Japanese Canadians in Pitt Meadows

Did you know that May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada? It’s a time for us to celebrate the contributions made by Asian Canadians in our province and acknowledge their achievements. In celebration here is a brief history of Japanese Canadians in Pitt Meadows.

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Around the 20th century, Japanese immigrants began arriving in Canada. Around the same time Pitt Meadows became a municipality (1914),Japanese Canadian farmers began to arrive in the area. Many of the Japanese farmers grew berries for a living. Most of these berries were strawberries. Some families, such as the Fujimoto’s, had arrived in the community as early as 1912. By the 1920s, Pitt Meadows had a vibrant Japanese Community with activities at the Japanese Canadian Meeting Hall which supported activities like farming and preserving their language. The Pitt Meadows Japanese Farmers' Association was organized in the 1920s for educational purposes and community activities. It provided information related to agricultural practices and skills through means such as seminars and brochures. Its leadership closely overlapped that of other organizations in the community such as the Japanese Language School. In 1928, it was united with other similar organizations of Japanese farmers in the Lower Fraser Valley under the Consolidated Farmers' Association of the Fraser Valley. The Association ceased to be active after the war broke out in the Pacific in December 1941, when all the Japanese Canadian organizations were ordered to stop operating. The Japanese Canadian Meeting Hall, which is located on Advent Road a short distance west from Harris Road was built in 1939 on two acres of land that had been purchased a few years earlier for $200.00.

By 1941, Japanese Canadians in the area were already limiting themselves due to government requirements. Notifications were given to the Japanese Citizens of the area of things to avoid such as: Shutting off lights at night and drawing the blinds, using candles instead of electric lights, not using telephones, not volunteering for the Canadian military, taking down your radio antennas, don’t write anything political, always bring your ID card, don’t bring any cameras in public.

In March 1941, all Japanese Canadians were required to register with the government and were fingerprinted and given ID cards that they would have to carry with them. Beginning on February 24th, 1942 (Order-In-Council P.C. 1486),around 21,000 Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from their home, and all people of Japanese ancestry (citizen or not) were to be removed from the 100-mile zone inland from the Coast. They were stripped of their property which was later sold off with the profits being taken from them. The Japanese had to give up their land, their hall, and most of their possessions when they were forced to leave Pitt Meadows during the War in 1942. The Pitt Meadows Japanese Canadian community had only a few short years to enjoy their Japanese Canadian Meeting Hall as it was expropriated by the government in 1942. In total, 238 Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from Pitt Meadows. They were then placed in internment camps where they would remain for the rest of the war. The Japanese were forced to pay to support their internment, with exploited labour or their funds. A lot of the Japanese were pressured into accepting mass deportation back to Japan rather than their homes on the Coast once the war ended or they were offered to settle outside of British Columbia. The Japanese were not allowed to return to the West Coast until April 1st, 1949. All the Japanese Canadians that once called Pitt Meadows home before the war never returned, some choosing to settle in their displaced places in Manitoba.

In 1988, the federal government officially apologized for its treatment of Japanese Canadians. A redress payment of $21,000 was made to each survivor. Today, the only reminder of their vibrant history in our community before the war is their Meeting Hall which still stands on Advent Road, a quiet reminder of those who once called Pitt Meadows home.

