Hawai I Japanese Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 79 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
THE CENTER'S MISSION IS TO HONOR THE LEGACY OF JAPANESE IMMIGRANTS TO HAWAII BY:-PRESERVING RECORDS AND ARTIFACTS RELATING TO THE HISTORY OF THE JAPANESE IN HAWAII.-EDUCATING CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS ABOUT THE STRUGGLES, SACRIFICES AND SUCCESSES OF THEIR IMMIGRANT FOREBEARS.-SERVING AS A BRIDGE TO FOSTER UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH BETWEEN HAWAII AND JAPAN.-SHARING THE JAPANESE CULTURE THROUGH THE CENTER'S EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES.THE CENTER'S GOAL IS BY PRESERVING THE PAST, IT CAN SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS TO LEARN ABOUT AND APPRECIATE THE HISTORY OF THE JAPANESE IN HAWAII AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THE IMMIGRANTS FROM JAPAN MADE IN HAWAII'S HISTORY.
- Income
- $61,982
- Spending
- $254,065
- Spent on programs
- 55%
- Reserves
- -5.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 41%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 20
- Highest pay
- $24,700, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 15 out of 100. Higher than 4% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 44% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 310% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 20% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1555% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 79 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Weak: 47 out of 100. Higher than 22% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $140,082 spent. IN FISCAL YEAR 2023-2024, THE HAWAII JAPANESE CENTER (HJC) FOCUSED ITS EFFORTS ON SEVERAL KEY PROGRAMS:1) PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF HAWAII'S RICH MULTICULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH ITS COLLECTION OF ARTIFACTS,PHOTOGRAPHS, BOOKS, AND DOCUMENTS DONATED BY THE COMMUNITY;2) INSPIRING AN APPRECIATION FOR HAWAII'S ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND ALOHA SPIRIT THROUGH PROGRAMS THAT ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH EXHIBITS, SPEAKERS, FILMS, WORKSHOPS, AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS; AND3) SHARING THE LESSONS OF OUR MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND PASSING THEM ON TO FUTURE GENERATIONS.GROWING ITS PROGRAMS FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, HJC EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT GROWTH INFISCAL YEAR 2023-2024 BOTH IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF EVENTS HELD AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IT SERVED.1) PRESERVATION: MANY HAWAII FAMILIES ARE PRESENTLY UNDERGOING A DRAMATIC GENERATIONAL SHIFT AS FAMILY ELDERS PASS ON. OFFSPRING ARE LEFT WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING CARE OF FAMILY HOMES AND ARTIFACTS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE ON HAWAII ISLAND, WHICH STILL HAS MANY OLDER HOUSES RELATIVE TO OTHER HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. HJC HAS A GROWING REPUTATION FOR BEING ONE OF THE FEW ORGANIZATIONS THAT ACCEPTS DONATIONS OF USED ITEMS. HJC'S COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RECORDS THESE DONATIONS OF THE VINTAGE ARTIFACTS. HJC HAS ALSO RECEIVED DONATIONS OF HIGH-QUALITY SCANNING EQUIPMENT TO PRESERVE RARE AND FRAGILE MATERIALS IN ITS PHOTO AND DOCUMENT COLLECTION. HJC ALSO CONTINUES TO RECEIVE HELP FROM BILINGUAL VOLUNTEERS AND VISITING SCHOLARS FROM JAPAN IN ASSESSING AND CATALOGING HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS. DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR, HJC HOSTED NOTED SCHOLARS FROM NINJAL (NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS), PROF. YOSHIYUKI ASAHI AND PROF. KOSUKE HARAYAMA.2) PROGRAMS: IN ADDITION TO ITS PERMANENT "SEEDS OF LOCAL" EXHIBIT, HJC FEATURED EXHIBITS SUCH AS THE KAMANA SENIOR CENTER ART SHOW. OTHER PROGRAMS INCLUDED BOOK TALKS AND BOOK SIGNINGS BY DR. GAIL OKAWA, AUTHOR OF "REMEMBERING OUR GRANDFATHER'S EXILE." FILM SHOWING AND TALK, "GREAT GRANDFATHER'S DRUM" BY KAY FUKUMOTO, FOUNDER OF MAUI TAIKO. "CULTURE 4 KIDS" HANDS-ON CRAFTS WORKSHOP AND TALK BY AUTHOR AND EDUCATOR CAROLYN MORISHIGE. PIEPER TOYAMA, STORYTELLING AND TALK STORY FROM HIS BOOK, "FAMILY STORIES FROM THE PLANTATION AND BEYOND."3) EDUCATION: HJC RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE TRIMBLE FOUNDATION TO ASSIST LOCAL SCHOOL GROUPS WITH THE COST OF VISITING THE CENTER'S EXHIBITS. THESE INCLUDED FOUR VISITS FROM WAIAKEA HIGH SCHOOL JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSES AND JAPANESE CLUB MEMBERS. FOUR HILO HIGH SCHOOL JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSES AND JAPAN CLUB, AND WAIAKEA HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSES. HJC ALSO HOSTED STUDENTS FROM HAWAII COMMUNITY COLLEGE, URAWA UNIVERSITY, AND KUMEJIMA HIGH SCHOOL FROM JAPAN.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending October 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 2002.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.