The Japanese American National Museum holds a wide variety of materials documenting the Japanese American experience from a Japanese American perspective. Built around broad historical eras and themes of Japanese American experience, the holdings are used to fulfill the museum’s mission "to promote understanding and appreciation of America's ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese…

Collection includes materials related southern California tourism, the Mission Revival movement, peace movement (1st half 20th century, citrus industry, and materials related to specific collections,including fine art, statuary, bells, crosses, dolls, aviation, Native American basketry, and Asian arts.