Japanese Internment “The Yellow Peril” WWII in Canada
Japanese Internment
“The Yellow Peril”WWII in Canada
Almost 2000 Canadians attacked Hong Kong in 1941
50 000 Japanese troops armed with superior weapons attacked
1672 Canadians were captured and sent to a POW camp in Japan
The prisoners, treated inhumanely, suffered from disease and
starvation.
In 1998 our own Canadian government compensated our
Hong Kong veterans $24 000 each
Back in Canada – War Measures Act invoked again
Fear of Japanese Canadians working as spies resulted in the internment of 22 000
Japanese Canadians were seized, held in barns at Hastings Park then moved into BC’s interior
•The gov’t confiscated Japanese property, possessions were auctioned off and owners received nothing
•Anti-Japanese marches in Vancouver convinced 750 people to move voluntarily
•1945 – Japanese Canadians were forced to either move back to Japan or permanently settle east of the Rocky Mountains
•1988 – our Gov’t apologized and compensated those stillAlive $21 000 each and restored Canadian citizenship to those
deported
•3964 Japanese Canadians were deported, 2000 of them Canadian citizens