Thomas Iino, East West Players to Serve as Marshals for Nisei Week Grand Parade

MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS / Rafu Shimpo
Thomas Iino responds to applause after being introduced during Nisei Week Opening Ceremonies on July 13 in Little Tokyo.

As part of its first weekend of events, the Nisei Week Japanese Festival features a Grand Parade, which will make its way through the streets of Little Tokyo on Sunday, Aug. 10, starting at 4 p.m.

The parade will be led by the 2025 grand marshal, Thomas Iino, and parade marshal, East West Players. The procession will start at Central Avenue and head west on Second Street, turning north on San Pedro Street, turning east on First Street, then turning south and ending on Central Avenue.

The Grand Parade will feature traditional taiko drum performers, local community groups, high schools, elected officials and representatives, and the newly crowned 2025 Nisei Week queen and court.

Iino and EWP will be honored on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Coronation and Awards Celebration at the Aratani Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St, starting at 6:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $95 (orchestra) and $65 (balcony). For information, call the Nisei Week Foundation at (213) 687-7193. Tickets will be available at the JACCC website or by calling the Aratani Theatre box office at (213) 680-3700.

Grand Marshal

Thomas Iino retired from Deloitte as partner in charge of international practice in the western region from 1983 through 2005. He subsequently was named chairman of the board of Pacific Commerce Bank, which, after two acquisitions and a merger, was acquired by Enterprise Bank in 2017. Additionally, he served as a board member for Southwest Water Company, a publicly held company.

Iino is the first Japanese American to serve as president of the board of both the California Board of Accountancy and the National Association of State Boards. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the California Society of CPAs for his contributions to the accounting profession.

Currently, Iino is the treasurer of Marrakesh Country Club in Palm Desert, serves on the Finance Committee of Los Angeles Country Club, and is a member of the Advisory Board to U.S. Bank.

Since the 1990s, Iino has been active on several boards and is currently on the Board of directors of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and the Board of Governors of the Japanese American National Museum. He is the founding chairman of the U.S.-Japan Council and a former director of Keiro. He continues his work with the two organizations in an advisory board capacity.

He is also a member of the Japan House Los Angeles Steering committee.Past affiliations include Little Tokyo Service Center and the Aurora Foundation.

Iino received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon from Japan in 2013. Additionally, he has formed an advisory committee to assist the Japan Consulate in Los Angeles and the Japan Business Association in their outreach initiatives in Southern California.

Iino is a graduate of UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. His mother, Shizuko (Alice) Watanabe, was the first Nisei Week Queen and his father, Sho, was the first Japanese American CPA in the U.S.

East West Players
Ronald M. Banks and Marilyn Tokuda in East West Players’ production of “Sweeney Todd” (2006).

Parade Marshal

East West Players, the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, was founded in 1965 at a time when Asian Americans faced limited or no opportunities to see their experiences reflected outside of stereotypical and demeaning caricatures in the American landscape.

EWP is now focused on ensuring Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian (AAPINH) stories are told, and on working to increase access, inclusion and representation in entertainment and media. Designated by the Ford Foundation as one of America’s Cultural Treasures in 2020, EWP continues its groundbreaking work by defining and expanding the representation and stories of the AAPINH community.

With more than 60 years of visionary leadership and artistic excellence, EWP delivers deeply inclusive theater, building bridges between communities, amplifying diverse voices, and advocating for social justice on and offstage.

Each year, EWP produces three or four professional productions in the David Henry Hwang Theater and leads a professional playwrights’ cohort. It also offers a growing array of educational programs that train nearly 200 multicultural artists annually. These include its Theatre for Youth touring production, which brings live theater to schools and libraries across Los Angeles; EWPlay!, a program that develops new works with student artists; and professional enrichment classes. Learn more at eastwestplayers.org.

EWP is supported in part by the Perenchio Foundation, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, California Arts Council, and many other generous foundations, companies and individuals.

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