Japanese Canadians

Canadian censuses often recorded the ethnicity of individuals and their place of origin. For example, the 1911 Census recorded ethnic origin and the country or province of birth. Starting with the 1901 census, census enumerators asked people who were not born in Canada to provide their year of immigration.

LAC holds the records for all official Canadian censuses.

You can search for your ancestor by name.

• Select your census of choice
• Enter your name term in the Surname and/or Given name(s) fields.

Provincial and territorial government offices record births, marriages and deaths. These are also known as civil registration records. Those offices regularly transfer older records to the provincial or territorial archives.

You can find more information about the records in researching your ancestors in birth, marriage and death records.

Despite opposition, Japanese Canadians have a history of service in Canada’s military, in both the First and Second World Wars.

To find military records relating to Japanese Canadians, please consult:

First World War

• Personnel Records of the First World War database can be searched by name
• Additional files of interest can be found on our First World War: Personnel records page.

Second World War

• Service Files of the Second World War - War Dead, 1939-1947

For Second World War files of those who survived the war, submit an application through the Access to Information and Privacy Act.

Immigration and citizenship records often had information about ethnicity and place of birth. For more information, see:

• Immigration records (includes passenger lists and border entry records)
• Citizenship and naturalization records

Barred from professions such as law and pharmacy because they could not vote, Japanese Canadians became farmers, fishers, canners, loggers, miners, sawmill workers, contract gardeners, proprietors of cleaners, lodging houses, grocery stores and restaurants, as well as medical doctors, dentists, merchants, boat builders and teachers.

You might find information about Japanese Canadian businesses in city directories in your local libraries.

Japanese communities established community organizations and mutual aid societies. To find these records at LAC, go to Collection Search and try keywords such as Japanese and

• Society
• Organization
• Association

Here are some examples at LAC:

• Japanese Canadian Citizens Association
• National Association of Japanese Canadians

There were several Japanese Canadian newspapers. You can search Aurora to find these community newspapers by using key terms like “Japanese” plus “newspaper.” LAC holds some collections of Japanese Canadian community newspapers, including:

• Tairiku Nippō
• The New Canadian
• The Nikkei Voice

Some Japanese Canadian historical societies and communities have published their own histories. These publications can include stories that might help you better understand the experiences of your ancestors. They may also include information about specific individuals. You can search Aurora to find these publications. Try keywords like: Japanese, Issei, Nisei, genealogy, biographies.

We've prepared a list of examples from our Aurora catalogue to give you an idea of the types of books you might find. Each title in this list includes the author and the LAC call number.

• Click on a title in the list to open the full catalogue entry. If you scroll down, you'll see a list of other libraries that hold copies. You can also check your local library’s online catalogue.
• If the call number includes the word genealogy, the book is in the genealogy room at our Ottawa location.

Example of a call number: Genealogy Ref. - CS88 A2 A38 2003