‘Lil Tokyo Reporter’ Showing in Long Beach

Chris Tashima plays Sei Fujii in “Lil Tokyo Reporter.”

LONG BEACH — A free screening of “Lil Tokyo Reporter,” co-sponsored by the Long Beach Japanese Cultural Center, Long Beach Harbor Pioneer Project and the Long Beach Public Library, will be held on Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m. at the Long Beach Main Library, 101 Pacific Ave. in Long Beach.

A free shuttle bus to the library will be provided at 1 p.m. at the Long Beach Japanese Cultural Center, 1766 Seabright Ave.

The award-winning short film will be followed by Q&A, a reading from an upcoming biography by lead actor Chris Tashima, a traditional Japanese song by Patrick Seki, and a reception.

“Lil Tokyo Reporter” is based upon the true story of Sei Fujii, Issei civil rights pioneer and publisher of **The Kashu Mainichi** (California Daily News), who made amazing contributions to the Japanese American community.

Fujii, a USC Law School graduate, was denied citizenship and a law license because he was born in Japan. He teamed with civil rights attorney J. Marion Wright to provide legal assistance to Japanese individuals and the community for four decades.

Their most significant legal achievements included a 1928 U.S. Supreme Court case that permitted construction of the Los Angeles Japanese Hospital and the 1952 California Supreme Court case that overturned the California Alien Land Law, which prohibited aliens ineligible for citizenship from owning property.

Set in the 1930s, “Lil Tokyo Reporter” acknowledges one episode of this outstanding Issei’s life. For more information on the film, visit www.ltreporter.com.