Japanese Time ~History of Japanese Radio Broadcasting~ {Vancouver, Prewar Edition}
The history of Japanese immigration to Canada is said to have begun with the arrival of Nagano Manzo in 1877. From around the end of the 19th century, a Japanese town gradually formed on Powell Street in Vancouver. As the number of Japanese residents increased, the Japanese-language newspaper Tairiku Nippo was launched in 1907 as an important medium for reporting on the activities of the Japanese community. Meanwhile, radio broadcasting, a new medium, was pioneered in Vancouver in March 1922 when Province News began test broadcasting news (later to become Station CKCD). Following this, four other stations were opened in quick succession in the same year, and by the 1920s, the stations that would become the roots of today's radio stations had all been established. However, it took more than a dozen years for Japanese programs to be broadcast on the radio. Until then, Japanese residents had only been able to receive Japanese-language broadcasts from Seattle and other cities, as well as medium and short wave broadcasts from Japan, albeit unreliably. In this four-part series, we will introduce the history of Japanese radio broadcasts and Japanese music programs that were broadcast in Vancouver before the war.
*This series is an excerpt from Tetsuya Hirahara's book "Japan Hour" and is reprinted from the monthly magazine " Freezer ."
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Series: "Japan Time: History of Japanese Radio Broadcasting"
Stories from this series
4. Other Programs
March 13, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
The final episode will introduce other Japanese language broadcasts and music programs featuring second generation Japanese speakers. Taishodo Taishodo (Kitamura Kenjiro and Kitamura Masaru, from Shiga Prefecture), located at 301 Powell Street, was originally a pharmacy, but expanded its lineup to also sell radios and Japanese records. On August 19, 1935, the Mainland Nippo newspaper carried an advertisement stating, "CKMO 1400 K.C. Starting at 5:00 p.m. every Monday and Friday. Listen to the latest trends in Victor Records." A program …
The 3rd Niimi Shokai "Popular Song Broadcast"
March 6, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
In the third installment, we will write about Niimi Shokai's "Popular Song Broadcasting," which is a rival to Japanese Song Broadcasting. Niimi Shokai was a drugstore and photo shop run by Niimi Toragoro (born in Tokushima Prefecture and arrived in Japan in 1910), which opened at 331 Powell Street in 1919. It advertised almost daily in the Japanese language newspaper Tairiku Nippo. It later began selling Japanese records, gramophones, and radios. Wind-up gramophones, which did not require a power source, …
2nd Shinkosha "Japanese Song Broadcast"
Feb. 27, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
In the second installment, we will introduce Shinkosha's "Japanese Song Broadcast," a pioneer in Japanese language broadcasting. In March 1935, a broadcasting station approached the Canadian Japanese Society with a request to broadcast a Japanese program. The Society was not able to organize programs or collect advertisements, so they chose Kaizo Tsuyuki (from Kanagawa Prefecture), who had experience. Although it says "experienced," this does not mean that Tsuyuki had experience in radio broadcasting. Tsuyuki established a film touring company called …
Part 1: The Prehistory of Japanese Broadcasting
Feb. 20, 2023 • Tetsuya Hirahara
It is believed that the first time Japanese music was played on the radio in Canada was in February 1925. At that time, the Imperial Japanese Navy sent a training fleet overseas almost every year to conduct practical training for long-distance voyages and to carry out goodwill activities at ports of call. The three ships, Yakumo, Asama, and Izumo, left Yokosuka in November 1924, passed through Mexico and the United States, and anchored in Vancouver the following February. At 8 …
