The Nisei Week Foundation is excited to announce the 2025 Nisei Week Pioneer Spirit Award honorees who will be recognized during the 83rd Nisei Week Japanese Festival (Aug. 9-17) in Little Tokyo.
The four recipients are dedicated leaders and outstanding members of the greater Los Angeles Japanese American community. They will be honored at the 2025 Pioneer Spirit Awards Luncheon to be held at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center’s (JACCC) Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Cultural Center on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 11 a.m. Tickets are $95 per person or $950 per table of 10 and can be purchased by visiting niseiweek.org. Questions can be directed to pioneerluncheon@niseiweek.org.
The Pioneer Spirit honorees are:
Miya Iwataki, nominated by Little Tokyo Historical Society
A lifelong community activist and advocate, Miya Iwataki has focused much of her career on advocating for health care programs, policies that benefit diverse communities of need in Los Angeles County, and uplifting Asian and Pacific Islander American women.
Iwataki’s work dates back to the 1970s when she was involved with Japanese American Community Services-Asian Involvement (JACS-AI), a social service and community advocacy program serving the Japanese American and immigrant population, which operated out of the Sun Building in Little Tokyo.
She is a founding member of the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations (NCRR) and is active with Nikkei Progressives, continuing the fight for reparations for Black Americans today.
Iwataki is also a volunteer with Little Tokyo Historical Society, serving as vice president of the board. In addition, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Little Tokyo Community Impact Fund’s board to continue her dedicated support for legacy small businesses in Little Tokyo.
“I feel honored to be a part of Little Tokyo, a place where its history, fighting spirit, and legacy are the cultural soul of the Japanese American community,” she stated.
Gene S. Kanamori, nominated by Keiro
Gene S. Kanamori has been a dedicated leader in the Japanese American community, most notably through his extensive service with Keiro, an organization committed to enhancing the quality of life for older adults and their caregivers.
For more than 14 years with Keiro, he held key positions, including director of human resources, interim president and CEO, vice president, and ultimately, president and CEO from 2019 until his retirement in 2022.
During his leadership, he oversaw the development of culturally responsive programs such as palliative care initiatives, in partnership with Providence, and mental health services for low-income older adults, in partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center.
Kanamori facilitated community grants to support local organizations, temples and churches, and created a network of supportive meal programs, social activities and wellness programs for older adults aging at home.
During the pandemic, he helped organize a meal delivery service for vulnerable older adults in Little Tokyo, which not only provided nourishment but also connectedness to combat social isolation. The program also provided a lifeline of support for local restaurants impacted by the stay-at-home orders.
Beyond Keiro, Kanamori has contributed to the broader community as a board member of the Seattle-based Densho and the Board of Governors for the Japanese American National Museum. He co-founded the philanthropic group Sansei Legacy of Southern California and was one of the founding supporters of the Terasaki Budokan project.
Katsuyoshi Miyazato, nominated by Nanka Fukuoka Kenjinkai
In 1978, Katsuyoshi Miyazato was transferred from Japan to Los Angeles for work. Since he first arrived in the U.S. and was immersed in the American way of life, the idea of social services, rather than focusing solely on work, has changed him completely. What started as small volunteer work, like accompanying Nisei Week Festival officers to the Nisei Week office, has turned into a life of community service.
Miyazato joined the Lions Club in Little Tokyo, where he later served as vice president, to provide free optometry services. Then he was invited to join the Fukuoka Prefectural Association of Southern California, where he became deeply involved. He served as vice president and treasurer, and later as deputy governor during the prefecture’s 100th anniversary.
As the leader of the association, he led more than 400 members and promoted the culture of Japanese folk songs and Kokura Gion Taiko. As president, he helped with the international exchange program with Fukuoka to preserve culture and traditions for children, and promote exchanges in the educational field, including short-term visits, study abroad, and scholarships for young people.
During his second term as president, Miyazato served six years under the motto of “Fun Kenjinkai” and nurtured the organization by protecting the elderly and the spirit of social service. He is also proud that the organization has raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the members, families and friends who were affected by the enormous damage caused by natural disasters in the Tohoku region and Kumamoto and Fukuoka prefectures.
The culmination of his volunteer spirit is the Japanese magazine Kawaraban, which he produced and published with his colleagues. In today’s world, where Japanese reading materials are drastically decreasing, they want to deliver dreams and laughter to seniors so that they can have a healthy life.
Miyazato is a graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo. In addition to Nanka Fukuoka Kenjinkai, he has been involved in many other organizations, including Aoyama Gakuin University L.A. Alumni, Nanka Kenjinkai Kyogikai, and Hichimikai (Japanese Foods Association in L.A.). He works at M&M Enterprises as a sake business consultant.
David Miyoshi, nominated by Orange County Nikkei Coordinating Council
David Masao Miyoshi was born in 1944 to Joe and Jean Miyoshi. He graduated with honors from the University of Southern California, then served in the Marine Corps as an officer commanding a combined action platoon in Vietnam, receiving the Naval Commendation Medal with combat “V.” He later received his law degree from UC Berkeley, and worked in international law at Matsuo & Kosugi in Tokyo.
He also completed the international studies program at Waseda University and assisted Professor Zentaro Kitagawa in publishing Kitagawa’s classic 10-volume “Matthew Bender” series on international law at Kyoto University.
Miyoshi then attended Harvard University, earning an MBA degree in international finance, and worked at Mori and Ota Law Office until opening his own firm, the Miyoshi International Law Office in Downtown Los Angeles, practicing international business and estate planning. For his work in international business, he was selected as International Man of the Year by the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England — an honor given to a few individuals whose achievements stand out in the international community.
Miyoshi is a member of various bar associations throughout the country and is listed in 14 Who’s Who publications throughout the world.
He served as legal advisor to the Little Tokyo Community Council, the Japanese American Korean War Veterans Association, and the Americans of Japanese Ancestry World War II Memorial Alliance. He is legal counsel to the Japanese American Medical Association and a board member of the Veterans Memorial Court Alliance and Kazuo Masuda Memorial VFW Post 3670.
Miyoshi is dedicated to ensuring the service and sacrifice of all Japanese Americans in the U.S. military will never be forgotten.
He publishes The Financial Crisis Report about current issues facing America and attends Palos Verdes Baptist Church. He and his wife, Teruko, reside in Palos Verdes Estates and have two grown sons.