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Fred was born in Hiroshima, Japan on July 28, 1918. When he was 9 months old, he came to Canada with his mother to join his father in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was educated in the public school system and in 1939, enrolled at the University of British Columbia in Commerce and Finance.
With the evacuation of the Japanese from the west coast at the start of World War II, Fred moved to Calgary, Alberta to complete his degree by correspondence. His family was interned in the interior town of Slocan, British Columbia. In 1943 Fred moved east to Toronto, Ontario, working various jobs to help relocate his family to Toronto.
Fred worked at Canadian Tire, a Canadian retail store icon, for 45 years and became the Vice President of Finance and corporate Treasurer. Fred is heavily involved in the Japanese Canadian community and was a founding member of the Momiji Health Care Society to provide a seniors home for the Nikkei community. A widower, Fred is still very active in sports, the community and his family.