JACL Scholarship Opportunities: A Comprehensive Guide

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) stands as the nation’s oldest, largest, and most experienced Asian American civil rights organization. Since 1929, it has been committed to safeguarding the civil and human rights of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, as well as all communities affected by injustice and bigotry. A crucial aspect of their work involves educating the public about the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II. One of the ways JACL supports its mission is through its extensive scholarship program. The JACL annually offers approximately 30 college scholarships to students who are incoming college freshmen, undergraduates and graduates, as well as those specializing in law and the creative/performing arts.

Membership Requirements

Every applicant must be an active National JACL member. JACL membership is open to everyone of any ethnic background. All who meet the eligibility criteria are welcomed and encouraged to apply. Note: applicants must hold an Individual or Student/Youth Membership. A Couple/Family membership by a parent will not meet this requirement. Individual membership of a parent does not qualify the student to receive a scholarship. Student memberships are available. For more information about membership categories, please contact the JACL Membership Department at National Headquarters.

General Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for a JACL scholarship, applicants must meet several criteria:

JACL Membership: Applicants must be active National JACL members, holding an Individual or Student/Youth Membership. A Couple/Family membership held by a parent does not meet this requirement.
Educational Enrollment: Applicants must be planning to attend full-time at a college, university, trade school, business school, or any other institution of higher learning within the United States at the undergraduate or graduate school level in the Fall of 2026. Students deferring enrollment will not qualify for the 2026 scholarship program.
Application Limit: Applicants may apply under only one scholarship category. The exception to this rule is that students may apply for consideration for financial aid awards in addition to another category. However, a successful applicant will only receive the higher of the two awards applied for.
Prior Awards: Past recipients of JACL National scholarships are limited to a total of two awards. An individual can apply for more than one scholarship. An individual will not be awarded more than one scholarship in a given year. A prior year awardee can apply for a different scholarship in a different year. An individual may not receive more than two scholarships in total.
Use of Funds: Scholarship recipients are required to use their scholarship award funds within 12 months, or the subsequent academic year.

Application Materials

To complete a JACL Scholarship Application, students need to submit the following:

JACL Membership
Personal Statement
Letter of Recommendation
Official Transcripts
Work Experience
Recent Headshot
JACL and Community Involvement

Scholarship Categories and Descriptions

The JACL offers a diverse array of scholarships, each with specific criteria and honoring significant figures and legacies within the Japanese American community. These scholarships are categorized into Entering Freshman Awards, Undergraduate Awards, Graduate Awards, Law Scholarships, and Special Awards.

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Entering Freshman Awards

Patricia and Gail Ishimoto Memorial Scholarship: Established in memory of two daughters who passed away in an auto accident, this scholarship supports incoming freshmen. Both were students at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles.
Kenji Kasai Memorial Scholarship: Honoring the long-time head of Nikko Kasai Securities, this scholarship supports students who are passionate crusaders for the military, veterans and the Nikkei community. Mr. Kasai was active with the MIS, JAVA, Go For Broke, JACL, JANM, NJAHS and the Salt Lake Japanese Christian Church.
Henry & Chiyo Kuwahara Memorial Scholarship: Established by the estate of Henry and Chiyo Kuwahara, this award supports incoming freshmen who are pursuing higher education. Mr. Kuwahara, a resident of Los Angeles, was a well-known investment and securities broker in Little Tokyo.
Sam & Florice Kuwahara Memorial Scholarship: Created upon the passing of Florice Kuwahara, this scholarship supports incoming freshmen who embody the Kuwaharas' belief in the importance of education for the young. Sam and Florice Kuwahara were active in farming in the Livingston, California area and its local JACL chapter.
Mr. & Mrs. Takashi Moriuchi Scholarship: Established by Takashi and Yuriko Moriuchi, this award supports incoming freshmen pursuing higher education. Mr. Moriuchi, a successful fruit farmer, is the past New Jersey State Director of the United States Department of Agriculture Farmers Home Administration and Mrs. Moriuchi, a professor of Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), is president of the American Guild of Flower Arrangers.
Hanayagi Rokumie Memorial Japanese Cultural Scholarship: This award recognizes students who excel in Japanese cultural activities such as nihon buyo, Japanese classical instruments, ikebana, chado, or Japanese martial arts.
Deni & June Uejima Memorial Scholarship: The Uejimas were very committed to the Japanese American community. They were long-time members of the San Gabriel Valley JACL and Deni served multiple terms as the chapter’s president. They bequeathed this endowment to reach out to and support the community’s young leaders.
Paul and Katherine Ohtaki Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship was established by the estate of Paul and Katherine Ohtaki of San Francisco. Mr. Ohtaki was a successful businessman dedicated to the Japanese American community, and served many organizations with his gentle and dignified leadership qualities. When incarcerated in camp as a teenager, he wrote articles for his hometown newspaper on Bainbridge Island, and is featured in the book titled “In Defense of Our Neighbors.”

