Japanese Americans draw on heritage and history to support Palestine

A Japanese diaspora collective called Nikkei 4 Palestine aims to mobilize their community in solidarity as Israel-Gaza war rages

With their cameras on and microphones muted, about a dozen members of the Japanese diaspora collective Nikkei 4 Palestine gather on Zoom every Thursday afternoon. One member plays Palestinian resistance music in the background as they call or email elected officials to demand a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza.

The coalition has contacted politicians across the US and Canada more than 400 times through calls, emails, letters and faxes since November, according to Yoshino Goto, a member of the group. Comprising more than 70 people, Nikkei (which means a person of Japanese descent) 4 Palestine formed as a response to the war, in which more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October.