1870-1900
1871 - B.C. joins confederation
1877 - First Japanese person in Canada
Manzo Nagano
1887 the first official immigration from Japan occurred with steamship route making the crossing accessible
1895 - British Columbian government disenfranchises Japanese people
1897 - the government passed an act baring Japanese from working below surface at mines
1900-1910
1901 - fishing disputes
1907 - Vancouver Asiatic Exclusion League is formed
1907 - Anti-Asian riot in Vancouver destroys property
1908 - Hayashi-Lemieux Agreement “gentleman’s agreement” limits Japanese immigration to 400 men per year
1920 - 1930
1921 - Hayashi-Lemieux amended to cap Japanese immigration at 150 people total per year
1931 - Japanese invasion of Manchuria
1937 - Japanese invasion of Chinese territory sparks “Second Sino-Japanese War” intensifies anti-Japanese sentiment
1938 - RCMP starts to conduct surveillance on Japanese Canadians. By 1940 no subversive activity is found.
1939 - Canada declares war on Germany
1941
January 7, 1941 - Cabinet of War recommends barring of Japanese Canadians from enlisting due to strong public sentiment
March 1941 - RCMP Compulsory register of people of Japanese descent over the age of 16
December 7, 1941 - Pearl harbour, Canada declares war on Japan
December 8, 1941 - All Japanese nationals and those naturalized after 1922 are required to register with the Registrar of Enemy Aliens
December 8, 1941 - Japanese fishing vessels impounded by the “Japanese Fishing Vessel Disposal Committee,” these vessels will later be sold
December 8, 1941 - all Japanese language schools and newspapers (except the new Canadian) are closed
December 16, 1941 - all people of Japanese origin are required to register with the Registrar of Enemy Aliens
1942
January 16 - Designated “Protected Area” of 100 miles from the coast is created.
February 7 - all male “enemy aliens” aged 18-45 are first to leave the protective coastal area. Most are sent to "road camps" in the interior
February 24 - minister of justice gains power to control movement of Nikkei in the protected area.
February 26 - government notice stating the following
- all people of Japanese origin must leave the protective area
- All cars, cameras, radios are to be confiscated the RCMP and Police have
permission to enter a Japanese residence without a warrant to seize those items. - Curfew implemented from dusk to dawn.
March 4 - B.C security commission created to plan and expel all Japanese people
March 4 - Amendment P.C. 1665: property will be intrusted to the Custodian of Enemy Alien Property as a temporary and "protective measure only"
March 14 - the first people leave and prosses begins
March 16 - First people arrive at Hastings Park Holding center
March 16 - Japanese mail is censored from this date forward
September 30 - Hasting park assembly center officially closes, 21,079 people are removed from the coast by this time
1943 - 1949
January 23, 1943 - Custodian of Enemy Alien Property is given the right to dispose of Japanese property without consent of the owners. This includes homes, land and goods.
April, 1944 - “Voluntary repatriation” loyalty survey approved by the Cabinet War Committee. What is defined as loyalty vs disloyalty is debated.
May 5 1944 - Germany surrenders (V-E day)
August 31, 1945: list of people repatriating or extraditing is confirmed.
September 2, 1945: Japan formally surrenders and the second world war ends in totality.
May 31, 1946 - 3,964 people are shipped to Japan
1947 - The National Association of Japanese Canadians is founded, “objectives being the strengthening of the Japanese community and equality of human rights.”
July 18, 1947 - The Royal Commission on Japanese claims or the Bird Commission is formed to investigate and provide compensation for loss of property during internment. Most remember this to be a failure
March 31, 1949 - War measures act restrictions are lifted and Japanese Canadians gain the right to vote
1950 - 1990
1967 - ‘Race’ is no longer a criterion for immigration
January 1984 - The National Association of Japanese Canadian Council seeks official address and redress for the unjust acts empierced by Japanese Canadians at the hands of the government and calling for the War Measures Act be changed
May 9, 1986 - Price Waterhouse Associates state that property and income loss for internment is no less than 448 million dollars in 1986 dollars.
September 17, 1988 - Prime minster Brian Mulroney formal
acknowledgement and compensation
1990 - 2022
May 21, 2022, - the BC Government makes a $100 million dollar commitment too fund initiatives set out by the National Association of Japanese Canadians BC Redress Project
June 29, 2022 - The Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS) is incorporated into the National Association of Japanese Canadians. The JCLS is responsible for implementing the BC Redress framework which follows the core projects of Monument; Education; Senior Health and Wellness; Community and Culture; Heritage Restoration; and Anti-racism.