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About

More than nine decades old, the Pacific Citizen is an award-winning Asian Pacific American semi-monthly national newspaper.

Published by the JACL the nation’s oldest and largest APA civil rights organization, the Pacific Citizen is committed to delivering the most incisive coverage of important APA stories that are often ignored by other media outlets.

History

Since September 1929, the print edition of the Pacific Citizen has been the leading national newspaper for the APA community. Originally called the Nikkei Shimin (Japanese American Citizen), the San Francisco-based newspaper was a lifeline for the Japanese American community.

At the outbreak of World War II and the subsequent unjust internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans, the Pacific Citizen was moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where editor Larry Tajiri was hired to continue publishing a weekly newspaper to keep the fragmented community informed. After WWII, the Pacific Citizen returned to the West Coast in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo where the newspaper’s operations is still currently based.

Today, the Pacific Citizen continues to serve the community with its focus on in-depth investigations, entertainment, sports, and late-breaking stories.

Pacific Citizen in Print

Printed copies of the Pacific Citizen will include:

  • The latest In-Depth feature article a month ahead before it appears online
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Obituary “Tributes” and “In Memoriams”
  • AAPI National and Community News
  • Commentaries and Opinions

Archived copies of the Pacific Citizen will be made available here one month after being published in print.