WWII Experience
Mass Uprooting Shortly after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, some 22,000 men, women and children of Japanese descent were branded “enemy aliens” in their own country. Seventy five percent were Canadians by birth or naturalized citizens but the Government of Canada considered them dangerous to the country because of their racial origin. With the passage of Orders-in-Council under the War Measures Act, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) denied the Japanese of their basic and human rights.
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President's Message
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January 2012
Currently, the NAJC is finalizing the Kansai tour itinerary that will take in the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe and Hiroshima. [...] Read more →
Community Features
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Looking for former UBC JC students, 1941/42
The planning for the May 26, 2012 convocation is proceeding very fast. Several committees have been formed to take care of the different aspects of the event. Each committee is led by competent and enthusiastic individuals who will make this special convocation a memorable one. [...] Read more →
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MISSION STATEMENT:
To promote and develop a strong Japanese Canadian identity and thereby to strengthen local communities and the national organization; and To strive for equal rights and liberties for all persons-in particular, the rights of racial and ethnic minorities.
VISION:
A strong, unified community founded on diversity and committed to human rights for all for the enrichment of Canada
From The Bulletin
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Remembering Gordon and Esther Hirabayashi
My parents, Gordon and Esther Hirabayashi, were remarkable folks. My mother’s father, Floyd Schmoe, was a charismatic individual, a renaissance man who was a lifetime pacifist, author, sculptor, mountain guide and park naturalist on Mt. Rainier, marine biologist, and forest ecologist. He built houses for refugees in France for 14 months during World War [...]
It is not enough just to have a birth certificate, certifying one’s birth in Canada. It is not enough to be a native Canadian and expect that mere birth alone is everything: privileges, responsibilities, pride, allegiance. One must grow into citizenship; one must shoulder the responsibilities before there is any real joy in the privileges; one must be vigilant for the honour of one’s country, its integrity, else how can one say with pride: "I am Canadian."
Muriel Kitagawa
full quote
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