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 Ciel Sander)
Uprooted Again:Resettlement or Repatriation
I ask why are the Japanese singled out since the highest authority assures us no act of sabotage has been uncovered? Non-co-operation with the government is being used as grounds for deportation … May I ask when non-cooperation with the government became a ground for deportation?(Senator Arthur Roebuck – New CDN Jan. 19, 1945)
The detention of the Nikkei in internment sites was a temporary measure until the federal government was able to develop a permanent solution. On August 4, 1944, the Canadian government took further steps that would forever change the destiny of Japanese Canadians when they were ordered to either apply for repatriation to Japan or to move east of the Rockies. With the War Measures Act about to expire at the end of 1945, Prime Minister Mackenzie King’s government issued three orders-in-council on December 17, 1945 to ensure that it would not lapse: PC7335 that identified who would be deported to Japan; PC7357 that stripped deported naturalized citizens of either their British or Canadian citizenship; and PC7356 that established a three-man commission whose role was to assess the loyalty of Nikkei and make recommendations as to who should be deported. These measures were taken despite the fact that no person of Japanese ancestry had been charged with crimes of disloyalty or sabotage during the war. Additionally the deportation of the Nikkei was considered to be a crime against humanity and contrary to international law. In 1942, close to 21,500 Nikkei were dispersed from the protected zone to various locations across Canada, but primarily to remote areas in B.C.
The Nikkei were faced with a difficult and life-changing choice: leave for Japan or move east of the Rockies. Those wishing to demonstrate their loyalty would opt for relocation, while others who chose to move to Japan were considered disloyal. There were several reasons that some Nikkei opted for the latter. In some cases, family members wished to remain together or to reconnect with their relatives in Japan. There were some Issei, first generation, who felt that they could not rebuild their lives by resettling in another part of the country, and other Issei and Kika-Nisei, those born in Canada and educated in Japan, who preferred Japan to internment sites. There were also Nikkei who felt betrayed by their country. On January 24, 1947, federal government finally repealed the deportation orders. Over the one-year period, however, close to 4,000 Nikkei had been shipped to Japan and the relocation programme was almost at an end.
Between May 31 and December 24, 1946, 3,964 Nikkei were deported to Japan on five U.S. troop ships commissioned by the Canadian government. Of this number, 34% were Japanese nationals, 15% naturalized Canadian citizens, and 51% Canadian citizens by birth. Of the latter, 18% were aged 16 and over. After landing at Uraga located at the entrance to Tokyo Bay, the exiled were again relocated to towns and cities across Japan including Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kagoshima, Mio, Osaka, and Tokyo. Upon arrival in war-ravaged Japan, the Nikkei experienced a country faced with severe shortages of provisions, shelter, and in particular food. In addition, they were met with obstacles including limited employment opportunities and cultural and language barriers. It is estimated that approximately 50% of the exiled Nikkei eventually returned to Canada.
References Adachi, K. (1976). The enemy that never was: A history of Japanese Canadians. Kage, T. (2012). Uprooted again: Japanese Canadians move to Japan after World War II (K.C. Merken, Trans.). Kawamoto Reid, L., & Carter, B. (2012). Karizumai: A guide to Japanese Canadian internment sites. Takata, T. (1983). Nikkei legacy: The story of Japanese Canadians from settlement to today.