chapter, I will share articles about Japanese newspapers, especially about the North American Times. In the first part of Chapter 10, I review articles that describe the early days of the North American Times. 

BIRTH OF JAPANESE NEWSPAPERS

In the early 20th century, as the Japanese community grew in Seattle, various Japanese newspapers appeared. Kiyoshi Kumamoto, a dentist, and Kuranosuke Hiraide, the founder of Hiraide Store (Reference: “Chapter 4—Notable People in Seattle” - Kuranosuke Hiraide), Juji Yadagai, and Ichiro Yamamoto …