THE ASAHI TEAM REMEMBERED YV Introduction

The Asahi Internment Focus Asahi in Japanese means “morning In September 1939 the Second World The Asahi Baseball Club, a group of sun.” Five young Japanese men, four War erupted. declared war on Japanese Canadian Issei and one Nisei, formed the first Germany. The Asahi continued to play baseball players Asahi baseball team in , baseball and, for five consecutive years, who were interned B.C., in 1914. The Nisei loved the game defeated their competitors and won the during the Second because it was such a big part of North prized Northwest Pacific Champion- World War, is remembered today American culture and it was affordable ship. When Japan entered the war in for victories on the for working-class families. Some 1941 there was no warning that the baseball diamond parents had even played the game in Canadian government would soon in the face of Japan. Young players formed teams announce that all Japanese discrimination and under the Asahi organization. The were “enemy aliens” in their own racist attitudes. This youngest team was called the Clovers, country. Yet early in 1942, just after the News in Review report examines the next team was the Beavers, and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in the treatment of oldest and most advanced team was December 1941, 22 000 Japanese known as the Athletics. The Asahi Club Canadians were relocated to internment leading up to 1939, drew their players mostly from Little and labour camps. The Asahi Baseball their internment Tokyo in Vancouver, and played at Club was disbanded and never played during the Second World War, and the Athletic Park and Powell Grounds. In together again. actions of the general the Asahi were not power- The Canadian government announced Canadian govern- houses or heavy hitters, but they were that Japanese Canadians posed a threat ment concerning heroes to the Japanese Canadian com- to the country’s national security be- this community in munity. They dominated senior baseball cause Canada was at war with Japan. the years since the in the 1930s and 1940s by playing what Although there was no actual proof of war. became known as “brainball” because these allegations at the time, Japanese they relied on bunts, stolen bases, speed Canadians were given 24 to 48 hours YV Sections and precision fielding. The champion- notice of relocation. They gathered as marked with this ship-winning Asahi Baseball Club was many of their most beloved possessions symbol indicate popular with both Japanese Canadians as they could carry with them and said content suitable for and non-Japanese Canadians. During a goodbye to family members and younger viewers. time when Japanese Canadians were friends. frequently targets of racism—not being The Japanese Canadians lost every- allowed to vote, to teach, nor to work in thing. Their homes, businesses, and the civil service or other professions— property were sold, and they received the barriers of race came down when little or no money for what they had the ball was in play. These players owned. Their savings were taken, often taught their fans baseball strategy as used to pay for their travel to the intern- well as the true meaning of fair play ment camps, as well as paying for the and sportsmanship. The Asahi remain a day-to-day running of the camps. Their symbol of pride not only for Canada’s Canadian citizenship was revoked and Japanese Canadian community but also families were separated. The camps fans of baseball everywhere. were crowded, ill-equipped, dirty, and

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 43 secured by barbed-wire fences and Once the war was over Japanese Definitions guards. The Japanese Canadians often Canadians were pressured to move to Issei, Nisei, Sansei, lived in tents and huts without heat or Japan, a place many had never seen Yonsei: Japanese language terms water. before, or move to unfamiliar provinces used to describe Little by little, once some of the east of the Rockies. Most stayed in first-, second-, former Asahis overcame the shock of Canada and patiently rebuilt their lives third-, and fourth- being interned, bats and balls appeared and communities. Finally, in 1988, the generation settle- in the camps. Teams were formed and Canadian government made a public ment in Canada. internees gathered around at game time apology for its mistreatment of Japa- Nikkei means ethnically Japanese. to watch their favourite players. These nese Canadians during the Second Nikkei Kanadajin games served as a distraction from the World War. In June 2003 the Asahi means Canadians depressing reality of the camps and as a Baseball Club was inducted into the of Japanese ethnic- source of pride for the internees. It was Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and ity. This term is one way of fighting back. Museum. important because it separates ethnic- ity from citizenship To Consider and self-identifica- 1. Why might “barriers of race come down” during a baseball game? tion.

