JAPANESE CANADIANS: PAST AND PRESENT Intro: Japanese Canadians celebrated 100 years of life in Canada in 1977. For many of those years, Japanese immigrants had to struggle against racism and discrimination. The early settlers from Japan were treated with disrespect and even hatred in some communities. Today, the situation is very different. Japanese Canadians such as scientist David Suzuki and painter Miyuki Tanobe are celebrated across the country. Before I start my slideshow presentation, there is some Japanese vocabulary that describes Japanese Canadians in Canada, which I want you guys to learn that may be mentioned in my slideshow. Enjoy!

Issei - The first generation of immigrants, born in Japan before moving to Canada

Nisei- The second generation, born in Canada to Issei parents not born in Canada.

Sansei - The third generation, born in Canada to Nisei parents born in Canada.

Yonsei - The fourth generation, born in Canada to Sansei parents born in Canada.

Gosei - The fifth generation, born in Canada to Yonsei parents born in Canada.

Mount Fuji

EARLY IMMIGRATIONJapanese immigration to Canada began in 1877 with the arrival of a 19 year old sailor named Manzo Nagano. He was the first known Japanese to settle in Canada. By 1901 this number had increased to almost 5,000 immigrants. Most newcomers during this time were young males from farming and fishing villages who had traveled to Canada in hopes of collecting their earnings and returning to Japan.

Manzo Nagano, the first ever known Japanese immigrant.

LIFE BEFORE WORLD WAR 2At the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese in Canada were living in British Columbia. Before World War II, 95% were living in this province. Japanese labourers often moved throughout BC as they found jobs in fishing, farming, mining, and lumbering industries. Small communities were formed throughout the province, including fishing villages such as Steveston, BC, sawmill towns on the Pacific coast and on Vancouver Island, as well as farming communities in the Fraser and Okanagan valleys. Yet a third of the population resided within 60 km of central Vancouver and Powell Street in downtown Vancouver, neighboring to Vancouver’s Chinatown. This street became a place for many Japanese immigrants and it provided housing and services for the Japanese population in Canada.

Fishing boats along Fraser River.

RACISM BEFORE WORLD WAR 2

In 1895, the British Columbia government changed the provincial elections act to deny Japanese and their Canadian-born offspring the right to vote. Chinese had previously been denied voting rights in 1885. Due to these restrictions Japanese people were also excluded from participating in municipal and federal elections, becoming lawyers, pharmacists, architects, and chartered accountants .These are some of the many restrictions placed on Asian immigrants and their Canadian born children. Asians were often known as threats to the province’s ethnic “purity” and to the economic security of white Canadians. As well, they were believed to be misfits for permanent settlement in the country. They were also known as “enemy aliens”. Anti-Japanese feelings reached a high point in 1907 when a mob of Anti-Japanese protesters went through Vancouver’s Chinatown and into the nearby Japanese area. The fight took Vancouver police four hours to control and caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to Chinese and Japanese homes and shops. Following the fight, the Canadian government sent the Minister of Labour at that time, who went to Tokyo to meet with the Japanese government. The result was the 1908 “Gentlemen’s agreement” where Japan limited immigration to 400 agricultural labourers or domestic servants per year. After the 1908 agreement, the structure of the Japanese community began to change as women began arriving from Japan. The wives of those already living in Canada were initially not counted among the limit of 400 people per year allowed to immigrate to Canada. Some women were brought by husbands who returned to Japan to find a wife. The agreement also would include women and children within the limit.

A shop that was damaged because of Anti-Asian fights.

WORLD WAR 2 AND INTERNMENT

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the American base at Pearl Harbor and the British colony of Hong Kong. Soon after, 1,200 Japanese Canadian fishing boats were seized and Japanese newspapers and language schools were shut down. Only the English-language newspaper, “The New Canadian” was allowed to continue. In the months that followed, the government used the War Measures Act to remove men, women and children of Japanese ancestry from the ‘defense zone’ of 160 km from the B.C. coast. As a result, almost 22,000 of the approximately 24,000 people of Japanese descent living in Canada were removed from their homes and distributed to different locations across Canada. 75% were Canadian citizens. Many spent the war years in ‘ghost towns’ and created camps in the interior of B.C. Others were located to sugar-beet farms or other farming communities in Alberta and Manitoba or road camps in Ontario. Also, approximately 700 men were turned in to Prisoner Of War camps in Ontario. Many of these men were Nisei Japanese Canadians who were against being removed from the coast. While they were being distributed across Canada, the Japanese were required to sign their property and belongings over to the government. These possessions (including homes, land and businesses) were sold beginning in 1943. This was done without the permission of the owners, at a fraction of their actual value. The earnings of these sales were used to pay for the living expenses of the prisoners.

A prisoner of war camp.

An internment camp in B.C.

