Drive around Torrance today and the Japanese influence is hard to miss.

There are Japanese supermarkets, restaurants, cultural organizations, festivals, corporate offices and even a Japanese garden at the Civic Center.

But none of that happened by accident.

The relationship between Torrance and Japan stretches back more than a century, beginning long before Japanese automobile companies arrived in the South Bay.

Japanese immigrants began establishing themselves in the region in the early 20th century. Many worked in agriculture, operating farms and nurseries across Torrance, Gardena and neighboring communities. Those families helped create a Japanese American presence that became deeply rooted in the South Bay. Discover Torrance

Then came one of the darkest chapters in that history.

After the United States entered World War II, Japanese American families were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to incarceration camps under federal policy.

Torrance's own historical account notes something remarkable: the Torrance City Council adopted a resolution supporting local residents of Japanese heritage. That support, however, could not stop the federal government from removing families from their homes and farms. Torrance, CA

At the end of the war, some returning Japanese Americans were temporarily processed through the former military facilities at what had been the Lomita Flight Strip—today's Torrance Municipal Airport area. Families returned to Southern California and began rebuilding their lives and businesses. Torrance, CA

Then another important chapter began.

As Torrance evolved from heavy industry into a more diversified economy, Japanese corporations increasingly saw the South Bay as an attractive American base.

Toyota established its U.S. operations in Torrance, helping usher in a new era of Japanese corporate investment. Honda followed, and redevelopment in the 1980s transformed former heavy-industrial property into the American Honda headquarters complex. USC Dornsife

Those companies did more than provide jobs.

Employees and their families helped support Japanese markets, restaurants, language programs, cultural organizations and businesses. Over time, the economic relationship reinforced the community relationship that had already existed for generations.

Today, those connections continue through organizations and events such as the Torrance Sister City Association, Bunka-Sai Japanese Cultural Festival, and Torrance's long relationship with Kashiwa, Japan, along with newer friendship agreements with Japanese cities including Oshu and Bizen. Torrance Business Portal

And the history is still being written.

In September, Torrance moved forward with plans for a World War II Japanese American Incarceration Monument at Columbia Park, intended to preserve the names and stories of people who were unjustly incarcerated during the war. The project has received $5 million in state funding, with the City working toward additional fundraising. Torrance, CA

So why does Torrance have such a strong Japanese identity?

It isn't because one company moved here or because Japanese food became popular.

It is the result of more than 100 years of immigration, agriculture, injustice, rebuilding, business investment and cultural continuity.

Once you know that history, Torrance's Japanese markets, festivals, gardens and businesses look a little different.

They aren't simply amenities that happen to be here.

They are visible pieces of a much longer Torrance story.

Article Link: Explore the History of Japanese Culture in Torrance