By Mandy Shintani, Chair, Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee
The 2025 Remembrance Day ceremony and reception honouring Japanese Canadian (JC) veterans was a truly memorable event that was blessed with an unusually sunny November day, thoughtful tributes, and a deep sense of shared history. This year marked significant milestones for our community with both the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War.
Held at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial cenotaph in Stanley Park, the ceremony saw a remarkable increase in attendance of approximately 500 attendees, with another 220 viewers joining via livestream. Thanks to a JCLS grant, restoration and cleaning of the cenotaph continued this year and will be fully completed for next year’s service.
Honouring Service and Legacy
The ceremony, organized by the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in partnership with the JC War Memorial Committee, began with a powerful taiko performance by Shinobu Homma and Koki Endo, followed by a land acknowledgment and drumming by Cecilia Point of the Musqueam Nation, who reminded us of the intertwined injustices faced by both Indigenous peoples and Japanese Canadians.
David Iwaasa moderated the ceremony with his usual grace. When asked why he continues to volunteer, he shared a deeply personal reflection:
“For me, as a Japanese Canadian, the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park has a very personal meaning. It doesn’t commemorate some lofty principle or distant war. My great-uncle fought in the First World War to win the right to vote and be recognized as a full citizen. My father served in the Second World War even though his cousins and uncle in BC had been forcibly removed, dispossessed, and exiled. And my own son served in Afghanistan. I volunteer so that my grandchildren will remember what their direct relatives sacrificed so that they can enjoy the rights and privileges they have today.”
Reverend Tatsuya Aoki, Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of BC, offered reflections, and opera singer Kevin Takahide Lee led the national anthem and God Save the King. Edward McIlwaine returned for his 22nd year as piper, and Bombardier Genevieve Schwarzbach performed the Last Post and Rouse. Eileen Kitamura eloquently read In Flanders Fields, as she has done since around 2002 following in the footsteps of her mother Winnie Taguchi, and David Mitsui delivered the Act of Remembrance. David noted:
“Remembrance Day is a personal journey for me. My grandfather, Sgt. Masumi Mitsui, president of Legion #9, fought for the franchise for JC First WW veterans in BC in 1931, opening the door to equality for future generations. When he re-lit the eternal flame in 1985 at age 97, as the last surviving JC veteran of the 1st WW, he said, ‘I have done my last duty for my comrades…they are gone but not forgotten.’ I am particularly proud to lay a wreath every year for Legion #9 with my daughter, Meaghan Becker”
MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert reminded attendees of the courage of JC veterans who served despite the injustices of internment and encouraged all to choose peace over fear.
Wreath Presentations
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, and Susan Yatabe, daughter of Eiji Yatabe
Private Sentaro Omoto Sumiye “Sue” Ito, Joanne Vlahovic, and Christine Ito, daughter and granddaughters of Private Sentaro Omoto
Veterans Affairs Canada, Vancouver Office Leo Kiu
Consul General of Japan Consul General Yoshiaki Takahashi
RCMP Reserve Constable Peter Somerville, Staff Sergeant Kimball Matsumoto, and Staff Sergeant Major David Koga
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 Interim President Hiroshi Yamamoto
Japanese Canadian Legacies Society Susanne Tabata
St. John Ambulance BC & Yukon Richard N. Liu, Farhang Ahadzadeh, and Vincent Liu
City of Vancouver Councillor Lisa Dominato
VPD & Mounted Squad Inspector Erin Holtz
Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Scott Jensen
GVJCCA President Cary Sakiyama
Tonari Gumi Board Chair Makiko Suzuki
VJLS & Hall Board Advisor Mike Uyeno
Jodo Shinshu Temples of BC Reverend Tatsuya Aoki and President Ted Akune
Vancouver Konko Faith Reverend Roderick Hashimoto
Vancouver Japanese Christian Churches Reverend Clare Morgan and Reverend Daebin Im
Ohfukai President Kenichi Matsuo
Poppy Wreath Cathy Yamamoto
Reception and the NAJC Award of Merit
The reception at the Vancouver Rowing Club was filled to capacity, with over 200 guests enjoying a wonderful spread including futomaki which many people described as “prepared the way my grandmother made it” as well as mochi and manju, again donated by the Vancouver Buddhist Temple.
