I grew up in a small town called Aldergrove.
In that town in the late 1960s, everyone knew your business, except my family was Japanese. Within earshot, the racists who resented us would mutter, "Dirty Jap!"
Little did they know, few of the Japanese Canadian were disloyal to Canada, which shows you how little they knew us!
Once in high school, one of the more ignorant white kids might mistake me for Chinese, and call me "Chink". This amused me so much that I quickly retorted, "That is because I am a chink in your armor!"
Indeed, the Asian immigrants of Canada fit in the chinks in the multicultural chain mail coat of the white majority, though sometimes a racist incident may shake off the flakes of Canadian society.
Thankfully, my memories of high school are rather selective, for there are stories that lay buried in my subconscious to inspire a few of my articles on this blog.
Though I may tell these small-town stories in metaphorically symbolic terms using mytho-poetic language while shielding the guilty from embarrassment to protect the innocent from harm.
Oh, there shall be no naming of names, but in order for me to come to terms with the demons of my past, this marks the beginning of that journey through a small-town world that I thought I had forgotten.
Having a chink in your armor means that if the lance of Truth meets its mark, the ignorance about Japanese Canadians will fall away.
For I am but a Canadian born Japanese who may have some truth telling to give life to future stories on his blog.
Showing posts with label internment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internment. Show all posts
20140216
BC Government and Vancouver Owe Japanese-Canadian Community a Lot (satire)
Currently I am reading Frank Maikawa's memoirs.
Basically the Maikawa's owned Japtown. That would actually make them the Big Boss of Japtown.
The BC government stole the Maikawa fortune, which probably was worth over $1 million ($10 million in 2014).
It was the theft by the BC government at the time that hit the Japanese community hard. Combined with the "repatriation or go East" edict by Ottawa, that destroyed Japtown.
Overall, I would estimate Japanese-Canadians lost $100 million in 2014 dollars of property and confiscated money in banks.
In short, the symbolic $21000 per surviving internment camp Japanese was cheaper than actually compensating the Japanese community.
Any apology by Ottawa, the BC government and the city of Vancouver is hollow because there actually wasn't a heartfelt effort to compensate the community. Indeed, neither the BC government or Vancouver even offered a compensation package. This is mainly because supposedly it was the federal government's responsibility.
This is a fallacy: a BC government agency stole property and money from the Japanese Canadians. This means that the BC government is responsible for creating that compensation package, even if it means a Japanese-Canadian whose deceased parents and/or grandparents were in the internment camps, then they get a BC government grant for post-secondary education. Instead, Victoria MLAs pass the buck onto to Ottawa.
Apparently the BC government and the city of Vancouver only want to attract Japanese who can afford to live in the Oppenheimer area e.g. make money from them.
Therefore any attempt to revive Japtown is for heritage purposes because that brings in tourist dollars. Furthermore, most Japanese-Canadians probably do not even know Vancouver wants to revive Japtown. That's because for them, Japtown died in 1942.
Vancouver is still shafting the Japanese-Canadians as is the BC government.
Reference:
Frank Maikawa's Evolution of a Canadian Enemy Alien: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2013/3/6/frank-maikawa-1/
Possible proof Japtown business associations might have been like Yakuza: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2013/04/17/frank-maikawa-7/
"When the internment time came upon us, the J-town business association organization that they belonged to (certain individuals in there) apparently made arrangements with the government, not having to go to the government’s set up internment camps but instead go to partially vacated ghost towns just beyond the 100-mile limit zone from the coast.
Thinking that the war would end quickly, father chose to go to Bridge River where we had to support ourselves without government help. Some of the organization’s leaders went to Minto, another internment camp which was just over the mountain from us. Although we were not allowed to own cars and were confiscated, once in awhile they came to Bridge River in a black limousine, five men dressed in dark suits with fedora hats to visit all households. I saw my father coming out from his room to hand them some cash. I was always snooping around and seeing gangster type movies before, to me it appeared as if they were collecting protection money like the Mafia or the equivalent Japanese Yakuza — who knows, just my thought at that time."
Respecting your elders: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2013/03/20/frank-maikawa-3/
"Respecting Your Elders
As for showing respect to elders, it was an old Japanese traditional way of teaching for the oldest one to always be a good role model and the younger ones to follow and Mr. Hayashi was just that so had the respect. I can attest to that as I saw it all the while he was around us. Even my mother made Amy call me “ni-chan” and would correct her always if Amy called me by name (and here I knew that I wasn’t a good role model but it made me try at least, so I guess that’s the main reason behind this tradition/culture).
I’ve never seen my father address his brother as Tomekichi and always called him “ni-san” whenever he visited us from Japan. Tokio-san and Sadao-san (another Maikawa from the fish store side) were father’s nephews but they were more like Dad’s little brothers and had special close relations and ties together and they called Dad, Bun-chan. Dad called them Tokio and Sadao as he was older.
Everybody worked in harmony with each other like brothers (even if they were non-blood related) and I didn’t notice any friction at all. Everybody close called my father “Bun-chan”. Anybody listening would notice that they were close without being told. There’s more to it with this old Japanese traditional value system that meets the present day eyes of our children who might think what I’m saying doesn’t make sense in this present age."