Further Research An excellent audio- visual summary of the Japanese Canadian experi- 2. What sports do you play where race or ethnicity is not an issue? ence can be found by visiting the CBC Digital Archives at www.cbc.ca/archives and going to the topic “Relocation to Redress: The 3. What is your opinion about the Japanese Internment in 1942? Internment of the Japanese Canadi- ans.”

4. What lessons might be learned from the story of the Asahi Baseball Club?

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 44 THE ASAHI BASEBALL TEAM REMEMBERED YV Video Review

1. Who were the Asahi? Answer the ques- tions on this and the following page 2. Why were the Asahi considered “heroes”? during the video. The discussion questions should be attempted after the video has been reviewed. 3. When did Japanese immigration to Canada begin?

4. List some of the hardships that Japanese Canadians, including the Asahi, had to face when they immigrated to Canada.

5. Where did the Asahi play baseball?

6. What made the Asahi so successful? Provide examples.

7. Explain the “David versus Goliath” reference mentioned in this video.

8. What was the cause of anti-Japanese sentiment in 1941?

9. What decision did Prime Minister King make that changed the lives of all Japanese Canadians?

10. Do you support his decision? Explain?

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 45 11. Make a list of what the Japanese Canadians lost during the Second World War.

12. Describe the conditions faced by the Japanese Canadians during intern- ment.

13. What type of work and leisure pursuits were the Japanese Canadians limited to during internment?

14. How were the internment camps funded?

15. What options did the Japanese Canadians have once they were released from the internment camps?

Post-viewing Discussion 1. If you had to defend the actions of the Canadian government in 1941, what would you say?

2. As a Japanese Canadian what choice would you have made, in terms of where you would settle, after you were released from the internment camps? Use specific reasons to support your answer.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 46 THE ASAHI BASEBALL TEAM REMEMBERED YV Timeline of Japanese Canadian History

