The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 marked the turning point in the lives of the Nikkei in Canada. In response to public pressure rooted in anti-Asian racism, the federal government ordered the forced uprooting of close to 21,500 Japanese Canadians living within the restricted area, 100 miles along the west coast of B.C., and confiscated their property by October 31, 1942. The majority of the Nikkei were forcibly removed from their homes and detained in internment sites in the province, while others were sent to road and prisoner-of-war camps, industrial project sites, and sugar beet farms across the country. (Photo credit UBC Library, Japanese Photograph Collection, Access Identifier: JCPC_29_010)
Located in southern B.C. and today identifies itself as the smallest city in Canada, Greenwood was the first of ten internment sites in the province where approximately 1,200 Nikkei were relocated during World War II. (Photo credit Yuasa family collection)
On June 7, 1964, Prime Minister Pearson referred to the internment of Canadians of Japanese descent as “a black mark on traditional Canadian fairness and devotion to principles of human rights.” It was not until September 22, 1988 that Prime Minister Mulroney acknowledged the federal government’s wrongful treatment of the Nikkei and reached a redress settlement with the Japanese Canadian community. On May 7, 2012, the Province of British Columbia issued a formal apology to the Japanese Canadian community for the internment of approximately 22,000 Nikkei during and after World War II. A decade later on May 21, 2022, B.C. Premier John Horgan announced a $100 million funding initiative in recognition of the injustices committed by the province during the war. The resilience of the first immigrants of Japanese ancestry and their children paved the way for future generations to enjoy the rights and freedoms shared by all Canadian citizens. (Photo by William Milliot on Unsplash )
The Nikkei Legacy Park celebrated its transformation with a 15th century Japanese rock garden at the grand opening of the Nikkei Memorial Garden on July 20, 2025. (Photo credit Chuck Tasaka)
The city of Greenwood was a godsend for the Nikkei families that stayed [in Greenwood]. They were able to work, raise a family, go to church and children attend school. So much is owed to the city of Greenwood for their acceptance of the Nikkei people.(Tasaka, 2014)
Of the estimated 1,200 Nikkei who were interned in Greenwood, many chose to remain there after its closure as an internment site in 1945, possibly because they felt welcome here. Over time the Nikkei had become accepted by the residents and integrated into the community. When the federal government ordered the Japanese in 1944 to either move east of the Rockies or be deported to Japan, the Greenwood Board of Trade sent a letter of protest against this decision.
Many Nikkei appreciated their experience in Greenwood as reflected in letters from two women who moved east, Terry Takeuchi and Tsumo Matsuzaki. While in Greenwood, Mrs. Matsuzaki was an instructor at the Academy of Domestic Arts (front row, 4th from the left). Her letter written in Japanese is summarized as follows: A personal letter thanking Mr. McArthur for making it a happy place during the incarceration. Mrs. Matsuzaki states that Hamilton is completely different to Greenwood, especially in commodity prices. People are not familiar with Japanese Canadians, but she has good relationship with the landlord. Her daughter Miyoko became the first Nikkei teacher in a public school and church. Mrs. Matsuzaki also wrote that there are many unemployed people in Hamilton. Mrs. Matsuzaki closes her letter saying that she was so happy when she lived in Greenwood.
Although most of the Nikkei eventually left the city, some remained and rest in the Greenwood Cemetery. Today it is estimated that between 20 and 30 residents of Japanese descent live in the smallest city in Canada.
References Tasaka, C. (2014). My hometown my furusato. Tasaka, C. (2016). Greenwood, B.C.: The first internment center.