Internment of Japanese Canadians

Japanese Aggression… Japanese expansion in East Asia began in 1931 with the invasion of Manchuria and continued in 1937 with a brutal attack on China. On February 24th, 1933, Japan stuns the world and withdraws from the League of Nations.

The Tripartite Pact On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, thus entering the military alliance known as the "Axis."

Question #1 How do you feel about this? Should you be concerned? Should something be done?

Embargo Against Japan the United States, Britain and the Netherlands froze all Japanese financial assets. The effect was to prevent Japan from purchasing oil, which would, in time, cripple its army and make its navy and air force completely useless.

Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbour! December 7, 1941, President Roosevelt declares it “The Day of Infamy”. Infamy: “strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act”

The Battle of Hong Kong Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day 1941. 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.

Question #2 Has your stance changed? What are some of the potential implications for Canada?

Anglo-Canadian Reactions 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 move Japanese Canadians into camps

The Canadian War Measures Act 1914 – “gave the government sweeping powers to ensure the security, defence, peace, order, and welfare of Canada.” Used to imprison CANADIANS of German, Ukrainian, and Slavic descent in WWI. See p.256-257 in textbook

Japanese Internment in Canada ■ The movement of 23,000 Japanese Canadians during the war was the largest mass exodus in Canadian history. Notice: Regions in Canada prohibited to Japanese

Internment Timeline 1941 (December 8): 1,200 Japanese Canadian fishing boats are impounded. Japanese language newspapers and schools close. 1942 (January 16): Removal begins of Japanese immigrant males from coastal areas. 1942 (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. 1942 (February 26): Mass evacuation of Japanese Canadians begins. Some given only 24 hours notice. Cars, cameras and radios confiscated for “protective measures”. Curfew imposed. 1942 (March 4): Japanese Canadians ordered to turn over property and belongings to Custodian of Enemy Alien Property as a “protective measure only”. 1942 (March 25): British Columbia Security Commission initiates scheme of forcing men to road camps and women and children to “ghost town” detention camps.

Conditions in the Camps Housed in huts with two bedrooms and a kitchen shared by two families No electricity or running water until 1943

Camp Conditions continued Hundreds of women and children were squeezed into livestock buildings Slept on beds covered in straw for comfort Conditions were so poor that food packages were sent from Japan through the Canadian Red Cross to those suffering in the camps

Imagine… Imagine being dropped off in an unfamiliar place, far from home and everything you know. Some of your family members are sent elsewhere, miles away, and you are told you can’t leave to find them. Your days are now spent in animal stalls, sleeping on a bed of straw, with the unbearable stench of animal waste in the air. There are no walls to your new home. No door to shut out the rest of the world. Instead, hundreds of other people share your same floor, with only hanging sheets separating you. You discover your home, business and most of your possessions have been either sold off without your consent or looted. You have nothing to go back to. And the country you love and the government that was supposed to protect you is responsible.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Following FDR’s death, Harry Truman becomes President of the United States Truman decided to use the bomb on Japan because he believed that it was the only way to get the Japanese to surrender and save American lives On August 6th, 1945 a lone B-29 Superfortress called the Enola Gay by its crew took off and headed for Hiroshima Video

Fat Man and Little Boy At 8:15am the atomic bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima Within seconds two thirds of the city was flattened and thousands were dead On August 11, a bomb called “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki at 11:02 am At noon, August 15th, 1945 – Emperor Hirohito spoke directly to his people to tell them Japan had surrendered

The War is Over! Question # 3 What does this mean for Japanese Canadians?

Outcomes of Internment After the war, the federal government decided to remove all Japanese Canadians from British Colombia. The Japanese were forced to choose between deportation to war ravaged Japan or dispersal East of the Rocky mountains. Public protest would eventually stop the deportations, but not before 4000 Japanese left the country.

Acknowledging Wartime Wrongs Forty-three years after the end of the war, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney acknowledged the wrong doings of the Canadian government and announced the awarding of $21,000 for each individual directly wronged. Is this an acceptable redress to the issue?

Video http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net/other_resources.htm#tr