Monument
Japanese Canadian Monument
“The legacy is living — in our stories, in our monuments, and in the lives of all who remember.” – Susanne Tabata
The monument is a key legacy project to permanently honour all 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were uprooted from their homes and communities in 1942, and stripped of all properties and possessions which were later sold, leaving little for these communities to return home to. After the war with Japan ended in 1945 many Japanese Canadians were forced east of the Rockies or exiled to Japan, a country that many of them had never known. This second uprooting lasted until April 1, 1949, when Japanese Canadians were given the right to vote and to move freely within Canada. This history needs to be told so that it doesn’t happen again to another group of people.
In 2022, JCLS consulting architect Jack Kobayashiof Kobayashi Zedda, worked with Susanne Tabata on the first predesign of the Monument, which greatly informed the scope and scale of the project. The BC Government, in partnership with the JCLS, selected the design team of Toronto-based architecture firm KPMB led by founding partner Bruce Kuwabara, who is working in collaboration with Vancouver-based landscape architect Kelty Miyoshi McKinnon of PFS Studio. Chandos Construction is the general contractor responsible for building the project.
With key proponents from central Canada and the west coast, the Monument team reflects the shattering and dispersal of the community.
The Wall of Names
When imagining this project, the sheer number of uprooted individuals demanded a large space capable of holding thousands of names. The centerpiece of the Monument is a 300-foot-long wall consisting of 100 granite panels. For the first time, the names of the nearly 22,000 uprooted Japanese Canadians will be presented together alongside over 3,000 children born during the internment era (1942 – 1949).
Descendant families will be able to see their ancestors grouped by their places of uprooting – from the fishing grounds of the north and central coast to the farms of the Fraser Valley – allowing for a symbolic return to the neighbourhoods and communities we once called home.
The names and locations engraved on the wall provide a stark illustration of a community torn apart by policies that were driven by a confluence of race, economics, and power. To set them in stone here is to ensure they are never again forgotten or marginalized. Once it opens, the Monument will be a place of pilgrimage where visitors and residents alike can sit in quiet contemplation.
Database of Names
In preparation for the Monument project, a research team at the University of Victoria, under the direction of Michael Abe developed a database of names from 14,500 Library and Archives Canada case files in addition to multiple databases. This research was ongoing from January 2023 through January 2024. This list of names contains Japanese Canadians who were uprooted and displaced. An additional list of those born in captivity from 1942 to 1949 was also developed. read more
Project Update
Ground was broken on the Monument in fall 2025 following a ground blessing ceremony by Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations with a cedar brushing witnessed by members of the Victoria Japanese Canadian community, including survivors and descendants.
The first granite panels are currently being installed, beginning on the east side of the park, steps from the home of one of Canada’s first documented Japanese Canadian immigrants. The panels, selected from a granite quarry in Quebec, are being engraved in the east before being shipped west on trucks. Trees and boulders have been selected, and landscaping and paving are set to begin shortly.
Monument Opening
Livestreamed Opening: Saturday, October 3
The community is invited to join us online for a nation-wide livestreamed opening ceremony. This virtual broadcast ensures that regardless of where you are, you can share in this historic unveiling.
How to Watch
The link to the livestream will be posted on our newsletter and website in September.
Public Access
Following the formal livestreamed dedication on October 3, the Monument and surrounding park will be officially open to the public.
Guided Tours
In-person guided tours will be provided on October 4, 5, 6, and 7. More information, including a reservation system, will be released in the coming months.
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News
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“It was a vision to honour everyone by name on a grand scale, where despite this history of the shattering of community, all families are able to find their loved ones and connect them to their place of uprooting. By honouring our people, most of whom have been lost to time, we reconnect their names to the communities we once called home, seeking healing across generations.” – Susanne Tabata, CEO, Japanese Canadian Legacies Society