Undergraduate Awards

Kyutaro & Yasuo Abiko Memorial Scholarship: This award supports undergraduate students, with preference given to those studying journalism or agriculture. Mr. Yasuo Abiko was a prominent leader of the San Francisco Japanese American community and editor of the Nichi Bei Times newspaper.
Alice Yuriko Endo Memorial Scholarship: Established by the Endo family, this scholarship supports undergraduate students, with preference given to students residing in the Eastern District Council or those with an interest in public and social service. Mrs. Endo was an active member of the Washington D.C. JACL chapter.
Daniel & Irene Iritani Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship supports deserving undergraduate students who qualify for financial aid. As parents, Daniel & Irene Iritani raised two boys, who learned from their parents the importance of working hard and developing grit for whatever they took on and respect for any field of study.
Kenji Kajiwara Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship supports undergraduate students who deeply believe in the value and necessity of higher education to discover, encourage and develop the inherent potential of our youth.
Saburo Kido Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship supports undergraduate students. A founder of the JACL, Mr. Kido was one of the architects of the National JACL structure and its constitution.
Henry & Chiyo Kuwahara Memorial Scholarship: Established by the estate of Henry and Chiyo Kuwahara, this award supports undergraduate students who are pursuing higher education. Mr. Kuwahara, a resident of Los Angeles, was a well-known investment and securities broker in Little Tokyo.
Shigeki “Shake” Ushio Memorial Scholarship: This award supports undergraduate/graduate students. In 1943, to assist Japanese Americans whose assets had been frozen or restricted during World War II, Shake Ushio helped found the National JACL Credit Union. He was Chairman of the Board for the credit union for over thirty years.
Shigeru “Shig” Nakahira Memorial Scholarship: This award supports undergraduate students who exemplify the qualities of a good and helpful friend, a 442nd veteran, a capable accountant, an excellent bowler, and a quiet doer of good deeds.
Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship supports undergraduate students. This scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe, the first elected National President of the JACL.
Michio & Namiko Suzuki Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship honors the memory of Michio and Namiko Suzuki and was established by their children and grandchildren. This scholarship is awarded to a graduate or undergraduate student in the field of social work.

Graduate Awards

Henry & Chiyo Kuwahara Memorial Scholarship: Established by the estate of Henry and Chiyo Kuwahara, this award supports graduate students who are pursuing higher education. Mr. Kuwahara, a resident of Los Angeles, was a well-known investment and securities broker in Little Tokyo.
Railroad and Mine Workers Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship memorializes the story of these workers, who were fired from their jobs after the outbreak of World War II, and their children’s successful fight for recognition and justice decades later.
Dr. Kiyoshi Sonoda Memorial Scholarship: Restricted to students studying in the field of dentistry. Dr. Sonoda was an active member of the JACL beginning in 1945, in which he was one of the first life members of the One Thousand Club and a past president of the West Los Angeles JACL chapter.
Chiyoko and Thomas Shimazaki Scholarship: This award is given to a student planning a career in the medical field. Mr. Shimazaki was an active member of the Greater Los Angeles chapter.
Dr. Newton K. Wesley (born Uyesugi) Memorial Scholarship: This award is being offered to a student pursuing a career in eye care (optometry, medical, or a scientific research field) to honor Dr. Newton K. Wesley. He is often cited for developing the first commercially-successful rigid contact lens in an attempt to cure his own impending blindness.
Reverend H. John & Asako Yamashita Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship supports graduate studies for students concerned with education, social justice, and service to their communities. John and Asako Yamashita graduated from UC Berkeley. In 1942, they were imprisoned with their families in the Topaz concentration camp.
Minoru Yasui Memorial Scholarship: Preference for this scholarship will be given to students with a strong interest in human rights and civil rights. Fields of study may include sociology, law or education. A civil rights advocate and attorney, Minoru Yasui was one of the four Nisei who challenged the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII.
- Michio & Namiko Suzuki Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship honors the memory of Michio and Namiko Suzuki and was established by their children and grandchildren. This scholarship is awarded to a graduate or undergraduate student in the field of social work.

Law Scholarships

Grace Andow Memorial Scholarship: Ms. Andow, a longtime member of the Cleveland Chapter, established this scholarship in her will. She was a wedding planner who later studied to become a legal secretary.
Thomas T. Hayashi Memorial Scholarship: The Eastern District Council, in memory of Thomas Hayashi, an outstanding Nisei civil rights advocate and attorney in international law, established this award in his honor. It was Mr. Hayashi’s philosophy to encourage other Nikkei to enter the legal profession as a means of securing justice for the disadvantaged.
Sho Sato Memorial Scholarship: Mr. Sato was known as a leading figure in promoting and fostering relations between law schools in Japan and the United States. Sho Sato, a professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley, was one of the nation’s most prominent scholars of local governmental law. Applicants must be studying law in the fall.

