July 23, 1931 – March 2, 2012
Jim Nishihara was born in Vancouver. His Japanese name was Masaku. His mother was Aiko Nishihara (maiden name Komiyama). His stepfather, Yasushi Nishihara, was a carpenter who worked at a sawmill. Jim had two half brothers, and four half sisters. He attended school in Vancouver and was interned with his family at Tashme when he was 11 years old.
Jim attended school in Tashme and participated in the judo club at the camp. His stepfather built some of the houses in Tashme. Jim left school when he was in grade 9. He later obtained a high school diploma through night school. After he left Tashme, he worked in a sawmill in Merrit, B.C.
Jim enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces as soon as he met the age requirements. After a year of training in Canada, Jim was sent overseas to participate in the Korean War where he worked with the Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps (RCAPC). Part of his job was to distribute pay, in cash, to the soldiers in the camps. For this job, he had to carry a weapon, as well as the bag containing cash. He recalled some frightening incidents in Korea when Canadian soldiers were badly outnumbered by their opponents in combat.
Jim’s son remembers that after his father returned from Korea, he was posted briefly to Japan.
Jim worked in the Canadian military for most of his career. He had many postings, including to Vernon (where he met his wife), Vancouver, Germany, Gagetown, New Brunswick, and Esquimalt. Because of his fluency in Japanese, Jim was appended to the Canadian Navy and greeted Japanese and Korean sailors when they landed in Esquimalt.
When Jim retired from the military in the early 1980s, he moved to Vancouver and worked in finance and auditing at several businesses. He also worked at the BC Ministry of Transport and Highways as a rates examiner. Jim had a son and a daughter. Some of his volunteer work centred around his family: with the Scouting movement, sports, and church. Jim volunteered with Japanese Canadian groups in Vancouver and kept in touch with many of his army friends, including Korean War veterans Dick Nakamura and Ray Nakamoto.
