The declining status of the “Japantowns” in both LA and S.F.
are quite obvious from the economic facts of the late
1980’s to 1990’s.

The average Japanese manufacturing wage has gone
exponentially up from post-WW II (1941 – 1945),
near starvation wages, up to y. 2000 $27.50 [US $/hour],
even exceeding the average US manufacturing wages of
y. 2000 $26.50 [US $/hour] (only exceeded world-wide
by Finland at y. 2000 $28.50 [US $/hour]).

While the post-Korean War average manufacturing wage
has gone up from near ’starvation wages’ up to y. 2000
about $16.50 [US $/hour].

The post-Chairman Dung Shou Pang, PRC manufacturing
wages are at y. 2000 $0.50 [US $/hour].

The huge 1960’s to 1980’s Japanese trade deficit with
the US, has slowly shifted during the late 1980’s,
to the lower average manufacturing
wages of S. Korea, and also during the mid-1990’s
to 2000’s to the PRC. In y. 2007, Japan was at
about ‘balanced trade’ with the US, only exceeded
by annual ‘balanced trade’ between Canada and the
US.

The quite massive [US $/year] US Asian trade deficits,
once in the 1960’s – 1980’s, going to Japanese banks to
re-cycle in the US, are now going to the booming S.
Korean banks, and the PRC opening bank branches
in the US. Japan thus went through a 17 year
recession from 1990 – 2008, itself having to
‘export manufacturing labor’ to Malaysia, and then
to the PRC, to stay cost competitive with ‘Made in
Japan’ exports from Japan.

The economic impact from the above,
has ‘trickled down’ to the Japantowns
in LA and S.F., plus the sansei and
yonsei American-Japanese have chosen
not to live in the Japantowns of their
ancestors, but, like to visit repeatedly
to refresh their history and culture.

In order to keep the 2000’s LA and S.F. Japantowns
a highest priority, historic and cultural jewels, and also
economically viable to serve future generations of
American-Japanese, I think it is rational to convert
them to “Pan-Asian Centers: Japan, S. Korea, PRC,
and Asian-Pacific Islander and other Asian such
as Philippino”, “A Taste of Asia Centers,” or “A
Touch of Asia Centers,” making the Japanese
National Museum in LA, the focal point and anchor
of the ‘Japanese corner’ of the ‘Pan Asian Center.’

Txs,

Sam Stew
A Concerned Citizen

This is really nothing new demographics change all the time, I’m sure many Japanese have moved to Torrance/Garenda that used to live/frequent JTown, just like Chinese have moved to SGV, Rowland Heights area and Irvine, while Koreans from KTown to Diamond Bar, Garden Grove, Cerritos.

I don’t think that many Japanese (relative to let’s say China) emigrate to the U.S. anymore since the standard of living in Japan has always been the highest in Asia.

Hey do you mean that there isn’t the type of critical mass that slows acclimation into the culture (by allowing an insular community to form)… or do you mean that, because the Japanese, as a group, has been the U.S. longer than other Asian-Americans, they have, over several generations, integrated into the culture.

The latter. But since you bring up the former, I agree with that point too. But I was inferring the latter.

Great minds think alike.

Hey do you mean that there isn’t the type of critical mass that slows acclimation into the culture (by allowing an insular community to form)… or do you mean that, because the Japanese, as a group, has been the U.S. longer than other Asian-Americans, they have, over several generations, integrated into the culture.

Either way, I’d agree.