Special Awards

Abe and Esther Hagiwara Student Aid Award: Only applicants that exhibit severe financial need will be considered for this award. This scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to a student who otherwise would have to delay or terminate his/her education due to a lack of financing.
Aiko Susanna Tashiro Hiratsuka Memorial Scholarship: Established in memory of noted pianist Aiko Hiratsuka. This scholarship is awarded to a student studying in the performing arts. Professional artists are not eligible to apply for this award.
Henry and Chiyo Kuwahara Creative Arts Award: This scholarship was established to encourage creative projects that reflect the Japanese American experience and cultural representation. All technical work of the applicant should be at the university level. Professional artists are not eligible to apply.
Dr. George Goro and Nettie Muramoto Memorial Scholarship: Dr. and Mrs. Muramoto were longtime residents of Sacramento, California. Goro graduated from UC Berkeley and UCSF School of Dentistry. He served as president of the Sacramento JACL from 1941-1943.

Seattle JACL Scholarships

The Seattle JACL offers several scholarships with specific eligibility requirements related to local involvement:

Cherry and Mas Kinoshita Scholarship: This scholarship will be given to an applicant who is of Japanese ancestry, an individual member of the Seattle JACL, or active in the Seattle JACL community, and who plans to pursue or is pursuing studies and/or a career in political science, law, education, journalism, Asian American Studies, or other field leading to service to the community. Cherry and Mas Kinoshita were very active in the area of civil rights/civil liberties. Their contribution and leadership towards the redress for Japanese Americans’ incarceration during World War II was immense.
Dr. Susumu Shimokon Scholarship: This scholarship is available until 2026. The 2026 award is funded by Iseri family. Dr. Dr. Susumu Shimokon left part of his estate to the Seattle JACL. In his honor, the Seattle JACL established the Dr. Susumu Shimokon Scholarship in 2013. Dr. Dr. Shimokon, a Seattle resident, was interned at Minidoka during World War II. He later graduated from the Ohio State University College of Dentistry and earned post-graduate certificates in Oral Surgery and Periodontology from the New York University College of Dentistry.
Elaine Reiko Akagi Scholarship: Elaine Reiko Akagi retired as an educator in 2010 after 38 years in the public school system. She was a community activist, mentor, and advocate for children of color. She worked with students in many settings, from preschool through high school. She saw the relief on a parent’s face when the parent saw a teacher who looked like her child. There was an instant connection. And the students, too, connected with someone who “looked” like them.
Minoru Tamesa and Bunshiro Tazuma Scholarships: The Minoru Tamesa and Bunshiro Tazuma scholarships are available to applicants who are of Japanese ancestry, individual members of the Seattle JACL, or active in the Japanese American community. Applicants must also be an undergraduate student in the upcoming academic year, i.e, an incoming freshman or returning undergraduate. Special consideration will be given to incoming freshmen. Ms. Minoru Tamesa was a leader of the Heart Mountain Incarceration Camp “Fair Play Committee.” This group resisted the WWII draft on the basis that although they wanted to serve in the army, this was not possible while Japanese Americans were incarcerated. “I believe that loyalty is like a covenant between a citizen and his country. A man should fight for his country. Bunshiro Tazuma was one of Seattle’s pioneer Issei, first generation. He arrived in the US in 1908 and worked as a railroad hand, dishwasher, cook, and on a fishing fleet before opening his own restaurant in Seattle’s Nihonmachi and later establishing the Tazuma 10 Cent Store. After the war and incarceration at Minidoka, Tazuma operated the Benson Hotel on the current site of the Seattle Sheraton. Tazuma represents the very best of our immigrant Issei generation- hard-working, sacrificing for family, and engaged in the community.

Essay Requirement

In addition to the application form and transcript, students applying for certain scholarships might need to write a short essay titled “How JACL Has Affected My Life Or The Lives Of People I Know.” The essay should explain how JACL has affected the applicant, or how the applicant has directly observed JACL affect a family member, or someone they know in the community. Specific examples and personal observations should be used to explain why this experience is meaningful to the applicant.

Additional Opportunities

Twin Cities Chapter Scholarships: The 2026 scholarships will be available to JACL - Twin Cities Chapter members enrolled in a post-secondary educational program in the 2026-27 school year. JACL membership must be active as of September 1, 2026. Completed 2026 Undergraduate/Graduate scholarship applications and transcripts will be required to be postmarked by November 1, 2026.
San Jose JACL: San Jose JACL is committed to upholding the mission of national JACL while offering educational, civil rights, cultural, community building and social programs and activities of particular relevance and interest to the local community.Anyone is welcome to join.

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