Support Los Angeles' Little Tokyo!

A lot has been going on in my life this week and hopefully I'll update on that in a different post, but here's something that I think y'all should know about.
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Several recent property transactions have put the future of Los Angeles' Little Tokyo in jeopardy. Japanese Village Plaza was sold to American Commercial Equities in late July, and on August 17, the New Otani Hotel and Weller Court Shopping Mall were bought by 3D Investments—the SAME company that bought the large chunk of San Francisco J-Town from Kintetsu Enterprises last year.

While neither of these companies are inherently bad, it is also clear that neither company has a strong tie to Little Tokyo. With only three Japantowns remaining, there exists a critical need to maintain Little Tokyo as an important historic cultural neighborhood. When a company decides to purchase a main commercial and gathering area of Little Tokyo, they should also take the initiative to develop the properties in a responsible manner with community input.

Little Tokyo community members have a history of being actively involved with the changes in Little Tokyo, and we are proud of our community's achievements. It's time again to make our voices clear - Little Tokyo is our home. Little Tokyo is our history. Little Tokyois our future. And the people who share that home should have a say in what happens to it.

If you feel similarly, we would urge you to take the following action:

1) Sign the following petition.
http://www.petitiononline.com/jtv1/petition.html Doing so will send a message to 3D Investments and American Commercial Equities that they can not buy and develop land in our neighborhood without taking into consideration the wants and needs of the existing community. Further, it will also ensure that the Kajima Corporation is held responsible for their secretive sale to 3D Investments. Although their transaction may be completed, they have not heard the end of this from the Little Tokyo community. Third, it will reinforce to Jan Perry (Little Tokyo's City Councilwoman)that there is broad support to maintain active community involvement in determining the future of Little Tokyo. Finally, it will put current property owners and potential buyers on notice that our community is organized and not afraid to take action to ensure that they act responsibly and remain sensitive to the historic and cultural importance of Little Tokyo.


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Little Tokyo is one of THREE Japantowns left in the United States, and the only one located in Southern California. At one point there were over 40 in California. Now we're reduced to little corners here and there, and I don't see why we as a community can't keep what's left. That being said, just complaining lamenting over the loss of our community is not the answer, and I hope that this petition will allow the JA community to have an active voice in what I hope to be a collaborative process.

It makes me really sad to know that cultural centers can be bought and sold without a thought to the community that established it. As an Arch/Planning student, I urge you to sign this petition as a sign of commitment to thoughtful and inclusive planning.