By Mandy Shintani, Japanese Canadian War Committee Chair
The 2024 Remembrance Day ceremony and reception honoring Japanese Canadian (JC) veterans was a truly memorable event, marked by wonderful tributes and historic milestones. Held at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial cenotaph in Stanley Park, the ceremony brought together approximately 300 attendees. Thanks to a JCLS grant, Mike Yamauchi as project manager organized restoration work including replacing the mortar between the granite petals and assuring all the plaza stones were also mortared. The Bollards were freshly painted and it was wonderful that the lantern was relit for this year’s ceremony!
This annual commemoration was organized by the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in conjunction with the JC War Memorial Committee following in the footsteps of past Chair Linda Kawamoto Reid, who has orchestrated this event for 13 years with passion and dedication. The Remembrance Day ceremony is a longstanding tradition carried on by a committee made of descendants of veterans but Linda encouraged personal sharing and connection to the ceremony and the reception over the years.
Cecelia Point, from the Musqueam Nation then offered a land acknowledgment, playing the drum to honor veterans of both JC and Indigenous descent, emphasizing inclusivity and unity in remembrance.
Among the special guests were Donna Twemlow from Veteran’s Affairs and Consul General Yoshiaki Takahashi. The ceremony was also enriched by reflections by Reverend Roderick Hashimoto, Vancouver Konko Faith, Kevin Takahide Lee, a trained opera singer, leading O Canada and God Save the King, with Edward McIlwaine joining for his 21st year as bagpiper, and Bugler Bombardier Genevieve Schwarzbach’s performance of the Last Post and Rouse. Traditional readings followed, with Eileen Kitamura delivering In Flanders Fields.
MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert reminded us of the bravery of JC veterans who served Canada even as the country fell short of supporting them, urging all to live by their example in the hope of building a stronger community and country.
Wreath layers this year were:
- BESL Legion #9, Dave Mitsui and Meaghan Becker, grandson and great-granddaughter of Sgt Mitsui MM
- S-20 & Nisei Veterans Association, Mike Yamauchi, grandson of Peter Shoji Yamauchi
- Veterans Affairs Canada, Vancouver Office, Donna V. Twemlow
- Consul General of Japan, Consul General Yoshiaki Takahashi
- RCMP, Constable Tyson Perry
- MP Vancouver Center office of Hedy Fry, Aaron Wu
- MLA West End Coal Harbour, Spencer Chandra Herbert
- NAJC, Past President Lorene Oikawa
- Nikkei Place (NNMCC, NPF, NSHCHS), NSHCHS Executive Director Jay Haraga
- Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, Susanne Tabata
- St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon, Richard N. Liu & Farhang Ahadzadeh
- City of Vancouver, Councillor Pete Fry
- VPD & Mounted Squad, Inspector Marco Veronesi
- Vancouver Parks Board, Louvaine Kadonaga (on behalf of Parks Board)
- GVJCCA, President Cary Sakiyama
- Tonari Gumi, Board Chair Makiko Suzuki
- VJLS & Hall, Board Co-Chair Mike Uyeno
- Jodo Shinshu Temples of BC, President Ted Akune
- Vancouver Konko Faith, Jane Hashimoto
- Vancouver Japanese Christian Churches, Reverend Daebin Im
- Ohfukai, President Katsumi Kubo
- Poppy Wreath, Cathy Yamamoto
This year, we received positive coverage from Global City News.
The Reception
The ceremony was followed by a reception at the Vancouver Rowing Club, attended by about 150 guests. Delicious food was served and guests commented on “old fashion” futomaki and sandwiches from Yvonne Nakano and the manju was donated by the Vancouver Buddhist Temple.
The 2024 ceremony also marked the 75th anniversary of JC voting rights, recalling Second World War veteran George Tanaka’s activism for JC equality and freedom. A “compassionate human being…with unflinching courage” (Roy Ito, Stories of My People), Tanaka was instrumental in forming the Japanese Canadian Committee for Democracy and after the war became the Executive Secretary of the JCCA which helped secure voting rights federally in 1948 and in BC in 1949. Read More
Debbie Jiang presented next as a special guest from Richmond to highlight her passion project to ensure the addition of two JC First World War veterans’ names, Koyanagi and Harada, to the Richmond Cenotaph. Koyanagi and Harada were cousins who enlisted in 1916, fought in pivotal battles such as Vimy Ridge, and gave their lives in service to Canada. They are the first Japanese Canadian veterans to be included on the Richmond Cenotaph. Read More Relatives of these honored veterans were also in attendance including Diane Shikaze, Kumi Sutcliffe, Erica Sutcliffe, Darryl Shimbashi, Cheryl Shimbashi, Larissa Shimbashi, Carter Shimbashi and Kaison Shimbashi.
The event also honored two recent losses in the community: Kaye Kaminishi, the last of the storied Asahi baseball team members, and Grace Eiko Thomson, inaugural Director/Curator of the Japanese Canadian National Museum (current Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre). Their legacies live on as enduring symbols of resilience and advocacy. We were honored that Kaye’s daughter and son-in-law, Joyce and Ray Shimokura were present.
The 2024 Remembrance Day ceremony was a beautiful tribute to JC veterans and the dedication of the JC community in preserving this legacy.
We would like to thank the exceptional work of staff and volunteers
NNMCC staff: Sam Frederick, Kaelan Oxford, Kimiko Yoshino, Patrick Fujisawa, Danielle Jette, Lisa Uyeda, Nichola Ogiwara, Sherri Kajiwara.
Cenotaph volunteers: Shiho Hamaguchi, Jessica Wan, Arie Grewal, Stephen Nishio, Meaghan Becker, Garth Taylor, Derek Nishimura
Hosted by the NNMCC, NPF and JC War Committee: Mandy Shintani (incoming Chair), Linda Kawamoto Reid (past Chair) and her son Cameron Reid , Dave Mitsui, Mike Yamauchi, David Iwaasa and Justin Ault.
Reception volunteers: Akemi Eddy, Steve Bottomley, Mio Kosugi, James McChesney, Yumi Koyabu, Donna Nakamoto, Quinton Eagle, Yasuko Tamaki Proskow.
Live Streaming crew: Adam PW Smith, Brandan Fletcher, and Marc L’Esperance.
Contributions: Kami Insurance, Vancouver Buddhist Temple, NAJC, Veterans Affairs Canada, NNMCC, NPF
Photographs: Garth Taylor and Wendy Matsubuchi.
Watch the recording
Our sincere apologies for the technical issues with the live stream.
