The Nikkei Bridge is a non-profit organization of young adults dedicated to the Japanese-American community and culture.  It was formed in 1993 following the Future of the Nikkei Community Conference.

The Future of the Nikkei Community Conference concluded that the future of the Japanese American community was uncertain and that younger generations of Japanese Americans were not active in the community and did not have knowledge of the Japanese American communityâs rich and diverse history.

The intent of The Bridge, as it is commonly called, is to introduce its young adult members to a wide variety of experiences and activities emphasizing community service to the Japanese American community, cultural awareness, and education of modern issues facing the Japanese American community.

The Bridge also provides its members an opportunity to network in a more casual environment. Our members are composed of young adults from all over the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. Many of our members attended colleges and universities across the United States, who have returned and settled in Southern California. The Bridge is an excellent forum to come together and share our backgrounds, our friends, and our personal experiences while creating new ones with fellow members.

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The organization was founded on a simple principle -- to create a transition among generations within the Japanese American community. However, Bridge also works toward exposing our membership to various experiences and cultures, emphasizing events that promote and support the Southern California Japanese American community. Bridge also constantly seeks opportunities to network with other service groups and individuals alike.

As a result, Bridge has gained reputation over the years and has become renowned in the Japanese American community. Our membership continues to grow with additional exposure. The Nikkei Bridge has extended beyond its Los Angeles roots with members from Orange County, Ventura County, and the San Fernando Valley and is composed of approximately 100 young professionals.

Although we are a community service organization that focuses on educating and informing our members about Japanese American history and culture, we also strive to develop future leaders from our membership. We encourage our members to present new ideas to the members of Bridge, assist in our various activities, and participate at various events. Not only do we want to get our members involved in our activities and events, but we also want to assure that Bridge always has fresh opinions and new perspectives.

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On October 11th, 1992, "the Future of the Nikkei Community Conference", was held at the prestigious Regal Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The participants in the conference primarily consisted of young adults in their twenties and early thirties, from fifteen different organizations who had joined together to organize and participate in the various workshops. This conference dealt with questions on contemporary Japanese American issues, as well as issues facing other ethnic groups.

Over the years, the demographics of the Japanese American community had changed, with families moving away from cities to suburban areas. Areas that were once abundant with Japanese American community activity, including West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, now found themselves without a strong Japanese American community presence.

It was during this conference that individuals saw an opportunity for younger generations of Japanese Americans to voice their opinions. The Nikkei Bridge began a year later on the premise that the Japanese American Community, and its constituent service organizations, needed the active involvement of its younger generations to survive and prosper.

A group of young Japanese American adults, including graduates of various local universities including UCLA, USC, UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge, set out to change this trend and create an organization that would work to reestablish the ties that once held the Japanese American community closely together. This group of young adults sought to determine and better understand the changes in the Japanese American community to address its current needs and understand the role that younger generations could play in reestablishing ties to create a stronger Japanese American community.

These young adults wanted to create a bridge to all other young adults and build a network based upon a common purpose of serving the Japanese American Community, while enriching their own lives. The Nikkei Bridge was founded based on these ideals. Today, the Nikkei Bridge stands strong and continues its commitment to the community and its members through a wide variety of programs and events.

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