San Francisco Japantown Task Force

DATA SHEET

Place/Event: Radio Mainichi – 1450 AM KEST
Address: 1746 Post St., #203, San Francisco

Visual Description:

Every weekday, more than 10,000 listeners from across the entire Bay Area tune in to Radio Mainichi, an hour-long radio program delivered entirely in Japanese. For the first half of each show, the program provides news briefs on local issues and international issues from Japan. The next half consists of various programs related to the local Japanese community, including music, health, sports, and other related topics. Throughout the program, listeners are encouraged to call in and voice their concerns and opinions. Although the show typically targets Japanese-speaking residents, it also provides weekly Japanese lessons for prospective learners, which consist mostly of poetry and book readings.

History:

Radio Mainichi began over 50 years ago as a weekly radio broadcast for native Japanese speakers in Japantown. In 1990, due to its rising popularity, the program began broadcasting five times a day and is currently the first and only Japanese radio station in Northern California. In June 2004, Radio Mainichi was officially recognized by the Japan Foreign Minister for its service in aiding Japan-U.S. relations.

Significance:

Cultural, Social

Recognition of Significance:

Recognized by Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., October 2000; Yamasaki Award for Comm. Service, March 2003;

Kimochi Spirit Award for service to Japantown seniors

Sources:

Junko Nakagawa, President, Radio Mainichi; Takeo Futakawa, Vice President, Radio Mainichi

Other Comments:

Radio Mainichi is especially important because it provides language-specific services that would otherwise be unavailable to Japanese-speaking residents. One program, for example, showcases a bilingual doctor who fields questions from Japanese callers, an essential service to ailing Japanese seniors around the area.

Prepared By: Young Kim Date Prepared: 6/28/04