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Early History - World War I Japanese Veterans

Japanese volunteered to fight in the Canadian war in order to gain rights in their own country. Out of the 196 volunteers, 54 were killed, 93 were wounded and only 49 returned home safely. After a long struggle, the surviving veterans were finally granted the right to vote by the B.C. legislature in 1931.

Japanese Canadian volunteers, Tenth Battalion, France, 1917. Masumi Mitsui (left, middle row) was winner of the Military Medal. (photo: Mrs. Sachi Ota, Toronto)



Japanese Canadian War Memorial, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. (Photo: Dick Nakamura)



Bronze plaque installed at the War Memorial. (photo: Dick Nakamura)



Photos from John Greenaway

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