Move to preserve Japanese American history on Terminal Island

The last two buildings from what was once a Japanese American fishing village on Terminal Island in Los Angeles County may be preserved.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker introduced a bill to declare the properties historic and cultural monuments, reports My News LA.

“The two historic Terminal Island buildings on Tuna Street represent culture, family, and American history that should never be forgotten,” McOsker said in a statement. They are also the last remaining physical remnants from this important era of Japanese American heritage and their significant contributions to California’s fishing industry.”

The buildings are situated on 700-702 and 712-716 Tuna St. in San Pedro.

LAist reports the Island was once the home to 3,000 Japanese Americans. Many of whom were employed in the fishing and cannery industries.

Those on the island were among the first to be incarcerated under President Franklin D Roosevelt’s orders to imprison 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

The island grew from just a few dozen Japanese Americans at the turn of the 20th century to peaking to a population of 3,000 in the 1930’s, AsAmNews reported as part of its Lost Kinjo series.

“Japanese fishermen who settled on Terminal Island in the early 20th Century were the initiators and innovators of what eventually became a booming tuna fishing industry in Los Angeles. Yet, the story of these families is also marked by one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history—a time when an entire community was forcibly removed, their homes and livelihoods destroyed,” said McOsker. “We must preserve what remains, not only to protect an important part of Los Angeles’ cultural and social history but to honor their contributions and ensure that future generations learn from this past and carry forward their legacy.”

It is the only such community to be destroyed almost in its entirety.