One of Torrance’s most ambitious civic projects is moving closer to construction.

The City Council voted unanimously September 15 to advance the World War II Japanese American Incarceration Monument, planned for the east side of Columbia Park at 4045 190th Street. The memorial is intended to permanently display approximately 126,000 names of people of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated during World War II without due process.

Plans call for black granite name walls, interpretive educational displays, accessible pathways and areas for reflection. The project grew from the vision of the late Dr. Kanji Sahara, a longtime Torrance resident and incarceration survivor, working with the nonprofit WWII Camp Wall.

The project has already received $5 million in state funding, secured in 2021. At its September meeting, the Council authorized the City to seek an extension of that grant and approved a donor-recognition policy as Torrance works to raise an additional $15 million needed to complete the memorial.

The City’s project page says groundbreaking and construction are planned for fall 2026, with completion expected in 2028.

For Torrance, the project carries particular significance because of the city’s deep Japanese American community and history. If completed as envisioned, it would give residents and visitors a permanent place to connect individual names with one of the most consequential civil-liberties episodes in American history.

Article Link: WWII Japanese American Incarceration Monument Project