Any Japanese in the diasphora who disagrees with this kind of thinking isn't really Japanese anymore.
Basically the Maikawa's owned Japtown. That would actually make them the Big Boss of Japtown.
The BC government stole the Maikawa fortune, which probably was worth over $1 million ($10 million in 2014).
It was the theft by the BC government at the time that hit the Japanese community hard. Combined with the "repatriation or go East" edict by Ottawa, that destroyed Japtown.
Overall, I would estimate Japanese-Canadians lost $100 million in 2014 dollars of property and confiscated money in banks.
In short, the symbolic $21000 per surviving internment camp Japanese was cheaper than actually compensating the Japanese community.
Any apology by Ottawa, the BC government and the city of Vancouver is hollow because there actually wasn't a heartfelt effort to compensate the community. Indeed, neither the BC government or Vancouver even offered a compensation package. This is mainly because supposedly it was the federal government's responsibility.
This is a fallacy: a BC government agency stole property and money from the Japanese Canadians. This means that the BC government is responsible for creating that compensation package, even if it means a Japanese-Canadian whose deceased parents and/or grandparents were in the internment camps, then they get a BC government grant for post-secondary education. Instead, Victoria MLAs pass the buck onto to Ottawa.
Apparently the BC government and the city of Vancouver only want to attract Japanese who can afford to live in the Oppenheimer area e.g. make money from them.
Therefore any attempt to revive Japtown is for heritage purposes because that brings in tourist dollars. Furthermore, most Japanese-Canadians probably do not even know Vancouver wants to revive Japtown. That's because for them, Japtown died in 1942.
Vancouver is still shafting the Japanese-Canadians as is the BC government.
Reference:
Frank Maikawa's Evolution of a Canadian Enemy Alien: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2013/3/6/frank-maikawa-1/
Possible proof Japtown business associations might have been like Yakuza: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2013/04/17/frank-maikawa-7/
"When the internment time came upon us, the J-town business association organization that they belonged to (certain individuals in there) apparently made arrangements with the government, not having to go to the government’s set up internment camps but instead go to partially vacated ghost towns just beyond the 100-mile limit zone from the coast.
Thinking that the war would end quickly, father chose to go to Bridge River where we had to support ourselves without government help. Some of the organization’s leaders went to Minto, another internment camp which was just over the mountain from us. Although we were not allowed to own cars and were confiscated, once in awhile they came to Bridge River in a black limousine, five men dressed in dark suits with fedora hats to visit all households. I saw my father coming out from his room to hand them some cash. I was always snooping around and seeing gangster type movies before, to me it appeared as if they were collecting protection money like the Mafia or the equivalent Japanese Yakuza — who knows, just my thought at that time."
Respecting your elders: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2013/03/20/frank-maikawa-3/
"Respecting Your Elders
As for showing respect to elders, it was an old Japanese traditional way of teaching for the oldest one to always be a good role model and the younger ones to follow and Mr. Hayashi was just that so had the respect. I can attest to that as I saw it all the while he was around us. Even my mother made Amy call me “ni-chan” and would correct her always if Amy called me by name (and here I knew that I wasn’t a good role model but it made me try at least, so I guess that’s the main reason behind this tradition/culture).
I’ve never seen my father address his brother as Tomekichi and always called him “ni-san” whenever he visited us from Japan. Tokio-san and Sadao-san (another Maikawa from the fish store side) were father’s nephews but they were more like Dad’s little brothers and had special close relations and ties together and they called Dad, Bun-chan. Dad called them Tokio and Sadao as he was older.
Everybody worked in harmony with each other like brothers (even if they were non-blood related) and I didn’t notice any friction at all. Everybody close called my father “Bun-chan”. Anybody listening would notice that they were close without being told. There’s more to it with this old Japanese traditional value system that meets the present day eyes of our children who might think what I’m saying doesn’t make sense in this present age."
Any Japanese in the diasphora who disagrees with this kind of thinking isn't really Japanese anymore.
20131215
Japantown in Vancouver (satire)
While both the government of BC (2012) and of Canada (1989) has given the Japanese an apology, the city of Vancouver had never apologized or returned any of the property stolen in 1941 until this year. Indeed, the apology back in September sounded hollow, as did the BC apology last year.
Federally, $21,000 merely bought votes for the Progressive Conservative Party. Most survivors of Japanese internment camps thought it was a tax rebate.
Though there is news that Japantown will be rebuilt. However, any Japanese-Canadian thinking they'd get it for free is sorely mistaken, even though the city of Vancouver owes us Canadian-born Japanese big time.
I'd only live in Japantown IF it was subsidized housing and the city of Vancouver subsidized a rehab centre for the drug addicts who want to recover, regardless of who you are.
When that new Downtown Eastside housing development gets final hearing, I hope that the new tenants actually care for the people living in the area, apart from their fellow condo owners and shop keepers.
Maybe one of the new tenants of the development might even volunteer for the Lookout Society who manage the homeless shelters near Oppenheimer Park. Hopefully, none of this NIMBY nonsense will go on at this development, but I'll wait and see.
