“Canada’s only defence was that the Japanese people were not white and they could be spies. Innocent Japanese Canadians were stripped of their rights, issued special clothing, humiliated, thrown behind barbed wire fences and forced to do manual labour.”

Introduction to the experiences of Japanese Canadians during World War II Before WWII there were 22,096 Japanese Canadians living in British Columbia; ¾ of them were naturalized or native-born Canadians. Common belief held was that the Japanese are unable to assimilate into Canadian society as easily as those of European heritage. Prime Minister Mackenzie King himself expressed a belief in “the extreme difficulty of assimilating Japanese persons in Canada”

Anti-Japanese propaganda during the war

Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbour! December 7, 1941, President Roosevelt declares it “The Day of Infamy”.

The Battle of Hong Kong Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day Of the 1,975 Canadians, 290 were killed and 493 wounded. A further 260 died in the awful conditions of prison camps in Hong Kong and Japan.

Do we need proof? Japanese submarines are known to have been operating off the coast of British Columbia Although RCMP and Canadian military evaluations suggested no imminent threat by Japanese Canadians, this assessment is not universally accepted, as there exists no guarantee of the loyalty, or passivity of Japanese- Canadians.

What should be done? Resentment against Japanese Canadians exploded into panic and anger in British Columbia. 1,200 fishing boats were seized by the Canadian navy in fear of spying The war offered a convenient excuse for Canadians to address the Japanese Canadian question.

Japanese are to blame for everything in B.C. For a bad crop or a flat tire The Japanese became a “Problem” that had to be dealt with and the people of B.C. Wanted the government to “deal” with the problem! Most B.C. Residents appealed to P.M. Mackenzie King to “get rid of Japanese Canadians” so that they would feel safe in their homes again.

From Blame  a threat This was the public belief at least Mackenzie King wanted votes from B.C. And so he was more than happy to comply with their requests. Step 1: Incarcerate all the Japanese between the ages of years old Step 2: Send them more than 160 km inland to “safeguard” the Pacific coast from Japanese spies Step 3: Take away all Japanese fishing fleets to protect Canada

Internment of Japanese Canadians

21,000 Japanese Canadians were evacuated from their homes during the war After the attack on Pearl Harbour, 7 December 1941 Canadians feared that there was an underground Japanese spy movement in Canada

The RCMP first evacuated the Japanese community in British Columbia and started arresting people. Under the War Measures Act, all Japanese Nationals and Canadian citizens of Japanese descent were imprisoned

Canada became the “custodians of Aliens”-1943 They sold all their worldly possessions without the owner’s permission at public auctions The items were everything from farms and houses to clothing They were sold quickly and cheaply with the money for sales going to the auctioneers and realtors and paid for storage and handling charges

Spring of 1942: “As a protective measure only, all property situated in any protected area of British Columbia belonging to any of the Japanese race resident in such area…shall be vested in the Custodian as defined in the Regulations respecting Trading with the Enemy, 1939.”

Japanese Canadian Confiscating Boat – Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada (PA ) II/japanesecanadianswwII/Images/boat2.jpg

Selling off the fishing boats of the Japanese Canadians who lived and worked in Vancouver B.C.

How they interned the Japanese They were taken from their homes, put in trains and sent to 8 different internment camps in the BC interior, “ghost towns” – Kaslo, New Denver, Tashme, Roseberry, Slocan City, Lemon Creek, Sandon and Greenwood Restrictions were put on how much they could take with them and they were forced to live in poor conditions

Relocation of Japanese Canadians to internment camps in the interior of British Columbia, 1942

Internment Timeline 1941 (December 8): 1,200 Japanese Canadian fishing boats are impounded. Japanese language newspapers and schools close (January 16): Removal begins of Japanese immigrant males from coastal areas (February 24): All male Japanese Canadian citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 ordered to be removed from 100-mile-wide zone along the coast of British Columbia (February 26): Mass evacuation of Japanese Canadians begins. Some given only 24 hours notice. Cars, cameras and radios confiscated for “protective measures”. Curfew imposed (March 4): Japanese Canadians ordered to turn over property and belongings to Custodian of Enemy Alien Property as a “protective measure only”. Eventually these assets were sold and proceeds used to pay for the interment 1942 (March 25): British Columbia Security Commission initiates scheme of forcing men to road camps and women and children to “ghost town” detention camps.

Japanese Internment Camp, Interior British Columbia

Japanese-Canadians gather inside an internment camp during the Second World War in this undated image

Internment Camp Lemon Creek, B.C.

Living conditions It was a hard life They lived in cramped living quarters with ten other families sharing one stove Many were forced to live in tents if houses were not available. The tents were made of panel board, not insulated, rickety walls and didn’t all have stoves. In winter, the Japanese put lanterns under their beds to keep warm and dry

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