WORLD WAR 2 AND INTERNMENT (CONTINUED)

As the war neared its end, it became clear that the Canadian government wanted to prevent the return of the West coast communities. Japanese Canadians were given two options. They could either go back to Japan or they could re-establish themselves east of the Rockies. In the end, almost 4,000 people were sent to Japan. About half were Issei. With the departure of this group the Japanese community in Canada lost an important link to their homeland. The other half were Canadian born. Many were dependent children with little choice but to go with their parents. Those who chose to stay in Canada were again displaced from the B.C. communities where they had settled during the war years and had to re-establish themselves in Central and Eastern Canada. It was not until 1949, four years after the end of the war, that the last of the wartime restrictions were removed and Japanese Canadians were allowed to return to the West Coast. In 1949, Japanese Canadians were granted the right to vote in British Columbia after gaining the Federal right to vote in 1948.

Winter at an internment camp.

AFTER WORLD WAR 2In 1967 new immigration regulations allowed immigrants to enter Canada based on factors such as skills and occupational demand rather than being determined by country of origin. This brought many new immigrants from countries outside of Europe, especially from Asia. But, unlike other Asian countries, Japan has sent a few recent immigrants to Canada. Of the total population of immigrants who arrived in the country after 1970 less than half a percent were from Japan. Even though their small numbers, the new immigrants add much to the richness of the Canadian population.

REDRESS MOVEMENT (1970-1980)

The Redress Movement of the late 1970s and 1980s was put together by some of the different generations who made up the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC). The NAJC was the organization that consulted the redress settlement on behalf of the Japanese Canadian community. After a ten-year struggle gaining the public’s support, the National Association of Japanese Canadians successfully arranged a redress settlement in 1988. The redress settlement was announced in Parliament on September 22, 1988. It included: accepting the injustice of the wartime events, individual payments of $21,000 to eligible Canadians, establishing a community fund of $12 million, clearing of criminal records for those charged under the War Measures Act, restoring of Canadian citizenship to those sent to Japan and the creation of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, which was founded in 1997 to stop racism across Canada. In 1988, The Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, also offered a formal apology in the House of Commons to Japanese Canadians.

Redress Rally March in Ottawa in 1988.

PM gives an apology in House of Commons.

JAPANESE CANADIANS PRESENT Most of the Japanese population today is made up by women. More than 75 percent of the Sansei have married non-Japanese. Today, 100,000 Canadians of Japanese descent live across the country, mostly in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta. The Japanese population reports that they have no religion. Among Canadians of Japanese origin with a religion, 24% were Protestant, 16% were Buddhist and 9% were Catholic. Japanese Canadians are a diverse group, who work in all occupations including manufacturing, business, teaching, arts, etc. The Issei practiced, and still do practice many traditional Japanese skills such as martial arts, odori (a Japanese dance), origami (a Japanese craft) and ikebana (a Japanese flower arrangement). They bring to Canada their knowledge of both ancestral cultural skills and of Japanese language, literature and art, including popular art forms such as anime and manga. The Gosei have developed new forms of culture and art. For example, taiko drumming groups are found in many Canadian cities. Also, Canada and Japan have had relationships since the1950s, and today are partners in many important trades. Japan is a large export market for Canadian products and resources such as coal and Japan is also a major source of import goods, such as cars, for Canada. Tourism, as well as work and student exchanges, are frequent between the two countries.

Women performing odori.

Colourful tree branch origami. Ikebana.

Anime/Manga art forms

FAMOUS JAPANESE CANADIANS Some famous Japanese Canadians include:

David Suzuki is a scientist, geneticist, broadcaster and environmental activist. He was born in Vancouver, BC, and he and his parents experienced the internment during World War 2.He is known for his career as a broadcaster including the CBC TV series “The Nature of Things”.

Bev Oda, is a retired Canadian politician. She was the first Japanese Canadian MP and cabinet minister in Canadian history.

Vicky Sanohara, was a part of the women's hockey team at the Winter Olympics and won a Silver medal in 1998 and Gold medals in 2002 and 2006.

David Suzuki.

Bev Oda.

Vicky Sanohara.

JAPANESE CLOTHING AND FOOD Western clothing is worn often in day-to-day life. But, the kimono still is worn in the Japanese culture. Today kimono are most often worn by women on special occasions. Men wear the kimono most often on weddings and other very special or formal occasions. Professional sumo wrestlers are often seen in the kimono because they are required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever in public. The traditional food of Japan is based on rice with miso soup. Fish is common in the traditional cuisine. It is often grilled but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Sushi has now become popular throughout the world. Noodles such as soba and udon are also a popular Japanese dish.

A woman wearing a kimono.

A bowl of sushi.

FUN FACTS!!!

In the U.S, families were interned together. In Canada, families were separated. Also, the Japanese in Canada were treated harsher than the Japanese in the United States, which to me, personally, is surprising.

Most Japanese sumo wrestlers are over the age of 50. Also, in the spring of Japan, the Japanese people gather to watch the cherry blossoms bloom during the Hanami (flower viewing) festival.

Japanese people at internment camps.

Sumo wrestlers preparing for a battle.

WHY I CHOSE THIS COMMUNITY!

I chose the Japanese Community because while I was researching for my British Columbia project, I found a bit of information about the Japanese Internment, and also I had read a book called Dear Canada: Torn Apart, in which I learned about the struggles of Japanese people, and I wanted to extend on what I learned.

Thanks for watching! I hope you learned something new about Japanese Canadians past and present in Canada, and also about their culture, clothing, food, hobbies and a couple of fun facts! BY: NOOR!