(L-R:) A dance during the Occupation of Japan. Courtesy National Archives; Kimie Tanaka Smith, 2nd from right, attending a bride school class, Tokyo, 1952. Courtesy Robert Owen Smith family; Hiroko "Susie" Tolbert, 2019. Courtesy Karen Kasmauski
Japanese War Brides: Across A Wide Divide
Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition
Texas (Irving): Irving Archives and Museum, 12/14/2024 – 4/6/2025
Florida (Delray Beach) : Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden, 5/3/2025 – 9/28/2025
Louisiana (Baton Rouge): Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, 3/21/2026 -5/31/2026
California (Rancho Cordova) : Mills Station Arts & Culture Center, 12/19/2026 – 2/28/ 2027
Michigan (Saginaw): Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, 3/18/2028 – 5/28/2028
Japanese War Brides explores the lives of the nearly 45,000 Japanese women who immigrated to America as wives of U.S. military servicemembers after World War II.
These young women left their homes to build lives within the complexities of postwar American society. Their arrival marked the largest women-only immigration event in U.S. history and, by 1960, had increased the population of Asian Americans in the U.S. by 10%.
In contrast to other waves of immigrants, war brides were often isolated when they came to the U.S. They ended up in cities and towns, big and small, across America, often without familial, linguistic or cultural support networks.
Not all women lived happy lives or had intact marriages, but many carved out meaningful lives in their communities despite formidable challenges. Their experiences altered U.S. society, and reshaped communities by challenging foreign policy, immigration laws, and race relations.
Visitors to Japanese War Brides will understand the post-World War II experiences of war brides, interact with compelling video interviews, appreciate objects that enriched the war brides' lives, learn about the historical and contemporary cultural impact of Japanese immigration to the U.S., and investigate complex questions related to international marriages and the roles of military wives.
Exhibition education and programming resources support in-gallery experiences and community outreach opportunities to include documentary film screenings.
