Terminal Island

Terminal Island was once home to a thriving Japanese and Japanese-American fishing community that started at the turn of the last century. This community helped launch the booming industry of canned tuna. With the passage of Executive Order 9066 during WWII, the 3,000 residents of Terminal Island were forcibly removed and sent to incarceration camps. The Navy demolished the residences and structures.  The Nanka Shoten (1918) and A. Nakamura Co. (1923) buildings are the only two buildings that survive to this day. The area is now part of the Port of Los Angeles.

In 1971, the Terminal Islanders Club was formed to remember the preserve the history of the community. The Club built a memorial across the harbor which includes a photo of the former housing and structures. 

In 2025, the Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) expressed support to the Cultural Heritage Commission for a Historic Cultural Monument designation for the two remaining structures, Terminal Island “Furusato” Tuna Street Buildings.