From the time the Japanese first started 1900 Honma Tomekichi, a naturalized Definitions to consider Canada their new home, Canadian citizen, applies to be included Issei, Nisei, Sansei, they experienced opposition. Until the on the voters’ list. After refusal by the Yonsei: Japanese language terms eve of the Second World War they Collector of Voters, a used to describe managed to develop deep roots in judge declares ultra vires (without legal first-, second-, various communities and a deep love authority) a clause barring Asians from third-, and fourth- for Canada despite many challenges, voting, but this decision is later over- generation settle- including racism and riots. The Second turned by the Privy Council of Britain ment in Canada. World War gave those who feared or in 1902. Nikkei means ethnically Japanese. did not like the Japanese Canadians an 1903 Amid increasing public agitation Nikkei Kanadajin excuse to continue to treat them as against Asian immigrants, the British means Canadians enemies who did not belong. Columbia government makes a first of Japanese ethnic- ity. This term is attempt to impose the Natal Act, requir- important because Timeline ing immigrants to pass a written En- it separates ethnic- 1877 The first recognized Issei takes glish examination. ity from citizenship up permanent residence in Canada. He 1904 Japanese Canadian farmers begin and self-identifica- ran a gift shop, food store, and hotel in to settle in the Fraser Valley of B.C. tion. Victoria, British Columbia. 1905 The first Buddhist temple in 1883 The first Japanese immigrant is Canada opens in Vancouver. employed at the Hastings Sawmill in Vancouver, later the largest employer 1906 The first Japanese-language of Japanese immigrants in Canada. school is established in Vancouver. 1887 Steveston, British Columbia, 1906-1908 Emigration from Japan becomes the second-largest Japanese increases as a result of unemployment Canadian settlement before the Second following the Russo-Japanese War and World War. a widespread crop failure in Japan. More than 9 000 Japanese immigrants 1889 The first Nisei is born. enter Canada. Most immigrants settle in 1890s Issei establish stores, boarding British Columbia, but some settle in houses, and other businesses along the Southern Alberta, , and Montreal. streets of Vancouver, especially on 1907 (September 9) An anti-Asian Powell Street. This neighbourhood group gathers in Vancouver and inflicts becomes the major settlement of Japa- severe damage on Japanese immigrant nese Canadians until the Second World quarters. The riot is immediately fol- War. lowed by a general strike of 1893 First recorded strike takes place Vancouver’s Asian workers. in the fishing industry against Japanese Minister of Labour and future prime fishers. minister W.L. Mackenzie King is 1894 The first Christian church for appointed to head a Royal Commission Japanese immigrants opens in to assess the damages, and awards Vancouver. $9 000 for losses.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 47 1908 The Hayashi-Lemieux 1927 A report commissioned by the Further Research “Gentlemen’s Agreement” restricts British Columbia government, designed To learn more further Japanese immigration to 400 to prove that Japanese Canadians were about the current Japanese Canadian male immigrants and domestic servants taking over the province, finds that community, con- per year, plus returning immigrants and Japanese Canadians own 9 238 acres of sider visiting the their immediate family members. agricultural land valued at $1 252 063. Web site of the 1914 The Asahi Baseball Club is 1928 The “Gentlemen’s Agreement” is Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre at founded in British Columbia. It starts as modified to include family members in www.jccc.on.ca or a team for juveniles and becomes a the annual 150 quota. the Japanese powerhouse, winning a number of local 1931 The First World War veterans Canadian National championships. In those days the play- receive the franchise and become the Museum at ers are advised by their managers to www.jcnm.ca. only Japanese Canadians qualified to ignore racist remarks by fans and not to vote. argue with the umpires. 1938 In response to public agitation 1916 After being rejected in British against Japanese Canadians, the prime Columbia, approximately 200 Issei minister appoints a board of review to volunteers travel to Alberta to join investigate allegations of illegal entry of Canadian battalions of the British army Japanese citizens. After investigating and are shipped to Europe. Fifty-four 1 881 individuals, the board finds that are killed and 92 wounded. the allegations are unfounded. The first Nisei to graduate from a 1937-1941 The Asahi beat the best Canadian university as a qualified Japanese-American teams to claim the school teacher is unable to find employ- Pacific Northwest championship for ment, except teaching English in the five consecutive years. They become Nikkei community. heroes in the Japanese-Canadian com- 1919 Nikkei fishers control nearly half munity. the fishing licenses (3 267) in British 1939 On September 10 Canada de- Columbia. In response, the B.C. gov- clares war on Germany. ernment reduces the number of licenses to “other than white residents.” Over 1941 Of the 23 303 persons of Japa- the next five years, licenses to Nikkei nese origin in Canada, 75.5 per cent are continue to be reduced. Canadian citizens (60.2 per cent Cana- dian-born and 14.6 per cent naturalized 1923 The “Gentlemen’s Agreement” is citizens). reactivated after pressure placed by the British Columbia government upon the On January 7 a special committee of the federal government, and further immi- Cabinet war committee recommends gration is limited to 150 per year. that Japanese Canadians not be allowed British Columbia passes a resolution to volunteer for the armed services on proposing to limit the activities of all the grounds that there is strong public “Orientals” in the province. opinion against them.

Summarized from: www.najc.ca/ timeline.htm

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 48 Analysis 1. What evidence is there that Japanese Canadians experienced racism and discrimination in Canada?

2. If you were a Japanese immigrant in Canada sometime in the first three decades of the 20th century, would you have stayed in Canada or moved elsewhere? In one or two paragraphs answer this question in the form of a personal account. Support your answer with specific details and reason- ing.

Extension Activities 1. Research what happened to the Japanese Canadians after 1941. Extend the timeline up to circa 1960.

2. Research the history of Japanese Canadian enfranchisement. When were all Japanese Canadians granted the federal vote? Who was Canada’s prime minister at the time? What political party did he belong to? Com- ment on the reaction of the Canadian public at this time.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 49 THE ASAHI BASEBALL TEAM REMEMBERED YV The War Measures Act

