JANM Receives $525K Bequest from Setsuko Oka Estate

The Japanese American National Museum has received a bequest in excess of $525,000 from the estate of Setsuko Oka, a longtime museum member who died in October 2017

The funds will go toward educational initiatives as well as exhibitions and programs focused on Japanese artistic and cultural heritage in the U.S., through the soon-to-be-established Setsuko Oka Japanese Heritage Fund. A plaque honoring Shiotaro and Tatsuno Oka, Setsuko’s parents, also will be placed at JANM per the terms of the bequest.

“The Japanese American National Museum is honored to have been part of Setsuko Oka’s estate planning,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM president and CEO. “We are deeply grateful for her generous bequest and faith in our mission. The funds will go toward programming and activities that speak directly to the museum’s mission and which expand our ability to impact people in a meaningful way on a daily basis.

“Bequests like Setsuko’s are an important part of the museum’s financial health and I cannot emphasize enough how grateful we are to receive deferred gifts of any size.”

“Setsuko Oka’s love and admiration for the Asian culture inspired her to donate funds to the Japanese American National Museum so that many others might appreciate the depth and beauty of the culture,” said Oka’s lifelong friend and companion Harry N. Taddeo.