Tomio Moriguchi

Tomio Moriguchi is a Japanese American business executive who was born on April 16, 1934, in Seattle, Washington. He is the former CEO and current Chairman of the Board of Uwajimaya, a family-owned Asian grocery store chain founded by his father.

Moriguchi attended the University of Washington, where he earned a degree in pharmacy. After graduation, he worked as a pharmacist for several years before joining the family business, Uwajimaya, as its president in 1969. Under his leadership, the company expanded from a small grocery store to a large retail chain with several locations in the Pacific Northwest.

In addition to his work at Uwajimaya, Moriguchi has been active in the Japanese American community. He has served on the board of the Japanese American National Museum and was a founding member of the Japan America Society of the State of Washington. He has also been a supporter of local charities and non-profit organizations, including the Seattle Foundation and the Children's Hospital Foundation.

Moriguchi has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the community, including the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, presented by the Emperor of Japan in 2014. He has also been inducted into the University of Washington's Alumni Hall of Fame and the Washington State Pharmacy Association's Hall of Fame.

Despite his many achievements, Moriguchi is perhaps best known for his role in advocating for redress and reparations for Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated during World War II. In 1988, he testified before Congress in support of the Civil Liberties Act, which granted reparations to surviving Japanese American internees. Moriguchi's testimony was particularly powerful because he spoke not only as a businessman and community leader, but also as a former internee himself.

Overall, Tomio Moriguchi's life and work are a testament to the resilience and perseverance of Japanese Americans in the face of discrimination and adversity. He has dedicated his career to building bridges between communities and advocating for social justice, and his legacy continues to inspire future generations of Asian Americans.