Long before the Second World War, Most of the men were sent to labour Did you know . . . Japanese Canadians were often targets camps where they built roads. Women David Suzuki, one of racism and treated as second-class and children were confined to the of Canada’s best known scientists citizens. When Japan bombed Pearl internment camps. These camps were and media figures, Harbor in December 1941 a wave of extremely overcrowded. The four-by- was sent to an hysteria swept across Western Canada. eight-metre shacks people lived in were internment camp at Mackenzie King’s government was not built to protect them from the harsh Slocan B.C.? The pressured by anti-Japanese sentiment in Canadian winters and usually lacked experience encour- British Columbia, including the provin- electricity and running water. aged him to always work harder to cial government itself, to do something At the end of the Second World War, prove himself. He about the feared threat of “disloyal” in late 1945 and 1946, Japanese Cana- has been very Japanese Canadians. dian families reunited and either moved active in the fight In 1942 the Canadian government, eastward to the Prairies or . Six against prejudice through the War Measures Act and the thousand were sent to Japan. Many and discrimination in Canada. To learn Defence of Canada Regulations, spoke no Japanese and had never even more about rounded up 22 000 Japanese Canadians, seen the country. Anti-Japanese senti- Suzuki’s environ- forcibly evacuated them from their ment remained strong after the war. mental work visit homes, and relocated them in camps in With no homes or businesses the Japa- the David Suzuki the interior. This happened despite the nese Canadians were forced to start Foundation at www.davidsuzuki.org. fact that the RCMP had concluded that over with no assistance. They had to the Japanese Canadians were not spies, report to the RCMP if they were mov- enemy aliens, nor a threat to national ing any farther than 80 kilometres from Did you know . . . security. home. They did not obtain their citizen- The War Measures All Japanese-Canadian property, ship right away, and they did not get to Act has been including boats, cars, homes, busi- vote in federal or provincial elections applied on two nesses, and personal effects, was taken until 1949. Just as the RCMP had other occasions? It by the government and sold at auctions. concluded before Japan bombed Pearl was also used during the First Other Canadians bought their Harbor, there was still no evidence World War and the neighbours’ possessions. The Japanese found after the war of any Japanese October Crisis of Canadians saw little or none of the Canadians committing treason or being 1970. money collected from these sales. disloyal to Canada. In fact, some had These items were generally sold for a struggled to enlist and fight for Canada fraction of their true worth. in Europe. To Do 1. If you had 24-hours of notice of relocation to an internment camp and could only bring one suitcase, what five items would you pack and why?

2. Write a one-page letter from the point of view of either a Japanese Cana- dian mother, father, youth, young child, single male, or senior who has been separated from a family member. Include details about your day-to- day experiences by describing the impact relocation has had on your life. Comment on relevant aspects such as school, family, friends, work, mate- rial possessions, and/or health.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 50 Discuss 1. If you had to explain to a younger generation why internment took place in Canada from 1942 to 1945 what would you say? Discuss your thoughts with your classmates.

2. Assume that you are a reporter for the CBC and the Japanese Canadian community is commemorating an anniversary of internment. a) Develop a list of five questions you would ask an internment survivor.

b) Discuss with your classmates possible answers to your questions.

3. Discuss with your classmates the short- and long-term effects of intern- ment on the Japanese Canadians.

4. Do you think internment might ever happen in Canada again? Explain carefully.

Note: Be prepared to share the results of your discussions with the entire class.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 51 THE ASAHI BASEBALL TEAM REMEMBERED YV Profiles of Japanese Canadians

