The mission of the Discover Nikkei website is to promote cross-cultural understanding and to foster greater linkages between peoples throughout the world by making accessible resources and materials related to the Nikkei, people of Japanese descent who have migrated and settled throughout the world.
The Discover Nikkei website connects communities worldwide in the discovery and preservation of and access to Nikkei resources located in disparate cultural communities and educational institutions that preserve and collect important collections. The website functions as an interactive database, forum, and community-building center where visitors have access to educational resources, tools and "best practices" in the preservation and documentation of collections related to the Nikkei experience.
The foundation for the website was established by the International Nikkei Research Project, a unique collaborative project that involved a multidisciplinary and multinational research team of more than one hundred scholars from ten countries and fourteen participating institutions. This multi-year project was coordinated by the Japanese American National Museum and generously supported by The Nippon Foundation. In addition to new research and the completion of two pioneering publications, the project brought together scholars, institutions and communities from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and the United States.
The research and relationships developed through the International Nikkei Research Project created an important global network that continues through the Discover Nikkei website. The Japanese American National Museum and collaborating Affiliates are committed to building the website and strengthening global networks through the continued development and preservation of, and access to, Nikkei resources.