The Little Tokyo area near downtown Los Angeles is about to get a culture shock.

A group of Korean-American businessmen has purchased the Little Tokyo Shopping Center and the new owners plan to evict the Japanese businesses and replace them with mostly Korean businesses.

Ethnic Japanese have been slowly moving from Little Tokyo to Torrance and other areas. Meanwhile, that area has seen an influx of Korean-Americans who are spilling out from the bustling Koreatown, as well as many non-Asians.

“The downtown population is booming and much of Little Tokyo is catering to Japanese tourists, not the local community,” said Ryan Oh of Coldwell Banker, who brokered the deal and who spoke for the unidentified new owners. Therefore, the shopping center’s new tenants will target the new residents.

The three-story, 250,000 square foot shopping center houses 45 retail tenants, including the Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese grocery that is something of an anchor for the Japanese community. It is unclear when they will have to move.

“Since many of the residents in Little Tokyo are Korean, it’s reasonable that businesses cater to them,” said Chris Aihara, who is chairwoman of the Little Tokyo Community Council. “It’s just a shame to lose the historic value of the area.”

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