Ken Kutsukake how he felt about getting inducted into Known as “Catcha-catcha-Kutsukake,” the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame he Kutsukake was a catcher for the Asahi said, “It’s just tremendous pride, no Baseball Club from 1923 until 1941. In bitterness . . . that’s all finished now.” 1941 his father was declared a prisoner He is 81 years old, currently living in of war and sent to jail because he Kamloops, B.C., still playing softball, opposed internment, knowing it would and is the 10-time defending men’s separate him from his three children. doubles champion in badminton. When Kutsukake was interned with Source: “A new day of glory awaits famed only 24 hours of notice he took with Asahi baseball team,” Dan Girard, Toronto him his catcher’s equipment and his Star, June 15, 2003 Asahi jersey. When internment ended Kutsukake travelled to Toronto and Jiro Watanabe worked in the travel agency business. Watanabe was born to a sawmill fore- He continued to stay involved in base- man in Fraser Mills, B.C., in 1924 and ball, playing and managing teams. In began playing trombone at an early age. 1972 he organized an Asahi reunion. Watanabe’s family was split up during When asked how he felt about being the Second World War, and he ended inducted into the Canadian Baseball up with his brothers in a labour camp in Hall of Fame he said, “We can’t change Northern Ontario while his sisters and the past. What’s done is done . . . but parents remained in B.C. The family this helps erase the bitterness, that’s for was reunited after the war and they sure.” He is 92 years old and currently moved to Montreal where Watanabe living in Toronto. went to high school with jazz musician Oscar Peterson. He studied at McGill Source: “A new day of glory awaits famed Conservatory of Music, moved to Asahi baseball team,” Dan Girard, Toronto Star, June 15, 2003 Toronto, and taught at the music school that Peterson opened. His distinguished Kaye Kamanishi career as a musician included playing In the mid 1930s Kamanishi’s family with the Peter Appleyard Orchestra, owned a lumber mill on Vancouver Nimmons ’N’ Nine, the Rob Island and ran a rooming house near the McConnell Boss Brass, Oscar Peterson, Powell Street baseball park. He joined and Anne Murray. Peter Appleyard the Asahi Baseball Club at age 16 in called him “one of the jazz legends in 1939 and was dubbed the “Vacuum Canada.” Trumpeter and friend Erich Cleaner” for his talent as a shortstop. Traugott said of Watanabe: “Once he The family lost the mill in 1942 during started telling me about the time he the internment and received just a spent in the (internment) camp, how he fraction of what it was worth. They worked in the kitchen and had to butter were ordered to pay their own way to the bread with a paintbrush, then he just the internment camp in Lilloet, B.C. stopped and said ‘I want to forget about Kamanishi continued to play ball during that.’ ” Watanabe died on November 5, internment and organized games against 2002, at the age of 78. the RCMP and local residents. After Source:“Jazzman Jiro Watanabe played with the internment he remained in B.C. and greats,” Ashante Infantry, Toronto Star, Decem- played baseball until 1954. When asked ber 4, 2002

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 52 Sid Kiyoshi Ikeda Source: “A culture in full bloom ‘When I but see In 1945 when the After the Japanese bombed Pearl Har- the blossoms my heart’s sorrows disappear,’” war ended, Japa- Nicholas Keung, Toronto Star, April 17, 2001 nese Canadians, bor in 1941, Ikeda’s family was taken most of whom from their home in downtown were born in Vancouver and placed in stables in Canada and lived in Vancouver’s Hastings Park. Three When Moriyama was 12 years old his B.C., were pres- months later they were moved to an father was taken as a prisoner of war in sured to either internment camp called Tashme Place his own country—Canada. In 1942 his leave the province in B.C. Ikeda’s father died in 1943. family lost their home and their hard- and move eastward ware store when he, his sisters, and his or were deported “When the war was over, we left the to Japan. Whether internment camp. The Canadian gov- mother were sent to a series of intern- they stayed in ernment said to us, ‘Forget your culture ment camps for Japanese women and Canada or moved and become a Canadian Canadian,’ so children. After the war Moriyama to Japan these we tried to lose our identity.” “I tried became a student of architecture and internees experi- very hard not . . . to be Japanese.” urban planning, graduating from the enced discrimina- Ikeda’s family moved to Toronto after in 1954 and tion and racism, the war, and Ikeda put himself through McGill University in 1957. He started a just as they had company named Moriyama and before the war. school while working full time to They were relo- support himself and his family. Eventu- Teshima Architects. His first commis- cated and received ally he became an engineer and Eaton’s sion was the Toronto Japanese Cultural little or no support national manager of Energy Conserva- Centre in 1958. Included in the build- for resettlement. tion and Environmental Programs. In ings his company has designed are the Starting life over 2001 Ikeda became the special ambas- , Ontario under these circum- sador of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Science Centre, and the Bata Shoe stances was ex- Centre in Toronto. When asked about Museum in Toronto. When asked about tremely challeng- his feelings of the past and present he ing. the mistreatment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War he says, says, “You can’t hate your own (fellow “I never had any anger.” But he does Canadians), and besides, hating some- add that the Redress Agreement in 1988 one or something never works in your has helped. “I believe in friendship favour.” Moriyama is 73 years old and through cultures. If we can do that, we living in Toronto can show the world that all peoples can Source: “An architect’s reflections on Canadian work together and bring peace and life,” Mary McGrath, Toronto Star, May 8, 2000 harmony and prosperity.” Discussion 1. Make a list of three things each of these internees have in common. Discuss this list with your classmates. 2. a) Why do you think the internment survivors mentioned above stayed in Canada after the war ended? b) If you were a Japanese Canadian who survived internment would you have stayed in Canada or moved to Japan? List reasons to support your answer. 3. What significant impact did the internment have on the people described and quoted above? 4. What personal qualities or characteristics are necessary in order to live a successful life after an experience such as being wrongfully interned and then continuing to experience discrimination after the internment has ended? Make a list and share it with your classmates.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 53 THE ASAHI BASEBALL TEAM REMEMBERED YV Redress

