Nisei Week Queen Jill Kaori Hiraizumi (left) poses with JACL National Director Floyd Mori and president of the Nisei Week Foundation, Helen Ota.
The 68th annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival held in Los Angeles honored Fred Y. Hoshiyama as grand marshal, Sen. Daniel Inouye as honorary grand marshal and Gordon Tokumatsu as parade marshal. The festival was established in 1934 during the Great Depression. Originally started by the Nisei to attract business to the Little Tokyo area and to promote goodwill, the nine-day Nisei Week Japanese Festival is the longest running ethnic festival in the United States. ♦