JBA Backs Budokan Center

From left: Mike Murase, Budokan campaign director; Hitoshi Ishikawa, JBA Vice president and Mitsubishi International Corporation general manager; Dean Matsubayashi, LTSC executive director; Satoshi Okawa, JBA president and Sumitomo Corporation of Americas general manager; Yuko Kaifu, JBA executive vice president and Japan House president; Chris Aihara, LTSC development director; and Yuji Takahashi, JBA executive director.

The capital campaign to build the Budokan of Los Angeles, a multi-purpose recreation center in historic Little Tokyo, continues to build momentum with key contributions and fundraising activities.

The Japan Business Association of Southern California, with a membership of more than 500 Japan-based companies, made a recent contribution of $30,000.

“The generous donations from JBA is significant,” expressed Dean Matsubayashi, Little Tokyo Service Center executive director. “It represents a commitment by the Japanese business community to our project and the recognition that Little Tokyo is an important historic and cultural center for the Japanese American community today and will continue to be in the future.”

Two large community fundraisers were held recently on behalf of the Budokan of Los Angeles, the Big Budokan Bash and Straight Outta Little Tokyo, raising $70,000 for the project. Toyota has donated a 2016 Highlander Hybrid to be raffled off with proceeds directed to the campaign. The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation recently awarded a $250,000 contribution to the project. MUFG Union Bank has supported the project with a contribution of $30,000.

The Budokan of Los Angeles is scheduled to break ground in the spring of 2017.

For more information on the project, how to become involved and ways to give, contact Kim Kawasaki at kkawasaki@ltsc.org or Scott Ito at sito@ltsc.org or call (213) 473-3030 and ask for Budokan staff.