By the mid 1970s the 30-year ban on resolved to lobby for a redress agree- Definition access to many Canadian Second World ment that would include According to the War documents was over. Historian acknowledgement of injustices endured Canadian Oxford Paperback Diction- Ann Gomer Sunahara completed her during and after the Second World War, ary, redress means research in the National Archives of financial compensation, amendments to to remedy or rectify Canada and wrote a report titled “The both the War Measures Act and the a wrong. Politics of Racism.” Sunahara summa- Charter of Rights and Freedoms so no rized memos and reports that indicated other Canadian would have to endure that the Japanese internment in Canada what they did. Further Research To learn more during the Second World War was The Redress Agreement was negoti- about the current politically motivated and not put into ated between the Canadian government concerns and place as a security measure as the and the NAJC. It was signed in the activities of the federal government would have liked House of Commons on September 22, NAJC, go to everyone to believe. 1988. This agreement included an www.najc.ca. The Around this same time the Japanese official public apology, a payment of Canadian Race Relations Founda- Canadian community was celebrating $21 000 to each survivor, $12-million tions is at the 100-year anniversary of the first to the Japanese Canadian community, www.crr.ca. It Japanese immigrant, Manzo Nagano, applications for the granting of citizen- provides informa- settling in Canada. There also began a ship to eligible persons of Japanese tion about current redress movement in the United States ancestry who were expelled from issues in Canada and the world. to seek a public apology and a financial Canada or who had their citizenship Check out the settlement for Japanese Americans from revoked during the years of the Second special information the U.S. government in 1980. These World War, acceptance of requests for pages for youth. were contributing factors that enabled the clearing of names of eligible per- the Japanese Canadian community to sons of Japanese ancestry who were gain the confidence they required to convicted of violations under the war build momentum for a redress move- Measures Act, $24-million for a jointly ment. funded Canadian Race Relations Foun- The official campaign for redress was dation to foster racial harmony, and a five years in length. It began in 1984 at replacement of the War Measures Act a meeting of the National Association with the new Emergencies Act. of Japanese Canadians (NAJC). They

To Do 1. Define Redress Movement.

2. In groups, take on the identity of one of the following groups: Japanese Canadians who experienced internment, Japanese Canadians who were not alive during internment, non-Japanese Canadians who were in Canada during the internment or non-Japanese Canadians who were not alive during internment. Discuss with your classmates whether or not your group would have been satisfied with the Redress Agreement in 1988 and why.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 54 3. There are other ethnic groups in Canada—Ukrainians, Italians, Doukhobors, Chinese, and Aboriginal Canadians, to name a few—who believe they also deserve a public apology and/or financial compensation for human-rights violations inflicted upon them by past Canadian govern- ments.

a) Research one of these Canadian groups. Explain the human right(s) that have been violated and the type of compensation they are requesting. Also, note how the Canadian government has responded to their re- quests. Do you agree with the government’s response to this group?

b) In one paragraph explain whether or not you think all Canadian groups with complaints of human rights violations against the Canadian gov- ernment should be heard and compensated. Carefully support your views.

CBC News in Review • September 2004 • Page 55