For the homeless and drug addicts of the Downtown Eastside are truly representative of the 99 percent, too.
References:
Japantown, Vancouver: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japantown,_Vancouver
Plans for New Downtown Eastside Housing Debated: http://www.vancourier.com/news/plans-for-new-downtown-eastside-housing-debated-1.710755#
Vancouver apologizes for Japanese internment: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Vancouver+council+apologizes+Japanese+Canadians+1942+support+internment/8958222/story.html
BC government apologizes to Japanese Canadians: http://www.straight.com/news/bc-government-apologizes-internment-japanese-canadians
20100527
My Grandfather
Unfortunately, they discovered that along with potential wealth came much discrimination towards Japanese immigrants. They were not allowed to serve the country they were loyal to in the Second World War, and were displaced to internment camps when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
Yet the family bribed the BC government to live in Lilooet, and after the war, settled in Vernon, BC, watched over by a WW1 vet.
20080330
The Japanese-Canadian Experience: March 24-April 20, 1942
Almost 71 years ago, from March 24 to April 20, 1942, a group of conscientious objectors and Japanese nationals were incarcerated in the Vancouver Immigration Building.
These men were unofficially arrested and detained at the building for almost four weeks, at which point they rioted and were declared "enemy aliens" and sent to Petawawa and Angler, Ontario, to live in the only prison camps in Canada.
In contrast, the "prison camps" of the Interior of BC were closer to the truth of being "internment camps". Though the American Japanese and even their Latin American contingent at Crystal City, Texas, were not forced to pay rent to live in American internment camps.
Yet revisionists within the Japanese-Canadian community have excised any reference to the 28 days these Japanese were in the Immigration Building. There is only a prison camp memoir and a fictionalized account of one person's time in the camp, but reference to these 28 days are missing from most Japanese-Canadian websites on the matter.
IMHO the reason for this "revisionism" is to honor the tradition of covering up a smell so it doesn't stink.
Well, I am uncovering the smell because this revisionism needs to be opened up to the world.
The Japanese-Canadian war experience taught the Canadian government that its War Measures Act was an anarchronism which it got rid of after the apology in 1988.
However, the following questions remain: Why has the BC government not apologized for the acts of racist BC MLAs during the war era? What really motivated the Christian Japanese Canadians to falsely claim the Japanese Buddhist community were potential enemy aliens? Was it done to make themselves feel patriotic or was the real reason to scapegoat the Shin Buddhists needlessly?
Historically, in Japan during the war era, pacifists among the Buddhists were spied on and arrested for "not supporting the war effort." In the end, the leader of Soka Gakkai, a grassroots peace movement based on Nichiren Buddhism and the ideas of its founder, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, were pro-peace and suffered for it in Japan. Tens of thousands of Japanese Buddhists were imprisoned for supporting peace.
In light of this, the false charges of the Christian Japanese-Canadians against the Buddhists show that the war had actually fractured the Japanese-Canadian community among religious lines.
Reference:
Tsunesaburo Makiguchi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunesaburo_Makiguchi
Japanese Canadian Internment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese-Canadian_internment
These men were unofficially arrested and detained at the building for almost four weeks, at which point they rioted and were declared "enemy aliens" and sent to Petawawa and Angler, Ontario, to live in the only prison camps in Canada.
In contrast, the "prison camps" of the Interior of BC were closer to the truth of being "internment camps". Though the American Japanese and even their Latin American contingent at Crystal City, Texas, were not forced to pay rent to live in American internment camps.
Yet revisionists within the Japanese-Canadian community have excised any reference to the 28 days these Japanese were in the Immigration Building. There is only a prison camp memoir and a fictionalized account of one person's time in the camp, but reference to these 28 days are missing from most Japanese-Canadian websites on the matter.
IMHO the reason for this "revisionism" is to honor the tradition of covering up a smell so it doesn't stink.
Well, I am uncovering the smell because this revisionism needs to be opened up to the world.
The Japanese-Canadian war experience taught the Canadian government that its War Measures Act was an anarchronism which it got rid of after the apology in 1988.
However, the following questions remain: Why has the BC government not apologized for the acts of racist BC MLAs during the war era? What really motivated the Christian Japanese Canadians to falsely claim the Japanese Buddhist community were potential enemy aliens? Was it done to make themselves feel patriotic or was the real reason to scapegoat the Shin Buddhists needlessly?
Historically, in Japan during the war era, pacifists among the Buddhists were spied on and arrested for "not supporting the war effort." In the end, the leader of Soka Gakkai, a grassroots peace movement based on Nichiren Buddhism and the ideas of its founder, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, were pro-peace and suffered for it in Japan. Tens of thousands of Japanese Buddhists were imprisoned for supporting peace.
In light of this, the false charges of the Christian Japanese-Canadians against the Buddhists show that the war had actually fractured the Japanese-Canadian community among religious lines.
Reference:
Tsunesaburo Makiguchi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunesaburo_Makiguchi
Japanese Canadian Internment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese-Canadian_internment
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