Japanese Canadian Military Service

Two groups of Japanese Canadian soldiers participated in the Second World War. These included nisei and some issei.

The first group of soldiers, enlisting in provinces other than British Columbia, served in Europe before the Pearl Harbor attacks.  From 1942 until 1945, nisei were banned from participating in the Canadian Forces.  Many attempted to join but were turned down.  In January 1945, under great pressure from the British and Australian armies, the Canadian government secretly and with great reluctance allowed a second group of Japanese Canadians to enlist in the Canadian military, but only as language specialists. The first contingent of twelve volunteers from this group, sent to India, were urged to sign up as members of the British army so that they could not demand the vote on their return from service.

Most of those who enlisted in 1945 served in India, southeast Asia, and occupied Japan.