A major highlight was the surprise presentation of the NAJC Award of Merit to Linda Kawamoto Reid, announced by past NAJC presidents David Mitsui and Lorene Oikawa. Linda was recognized for her longstanding leadership and service, particularly her work as Chair of the War Memorial Committee, where she fundraised for significant restorations to the Japanese Canadian war cenotaph, pivoted to using livestreaming of Remembrance Day to reach over a thousand viewers during COVID, and championed research documenting the history and stories of JC veterans. In addition, in her years as Reference Archivist at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, she played a vital role in preserving and sharing Japanese Canadian history through research, exhibits, and publications. (To see the long list of Linda’s contributions, visit the NAJC website.)
Visibly moved, Linda later shared a heartfelt reflection:
“The NAJC award of merit is a great honour, I humbly receive it, knowing there are many other folks who are not recognized for this work. The passion to preserve Japanese Canadian history has been about ‘purposefully doing what I can with what I have at my disposal’, so it has been a very fun ride with like minded folk. It has been my Ikigai! Honto ni Domo Arigato Gozaimashita.”
Her words were met with warmth and enthusiastic applause, reflecting the community’s appreciation for her decades of service.
Honouring Second World War and Korean Veterans
The program concluded with a well researched presentation by Susan Yatabe, who travelled from Ontario to speak. Susan reflected on the courage and determination of JC soldiers who enlisted during the Second World War and Korean War despite being permanently displaced from their homes. She added:
“It is an honour to speak, especially on an anniversary year. Most JC soldiers who enlisted had already lost their homes, who were treated terribly and yet they were eager to serve this country. On Remembrance Day, I think about my grandfather Saburo Shinobu, an activist, and my father and uncle, Eiji and Minoru Yatabe, who were S-20 veterans and I am so proud of what they did to ensure that Canadians could live in peace and freedom.”
New street banners honour Japanese Canadian veterans
The 2025 ceremony was a moving tribute to JC veterans and a testament to the community’s commitment to preserving their legacy. We were incredibly proud to see the debut of new street banners honouring Japanese Canadian veterans of the First and Second World Wars, which are installed in Vancouver’s downtown core on West Georgia St. between Richards St. and Burrard St. Although the banner program was a Veterans Affairs initiative, we want to recognize Debbie Jiang for her dedication in amplifying the opportunity within the Japanese Canadian community and supporting families through the application process. Her efforts helped ensure broad participation and meaningful representation. The project was featured in Nikkei Voice, CTV News, CBC News, and CBC Radio’s As It Happens. By next Remembrance Day, Debbie would like to expand the banner program by locating descendants to include more JC veterans.
To view the live recording of the Remembrance Day service, please visit the NNMCC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/A6qLaXbr_P8
With the three-year cenotaph restoration and cleaning scheduled for completion in 2026, we look forward to a large celebration at next year’s Remembrance Day reception and to continuing our shared promise to remember the untold stories of Japanese Canadians and honour those who served.
We would like to thank the exceptional work of staff and volunteers
Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee: Mandy Shintani (Chair), David Iwaasa, David Mitsui, Justin Ault, Susan Yatabe, Mike Yamauchi (member until summer, 2025)
NNMCC staff: Sam Frederick, Marika Bise, Kimiko Yoshino, Danielle Jette, Sakura Taji, Lisa Uyeda, Mike Ogawa, Richard Haengphosakul, Patrick Fujisawa, Nichola Ogiwara, Sherri Kajiwara.
Cenotaph volunteers: Andy Hirai, Arie Grewal, Nanako Sumi, David Mitsui, Meaghan Becker, Garth Taylor, Mike Yamauchi, Linda Kawamoto Reid, Cameron Reid
Reception volunteers: Aurora Tenorio, Yui Hanamura, Karen Shimokura, Steve Bottomley, Donna Nakamoto, Quinton Eagle, Yasuko Tamaki Proskow, Naoko Tsuji, Joyce and Ray Shimokura
Live Streaming crew: Adam PW Smith, Brandan Fletcher, and Marc L’Esperance.
St. John Ambulance First Aid Volunteers: Marnie Wang, Brock Thorn
Contributions: Kami Insurance, Vancouver Buddhist Temple, NAJC, Veterans Affairs Canada, NNMCC, NPF
Photographs: Garth Taylor, Stuart Craig, Harriet Miyagawa, and Wendy Matsubuchi.
