Interviews
Government urged Japanese Canadians to go to Japan
There was a lot of discussion, and of course, at the time, there was continual pressure put on by the B.C. Security Commission to get people out of these camps, go east, or sign up to go to Japan. And to go back to Japan, they sort of put a little bait out there, they would pay everybody two hundred dollars plus the fact they would ship everything that they had out to Japan for them. And they, each individual would receive two hundred dollars. So this was a kind of a bait they put out to try and get them to sign up to go back to Japan. And, of course, majority of the people looked at that and said, "Why would I go -- " most of the younger people said, "Why? I'm not Japanese, I'm Canadian." And so they did get about, oh, eventually they got about, oh, seven or eight thousand people to sign up, and then about half of them said, no, they don't want to go after all.
Date: July 25 & 26, 2006
Location: Washington, US
Interviewer: Tom Ikeda
Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.
Explore More Videos
Growing up with some Japanese families (Spanish)
(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman
On the Impact of the Camp Experience
(b. 1942) The first Asian American woman judge
Decided to leave Japan to Argentina (Spanish)
(1925-2014) La Plata Hochi, Journalist
Attempts to sign up for military service
(1917 - 2004) Political activist
Joined Japanese Imperial Army during the WWII (Spanish)
(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean
Going to Brazil to escape debt (Japanese)
(1911-2010) Founder of JACTO group
Relief fund to support Japanese communities (Japanese)
(1900–1996) The mother of Nikkei Brazilian immigration
Role of Assistancia Social dom Jose Gaspar (Japanese)
(1900–1996) The mother of Nikkei Brazilian immigration
Inclusiveness of the first Japanese colony in Paraguay (Spanish)
Nisei Paraguayan, Researcher
Nikkei contributions to Paraguayan agriculture (Spanish)
Nisei Paraguayan, Researcher
Leaving for the States without telling my parents (Japanese)
Shin-Issei from Gifu. Recently received U.S. citizenship