British Columbia unveils monuments honoring Japanese Canadian history

New commemorative installations have been unveiled in British Columbia to honor the history of Japanese Canadians who were forcibly uprooted and interned during the Second World War.

In Victoria, a new monument featuring a 300-foot-long ‘Wall of Names’ is opening near the BC legislature. Developed by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS) and the provincial government, the monument includes 100 granite panels listing the names of nearly 22,000 individuals displaced from the BC coast starting in 1942, as well as more than 3,000 children born during the internment era. The names are organized by their original communities to connect descendants with their ancestral locations.

Additionally, a new mural titled ‘Remembering and Honouring Japanese Canadians in Chemainus’ was unveiled in Chemainus. The installation depicts scenes of the local Japanese community prior to the war, including their roles in the forestry and fishing industries. The project, funded by the JCLS and managed by the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society, aims to highlight Japanese Canadian history in communities beyond the more commonly recognized internment sites.