Japanese Canadian History

The NAJC is committed to honouring Japanese Canadian history, sharing the stories of our ancestors, and connecting communities to promote greater awareness and understanding of the Japanese Canadian experience. There are important lessons for all Canadians, or as Winston Churchill famously said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Japanese Canadians do not want to see those in power abuse their authority by targeting groups of people based on racism or other forms of discrimination.

When I give talks at schools, unions, universities, or community events, people often tell me they did not know that all Japanese Canadians were targeted and forcibly uprooted, dispossessed, and exiled from 1942 to 1949. Many are surprised to learn that Japanese Canadians were not freed from incarceration until 1949, four years after the Second World War ended. They also did not know that the RCMP and the Canadian military reported there was no evidence of sabotage. I often explain that the 22,000 affected included babies, children, teenagers, adults, families, women, men, seniors, and Japanese Canadian veterans who had served Canada during the First World War.

The racist attack against Japanese Canadians was deeply unjust. Men who fought bravely for Canada and were recognized for their service had their property taken away. Everything Japanese Canadians worked so hard to build was destroyed by racist politicians who used the War Measures Act, passed on August 22, 1914. This legislation allowed the government to suspend civil liberties, seize and dispose of property, incarcerate people without evidence, deny due process, and in some cases deport them. I often use the term “exiled” because most Japanese Canadians were born in Canada. Deportation applies to foreigners, not citizens. Those targeted were Canadians from multi-generational families.

In Japan, people were restricted from leaving or returning to the country under the Tokugawa shogunate beginning in the 1600s. These restrictions lasted for approximately 200 years and were lifted when Japan began diplomatic relations with Western nations.

During the Meiji period, significant emigration to North and South America began in the 1800s. Based on current documentation, the first Japanese immigrants arrived in Canada in the late 1800s. While there are stories of shipwrecked sailors arriving earlier and even Indigenous oral histories suggesting early contact, historians Ann-Lee Switzer and Gordon Switzer have made a compelling case identifying Kisuke Mikuni as the first Japanese immigrant to Canada. We will explore this topic further in a future article.

These early immigrants established homes and communities throughout British Columbia, bringing their skills, experience, and traditions with them. In past articles, we have highlighted Powell Street in Vancouver, Steveston in Richmond, Cumberland on Vancouver Island, and Strawberry Hill in Surrey. Japanese Canadians were well established along the west coast for decades, not days, and their stories and contributions across many sectors deserve to be remembered.

On Powell Street in 1921, there were approximately 578 Japanese Canadian businesses and organizations, including stores, restaurants, newspapers, and boarding houses. The area was also home to the Vancouver Japanese Language School and the Vancouver Buddhist Temple. Beginning in 1914, the Vancouver Asahi baseball team played at the Powell Street Grounds, now known as Oppenheimer Park.

Steveston was a major fishing community with a thriving salmon industry and more than 15 canneries by 1900. Richmond’s first hospital was built by the Japanese Fishermen’s Benevolent Society and was open to everyone, making it an early example of public health care. Former Richmond city councillor Harold Steves’ father was the first non-Japanese Canadian born there.

In Cumberland, Japanese Canadians worked in coal mines beginning in the 1800s. Mining was especially dangerous due to the use of open-flame lamps. Of the 1,000 mining accidents on Vancouver Island, Cumberland had the highest number of fatalities at 295. After 1927, many Japanese Canadians shifted to logging and sawmill work.

In Surrey, Japanese Canadians worked in sawmills, lumber camps, and boat building before acquiring land and developing farms. Strawberry Hill was named for the approximately 45 Japanese Canadian farming families who grew strawberries and raised chickens on 245 acres of land. They contributed to the berry industry, built the Surrey Berry Co-op Hall, and helped construct Townline Road, now known as 96 Avenue.

Across British Columbia, Japanese Canadians worked hard, contributed to their communities, and supported their families.

By December 1941, the Japanese Canadian community continued to show loyalty to Canada. In the first week of December, the Upper Fraser Japanese Fishermen’s Association labeled its 5,808th can of salmon, completing a donation of more than three tonnes of fish to Britain.

On December 7, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor. Hours later, on December 8 at dawn, 1,200 Japanese Canadian fishing boats were seized by the Royal Canadian Navy. On December 16, Order-in-Council PC 9760 required all Japanese Canadians, regardless of citizenship, to register as enemy aliens and carry identification cards at all times. On December 17, the Pacific Coast Security League was formed and began pressuring Ottawa to remove Japanese Canadians. Vancouver alderman Halford Wilson was among its most vocal members.

By the end of December, politicians including Ian Mackenzie, A.W. Neill, Thomas Reid, and Howard Green continued their long-standing campaign to remove all Japanese Canadians. Eleven weeks after December 7, on February 26, 1942, Prime Minister Mackenzie King ordered the forced uprooting of all Canadians of Japanese ancestry.

This year, we highlighted many Japanese Canadian stories and are grateful for these contributions. In May, we honoured mothers and thank Mas Fukawa, Mary Kitagawa, Terumi Kuwada, and Sally Ito. In June, we paid tribute to fathers and thank Harriet Miyagawa, Daniel Tokawa, Linda Ohama, Paul Kariya, and Susan Yatabe for sharing their stories. We were also pleased to feature the history of Tomekichi Homma, written by Geoff Meggs. If you missed any of these stories, they are available on the NAJC website at najc.ca.

In 2026, we will continue sharing the stories of our Japanese Canadian community. If you have ideas for stories, people, or places of significance, please contact me at [email protected]. Thank you, and Happy New Year. We welcome the Year of the Horse, symbolizing passion, energy, and adventure.