Adachi, Ken. (1991).

The Enemy That Never Was: A History of the Japanese Canadians.

Toronto. McClelland & Stewart Inc.

0-7710-0722-1.

Like the Issei who had crossed the Pacific to emigrate to Canada, only to find the dream of riches barren, the evacuees who traversed the Rockies often thought of themselves as "pioneers" cutting trails in a new frontier. This time, they were not in search of gold but freedom from the ravages of racism and the persecutions of headline-hunting politicians. They were assuming the special risks and uncertainties inherent in their obviously close resemblance to the Japanese enemy and the tendancy  of the white population to regard them as one and the same." (p. 279).

Ken Adachi's historical study of racism in Canada towards those of Japanese ancestry spans almost a century, from 1877 to 1975. He focuses on Japanese immigration, the Japanese Canadian community organization and the forced evacuation and relocation during the second world war. Also included, is an afterword by Roger Daniels that documents the efforts of the Japanese Canadian community post 1975, to gain redress for their unjustified internment and dispossession during World War II. More than four decades later, their struggles successfully lead to the Canadian Government's formal apology and to the Japanese Canadian Redress agreement of 1988.

 

Broadfoot, Barry. (1977).

Years of Sorrow, Years of Shame: The Story of the Japanese Canadians inToronto.

Doubleday Canada Limited.

0-385-12550-X.

The greater relevance of the story (of the Japanese Canadian internment) is that nothing has really changed. The particular racial group may be different but the factors that contributed to our incarceration could be as quickly turned against the Pakistanis,or the Chinese or the Native Indians. The bigots are still here, so the story must be told, and retold and retold because we have to inform people that it is very easy to give in to this kind of latent racism and fear and panic." (p. 369).

Barry Broadfoot chronicles the history of the Japanese Canadians in WW II, as well as their arrival in Canada, and dispersal after the war, through the use of extensive oral histories. The end result is a detailed history of the Japanese in Canada from 1877 into the future, with the benefit of the story being told largely in the words of survivors. Thus, issues of racism and discrimination are addressed, and no words are minced in the telling of the actions of the Federal government and the people of Canada.

Kitagawa, Muriel; Roy Miki (ed.). (1985).

This Is My Own: Letters to Wes & Other Writings on Japanese Canadians

Vancouver. Talonbooks.

0-88922-230-4.

The restrictions today are directed against the Japanese in Canada; tomorrow they may be against someone else. Their effect is to loosen the existing curbs in baiting andpersecuting any group, any race, for any reason or no reason that excites the minds of the fearful and the bigoted. These controls are, without doubt, dangerous precedents to future issues unless the Canadian people rise now to demand an airtightlegislation to protect minorities from persecution by the majority." (p. .241).

This is a collection of material concerning and written by a Japanese Canadian uprooted during WW II, starting with the private letters Muriel Kitagawa wrote to her brother Wes Fujiwara. The essays, letters and photographs tell of the social disruption and living conditions of the Japanese Canadians that were evacuated and dispossessed from the west coast by the Canadian government

 

Kobayashi, Addie. (1998).

Exiles In Our Own Country: Japanese Canadians in Niagara.

Richmond Hill. Nikkei Network of Niagara.

0-9683236-0-X

Most of the nisei's immigrant parents are no longer with us, and, as you will discover in the interviews, rarely did they share their experiences, hurt or anger with their children. That was their way. For the most part, they remained silent. But 'the need for silence is past, and most of the remaining victims can now tell their stories.' It is up to the nisei who love freedom and justice to preserve their history and pass it on." (p. 43).

This historical scrapbook and collection of narratives provides readers with a highly personalized account of the forced uprooting of Japanese Canadians from British Colombia in the 1940s, in addition to an overview of their settlement into the Niagara peninsula -- successive waves of settlement which have spanned over 50 years. All nineteen narratives (organised in interview format) are told by Niagara residents of Japanese descendance. This collection is rich in photos and newspaper clippings. It also includes both a resource section and a glossary of terms.
 

Le Projet centenaire canadien-japonais. (1978).

Un rêve de richesse: Les Japonais au Canada 1877-1977.

Vancouver, et Toronto. Le Projet centenaire canadien-japonais.

0-9690708-0-2.

Qui aurait cru qu'un jour je serais plus capable de soutenir le gouvernement de mon pays, simplement à cause de la honte et de la désillusion provoquées par les insultes de ceux qui nous méprisent? Je suis habité d'amertume et d'angoisse. Vous qui traitez des chiffres, des dossiers, des statistiques sans vie, vous ne pourrez jamais mesurer la profondeur de la peine et de l'outrage subis par ceux d'entre nous qui ont de l'amour pour ce pays.» (Extrait d'une lettre de T.Muriel Kitagawa au bureau du gardien, 1948, p.137-8)

Ce volume trilingue, rédigé en français, en anglais et en japonais, est le résultat d'une exposition photographique, tournée au Canada et au Japon à la fin des années 70. Les auteurs tentent de présenter, à l'aide d'innombrables photos et à travers des entrevues, un survol de l'historique des Canadiens d'origine japonaise. Surtout, l’oeuvre est axée sur la période de l'internement et de la délocalisation qui a profondément marqué, d'une façon ou d'une autre, tout Canadien d’origine japonaise.
 

