Gil Asakawa Information

Writer / Journalist
Denver, CO, USA

Biography:
Gil Asakawa is a cultural consultant, journalist, author and blogger who covers Japan, Japanese American and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) culture and identity in blogs, articles and social media. His blog is at www.nikkeiview.com. He is a nationally-known speaker, panelist and expert on Japanese American and Asian American history and identity. He's the author of "Being Japanese American" (Stone Bridge Press), a history of Japanese in America originally published in 2004 and revised in 2014, and co-author of "The Toy Book" (Alfred Knopf, 1991), a history of the toys of the Baby Boom generation.

His latest book is "Tabemasho! Let's Eat!" (Stone Bridge Press, 2022), a history of Japanese food in America.

His career as a journalist began with Denver's weekly alternative newspaper Westword, where he served as music editor and investigative reporter, then became entertainment editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette, online editor for the Denver Post and a pioneering leader in digital media sites and startup companies. He's written for many publications over the years including The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Rolling Stone magazine and Newsweek Japan. His work has appeared in the Nichi Bei Weekly, Discover Nikkei, Rocky Mountain Jiho, and other Japanese American community publications.

He is a member of the board of Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU), and the current Chair of the Denver-Takayama Sister City Committee. Asakawa served twice as president of the Mile High chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and has written a column called "Nikkei Voice" for the JACL's national "Pacific Citizen" newspaper since the early 2000s. He served as chair of the editorial board for the "Pacific Citizen" and was a national board member of the JACL.

He is also a longtime member of the Japan America Society of Colorado, Nikkeijin Kai of Colorado, and the US-Japan Council. He was founder of and president for the Asian American Journalists Association's Denver chapter. Asakawa was appointed in 2014 by Mayor Hancock to Denver's Asian American Pacific Islander Commission (DAAPIC).

He has given presentations to many organizations and libraries across the country about the history of Japanese Americans. He has also presented on the history of Asian Americans in U.S. pop culture. He has spoken many times at Colorado Anime Fest.

In 2023 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays from the Japanese government for his longtime efforts to build bridges between Japan and the United States. He was also inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame.