The Chicago Shimpo

Established 1945

The Chicago Shimpo newspaper is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit newspaper that was first published by Ryoichi Fujii on November 15, 1945 to serve over 20,000 thousand Nikkei residents who resettled in Chicago after their release from incarceration camps at the end of the Pacific War.  On May 27, 2022, the 6178th and last edition of the Chicago Shimpo was published in paper-format before strategically transitioning to an on-line digital format on July 1, 2022.

In the beginning, the Chicago Shimpo reported on daily affairs in Chicago, conditions in post-war Japan, and activities in Chicago's Nikkei community. As U.S.-Japan trade relations began to flourish in the mid-1950's, the Chicago Shimpo reported on the arrival of Japanese trading houses, banks, and manufacturing in Chicago and the surrounding region. For generations, the Chicago Shimpo was a primary source of information for the Nikkei community and those interested in Japan in Chicago. Today, the Chicago Shimpo is the only Japanese-English bilingual newspaper in the Midwest and remains an important and vital asset as a newspaper of record for activities and events related to U.S.-Japan relations.

Past presidents include founding president, Ryoichi Fujii (1945-50), who came to United States from Japan in 1930 to further his education. After graduating from Oberlin College, he navigated the difficult and challenging years leading up to and through the Pacific War, including internment along with over 120,000 others of Japanese descent known as “Nikkei”.  Following his release, Fujii managed to arrive in Chicago and began publishing newsletters twice a week that help define the Nikkei community in Chicago, which evolved quickly into the Chicago Shimpo.

In the first edition of the Chicago Shimpo on November 15, 1945, Fujii proclaimed that “The strength of America is its cultural diversity. While each ethnic group keeps its own culture, ethnic groups are bound by Democracy. That makes America great. Thus, we Japanese Americans are able to devote ourselves to make America greater while we are keeping our uniqueness. That is, to become a real part of American Society with Japanese Identity.” Despite his devotion to American Democracy, Fujii was targeted during the McCarthy era and reluctantly resigned his position as president in 1950.  The paper continued under the leadership of Raikaku Nakagawa (1950-57) and then Thomas Masuda (1957-65). 

Masuda, who was born and raised in Seattle, graduated from the University of Washington, and became a prominent Seattle attorney before the outbreak of the Pacific War.  Because of his status in the community and representation of Japanese businesses on the West Coast, Masuda was arrested immediately following events at Pearl Harbor and then incarcerated at the Poston Internment Camp in Arizona.  Following his release, Masuda and his wife relocated to Chicago in 1944, where he established his law practice and helped lead initiatives to support the Nikkei community establish themselves in Chicago, drive Japanese investment in Chicago and the Midwest, and develop strong relations between the United States and Japan. In addition to leading the Chicago Shimpo, he was instrumental in the reestablishment of the Japan America Society of Chicago in 1957 and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Chicago in 1966.

In 1966, Kohachiro Sugimoto, who had joined the Chicago Shimpo in 1950 as the newspaper's business manager, became the newspaper's owner, publisher, and fourth president.  In 1981, with the passing of Ryoichi Fujii and retirement of Sugimoto, who turned 89 years old, Frank Takeo Sugano, a local business owner, took over the publication.  When Sugano passed in 1994, Akiko Sugano, his wife, took control of the newspaper as its sixth president.

By 1995, assimilation and a decrease in size of the ethnic Japanese community in Chicago reduced the community's demand for a Japanese-language newspaper, causing the Chicago Shimpo to struggle. On Akiko Sugano’s request, Yoshiko Urayama took over the newspaper on January 1, 2000 and began making critical changes to the publication and expanded outreach to a broader audience of readers, even beyond the Nikkei community. These changes included more timely coverage of local events, English version of news from Japan, interviews, and discussions on a broad range of contemporary topics.

In 2017, Urayama began work with the Hoover Institution to digitize every edition of the Chicago Shimpo from its inception in 1945. This work continues and will be completed later this year through this final print edition. The collection is available on-line in the Institutions Library and Archives and will also be available directly on the Chicago Shimpo website.

In 2018, Urayama began developing a succession plan for the Chicago Shimpo. In order to preserve it in perpetuity and ensure its continued financial support beyond its traditional subscription base, Urayama transferred its assets to a newly formed 501(c)3 non-profit organization. As a result, the Chicago Shimpo is able to operate as a public service similar to that of other non-profit media organizations, such as the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio. 

The future of the Chicago Shimpo as an on-line public service is being developed under the leadership of Robert W. Karr, Jr., who was appointed by the Chicago Shimpo board of directors in April as its eighth president and editor in chief. Karr is the Chicago Shimpo’s first leader who is not of Japanese ancestry. Karr is an established leader in the U.S.-Japan business and cultural community and is most trusted and capable of fulfilling our vision for the Chicago Shimpo”, says Urayama. 

Karr intends that the Chicago Shimpo will continue to serve as an important resource for the community connected by heritage or have a special interest in Japan.  "We will build the capabilities of the Chicago Shimpo to ensure that the stories and places which connect us can be shared now and with the future generations. The Chicago Shimpo was started for important reasons, and those reasons is no less relevant today as when the paper was first published on November 15, 1945," explains Karr. With that, Karr is determined that the Chicago Shimpo will continue to be an important institution based in Chicago that reports and chronicles current events, maintains historical records, and promotes greater mutual respect and understanding among people of all nations.