The National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) has become aware of offensive media that have recently surfaced of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While these images are disturbing and concerning to the NAJC, there are much broader issues regarding racism and discrimination in Canada that deserve close attention, scrutiny and examination by Canadian society. Even today,...Continue reading
by Lorene Oikawa I hope you have plans to enjoy the many events and festivals happening this summer and also include a bit of rest, too. If you haven’t participated in a BC Redress community consultation, there are more in-person and virtual meetings taking place in July. Please go to our webpage najc.ca/bcredress for the...Continue reading
Once again the world is shaken by the news of another series of bombings, this time in Sri Lanka. Our hearts and minds are solemn as we grieve for the victims of the attacks and we condemn the senseless acts of violence that constantly seem to occur. We call upon today’s society to show greater...Continue reading
The NAJC Young Leaders Committee is excited to announce our Japanese Canadian Young Leaders National Ambassadors who will be attending COPANI XX in San Francisco this fall. To help support our National Ambassadors, donations can be made to [email protected] Jun Cura-Bongolanis a Nikkei Canadian of Japanese-Filipino heritage. Born and raised in Toronto, he has worked and...Continue reading
by Lorene Oikawa If you didn’t see last month’s launch of the Heritage Minute about the Vancouver Asahi baseball team, you can still see it on the NAJC Facebook page and also on the Historica Canada website. The Asahi story is an important piece of Canadian history. The story is about the racism faced by...Continue reading
THE FUTURE IS HERE! The Most Important Nikkei Conference in the Americas September 20-22, 2019, San Francisco, USA copani.org The Conventions of the Association of Pan American Nikkei (COPANI) returns to North America for the first time since the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) last hosted the event in Vancouver in 2005. The convention...Continue reading
by Lorene Oikawa Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! Happy New Year! 明けましておめでとうございます We hope you had some relaxing times, ate good food, and enjoyed the company of family, friends, and yourself for a little self-care. We wish you happiness, good health, and prosperity in 2019. As a yonsei – fourth generation Japanese Canadian – I grew up...
by Lorene Oikawa It’s been a whirlwind of activity going into December. We remembered the Japanese Canadians who served Canada on Remembrance Day at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park. We were also reminded that the cenotaph was unveiled on April 2, 1920 so 2020 will be the 100th anniversary. Discussions are happening...
NAJC Statement on the Violent Attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh October 30, 2018 – The National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) offers our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the 11 people who were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and our thoughts are also with those injured, and...