Kenji Irie,???????? ??????? MD and Keiko Ikeda, PhD will be panelists at the Overseas Nikkei Association Conference in Ichigaya, Tokyo, from Oct. 16 to 18.

The ONA Conference will be attended by Nikkei organizations from various nations.

The topic of Irie and Ikeda’s discussion will be “The Critical Need for a Nikkei Nursing Home in the U.S.” 

Demographics of Japanese in America show a significant aging population with severe lack of bilingual and culturally sensitive senior facilities. The speakers will address the critical need to accommodate many Nikkei seniors with physical frailties and cognitive disabilities in a safe and affordable nursing home.

Irie is a physician with specialty in geriatric medicine. He has served the Nikkei community in Los Angeles for 40 years. 

Ikeda has been a clinical psychologist in private practice for nearly 40 years. She is also based in Los Angeles. 

The two represent Koreisha Senior Care & Advocacy, a grassroots organization with a goal to build a nonprofit Nikkei nursing home and an adult day service center in Southern California.