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The Japanese Canadians that were victims of internment from our community: Aishiro Eyemoto, Hanaye Eyemoto, Haruko Eyemoto, Haruyo Eyemoto, Itsuko Eyemoto, Mankichi Eyemoto, Sadako Eyemoto, Sakaye Eyemoto, Shigeru Eyemoto, Shinichi Eyemoto, Yasuko Eyemoto, Yoshiko Eyemoto, Hanae Fujii, Hilda Kimie Fujii, Hisao Fujii, Hyogoro Fujii, Katherine Teruko Fujii, Mary Yaeko Fujii, Sen Fujii, Stephen Tokio Fujii, Tomiko Fujii, Chiye Fujimoto, Hidehiko Fujimoto, Kunihide Fujimoto, Miye Fujimoto, Momi Fujimoto, Susumu Fujimoto, Chohei Fukuzawa, Kukutaro Hamano, Asako Hayakawa, Doris Ayano Hayakawa, Kin Hayakawa, Lena Hayakawa, Mary Sanae Hayakawa, Sukesaku Hayakawa, Caroline Kate Hinatsu, Elsie Maru Hinatsu, Hisako Hinatsu, Kazuo Hinatsu, Kinya Hinatsu, Nao Hinatsu, Yaichi Hinatsu, Hatsue Hirashima, Setsuko Hirashima, Tomio Hirashima, Torao Hirashima, Yumiko Hirashima, Chokichi Hosaka, Eleanor Eiko Hoshizaki, Helen Hiroko Hoshizaki, Kazuo Hoshizaki, Thomas Yasuo Hoshizaki, Ayako Ikeda, Billy Teru Ikeda, Riki Ikeda, Roy Sadao Ikeda, David Kazuo Ito, Ine Ito, Isematsu Ito, Kikuo Ito, Kikuye Ito, Tillie Teruko Ito, Toshio Ito, Yae Ito, Yoshio Ito, Yukiko Ito, Yukio Ito, Enpay Kaita, Fred Futo Kaita, Fred Reuzo Kaita, Hana Kaita, Kameyo Kaita, Kay Kazu Kaita, Kiichi Kaita, Mary Kaita, Reiki Kaita, Sonoye Kaita, Sue Kaita, Sukeichi Kaita, Sumire Kaita, Takaji Kaita, Yuwmu Kaita, Atsushi Kamiya, Frank Hiroshi Kamiya, Jiro Kamiya, Toneko Kamiya, Juichi Katsumoto, Kiyoko Katsumoto, Ryoji Katsumoto, Sato Katsumoto, Sunako Katsumoto, Fude Kishiyama, Haruko Kishiyama, Keiji Kishiyama, Kimiye Kishiyama, Masao Kishiyama, Hideo Kitagawa, Hisasuke Kitagawa, Itsu Kitagawa, John Hisaharu Kitagawa, Kokiku Kitagawa, Koume Kitagawa, Masaru Kitagawa, Seikichi Kitagawa, Yasujiro Kitagawa, Akimitsu Kobayashi, Haruaki Kobayashi, Margaret Setsue Kobayashi, Shigeno Kobayashi, Tokiye Kobayashi, Toshiharu Kobayashi, Tsumae Kobayashi, Fumie Kono, Masamichi Kono, Masaru Kono, Yasuharu Kono, Kimiye Kubota, Kiyoshi Kubota, Sawa Kubota, Takejiro Kubota, Atsuko Miaki, Hisako Minaki, Kikutaro Minaki, Shigeo Minaki, Shuji Minaki, Betty Kinuyo Miyada, James Kenichi Miyada, Shizuko Miyada, Yoshiharu Miyada, Shinichiro Mizuno, Tsuru Mizuno, Chizuko Mori, Kunizo Mori, Kyosuke Mori, Sumiyo Mori, Umeyo Mori, Haruji Morihira, Isako Naomi Morihira, Josephine Aiko Morihira, Kyoko Morihira, Tatsuko Morihira, Akira Nagamatsu, Denshin Nagamatsu, Goichiro Nagamatsu, Jean Michiyo Nagamatsu, Katsue Nagamatsu, Masaru Nagamatsu, Michiko Nagamatsu, Nellie Seiko Nagamatsu, Noboru Nagamatsu, Roy Tsutomu Nagamatsu, Sakuo Nagamatsu, Sumiko Nagamatsu, Taye Nagamatsu, Toruo Nagamatsu, Tsuruye Nagamatsu, Sam Toshio Nagata, Shizuko Nagata, Theodore Hiromu Nagata, Chizuko Nishizawa, Eichi Nishizawa, Grace Shizuko Nishizawa, Kane Nishizawa, Michiko Nishizara, Minoru Nishizawa, Shigeru Nishizawa, Susan Tsugiko Nishizawa, Ukichi Nishizawa, Umeko Nishizawa, Kazue Nishizeki, Kiyoshi Nishizeki, Misao Nishizeki, Seiji Nishizeki, Taka Nishizeki, Tokusaburo Nishizeki, Ko Osaki, Kyutaro Osaki, Torako Osaki, Hitoshi Saito, Kane Saito, Kay Kikue Saito, Kenichi Saito, Masao Saito, Michi Saito, Ryoko Saito, Senjuro Saito, Shohe Saito, Tatsuo Saito, Yoshihisa Saito, Asaye Sakamoto, Eddie Hiroji Sakamoto, George Kenneth Jujoji Sakamoto, Irene Hisaye Sakamoto, Kenneth Sakamoto, Kojiro Sakamoto, Lillian Yukiko Sakamoto, Masahiro Sakamoto, Shizuko Sakamoto, Wayne Hideo Sakamoto, Yoshio Sakamoto, Yumi Sakamoto, Ann Toshiko Shinyei, Genjiro Sugimoto, George Sugimoto, Hana Sugimoto, Lily Yuriko Sugimoto, Shigeaki Sugimoto, Toshiko Sugimoto, Hideko Suzuki, Kuni Suzuki, Mitsue Suzuki, Sadao Suzuki, Toshio Suzuki, Eiichi Tatsumi, Eiji Tatsumi, Suehiro Tatsumi, Suekichi Tatsumi, Toshiko Tatsumi, Yaeko Tatsumi, Yana Tatsumi, Yoshio Tatsumi, Chozo Teramura, Hisao Teramura, Kenzo Teramura, Kise Teramura, Fumio Yamada, Keizo Yamada, Kiyo Yamada, Miye Yamada, Nobuo Yamada, Tatsuo Yamada, Toshio Yamada, Yasujiro Yamada, Yukio Yamada, Isao Yamasaki, Mitsu Yamasaki, Yasushi Yamasaki, and Yoshizo Yamasaki.

238 residents of Pitt Meadows that were taken from our small community never to return. None of the displaced residents came back to Pitt Meadows following the war.