Japanese Canadians Serving in World War II

Toru Iwaasa joined the Royal Canadian Engineers Canadian Army at Lethbridge on June 10, 1941 and served in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Continental Europe until February 20, 1946.

Galt Museum & Archives, 19800018000.

Prior to the bombing of the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by the Imperial Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941, many young Japanese Canadian men had enlisted and were accepted in the Canadian armed forces when Canada declared war against Germany (September 10, 1939). Once Canada joined the allied war effort against Japan on December 7, 1941 many were demoted to routine service on Canadian bases.

Japanese Canadians Serving in World War II (Transcript)

Audio transcript features Flo Senda speaking about some who joined the army, 1988

Galt Museum & Archives 19971071001

“ When war was declared in Europe, and all through the war years I remember my father going out on Victory Drives. I don’t think the loyalty of the people was ever doubted in the Raymond area. The immigrant was called ‘first generation.’ Those of us that were born here in Canada were called ‘second generation’ or Nisei. And among the Nisei there were several that joined the army. There was Joe Takahashi. He wasn’t sixteen years of age at the time yet but he lied about his age, got into the army. I think he got as far as Halifax, they sent him back because he was underage and he had to do that, I think, twice before they finally took him overseas. His brother Shin?? , older brother Shin, went overseas. Toru Takahashi, Harry Higa, there are others I can’t remember. George Higa went overseas in the Asian theatre of war. ”