Miki, Roy; Kobayashi, Cassandra. (1991).

Justice in Our Time: The Japanese Canadian Redress Settlement.

Vancouver and Winnipeg. Talonbooks & National Association of Japanese Canadians.

0-88922-292-4 (Talon Books) 0-9694756-1-6 (NAJC)

The uprooting of Japanese Canadians in 1942 was not an isolated act of racism, but the culmination of discriminatory attitudes directed towards them from the early days of settlement. The war itself offered the opportune moment for many powerful politicians, business and labour groups and individuals in BC to attack the social and economic base of the thriving Japanese Canadian community under the guise of national security." (p. 17).

This book celebrates the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement, signed September 22, 1988, aimed at reconciling the racist policies and actions enacted by the Canadian government during World War II. The book chronicles the steps to achieving redress by looking at the following: the Historical Background; The Redress Movement; the Ottawa Redress Rally; The Final Phase and Settlement Day.

 

Oiwa, Keibo (ed.). (1994).

Stone Voices: Wartime Writings of Japanese Canadian Issei.

Montreal. Vehicule Press.

1-55065-014-9.

I felt I was in the shadows of normal society. It was March and spring was in full bloom. I felt the forced evacuation getting closer to me, as if I were being slowly suffocated. Japanese men of military age were being slowly rounded up and sent off to the snowy mountains. I was waiting for my turn." (p. 37).

Stone Voices is a collection of Issei stories, diaries, and letters, of the first generation of Japanese to settle in Canada. Their collective Japanese Canadian experience of uprooting, evacuation, dispersal and incarceration post-Pearl Harbor is made touchingly vivid through personal narratives.

 

Okazaki, Robert K. (1996).

The Nisei Mass Evacuation Group and the P.O.W. Camp 101 Angler, Ontario: The Japanese-Canadian community's struggle for justice and human rights during World War II.

Scarborough. Markham Litho Limited.

The horrendous mental anguish of the compulsory evacuation plus our massive material losses dealt an overwhelming blow to the foundation of our lives. Perhaps themost detrimental loss to our community was the absence of formal education for the children. In this, we lost our future opportunity and our equality." (p x).

Robert Okazaki has written a poignant account of the internment and the years at a POW camp through his own personal experience as a POW. The history is chronicled through extensive documents that the author managed to preserve from this time period, and in doing so, provides a view into the reality of the internment years. In presenting this personal study, Okazaki also chronicles the entire Japanese Canadian community's struggle for justice and human rights.
 

Omatsu, Maryka. (1992).

Bittersweet Passage: Redress and the Japanese Canadian Experience.

Toronto. Between The Lines.

0-921284-58-6.

History is repeating itself. Buck-teeth-grinning wartime posters have been dusted off, warning that the yellow menace is invading America and winning. Daily the growing animosity to the land of the rising sun, and thus to me, fills me with fear and apprehension. I stand helpless as the continent's racism is being manipulated to explain unemployment, deficits, and our increasing non-competitiveness. Scapegoat as enemy, my chest constricts again." (p. 180).

Maryka Omatsu tells the story of how Japanese Canadians fought for and won redress pertaining to the injustices their community faced during WWII. The book includes a detailed account of the legal and political process which had to be overcome in order to reach redress. The author leads us through the stages of this struggle, while at the same time allowing us to follow her personal journey through community and familial discovery.

 

Shimizu, Yon. (1993).

The Exiles: An Archival History of the World War II Japanese Road Camps in BC and Ontario.

Wallaceburg, ON. Shimizu Consulting & Publishing.

0-9697328-0-5.

We are subjected to the curfew, our boats, our cars, radios and cameras have been confiscated. Our jobs have been taken from us, and many of us have lost our homes and businesses. We have been boycotted, jailed, interned and also forced to register and thumb- printed. We are being denied every right and freedom of a so-called democracy like any Enemy Alien. Why are not Canadian born Germans and Italians treated likewise? Canada is making a war of race out of her so proudly upheld war of ideals." (p. 62).

This book contains extensive documentation of the history of the Japanese Canadian men who were exiled to road camps during the second world war. The facts are presented as a first hand account, of both internees, as well as government officials, through their letters and documents. The author draws attention to the heavily censored archival evidence found in the Public Archives of Canada and suggests that the official government record does not represent the entire truth. The reader is presented with a large body of material, that when read with the benefit of hindsight, leads closer to a true understanding of this historical event.