The Studies On Canadian Japanese Immigrants (1887-1941)

Japanese immigrants are a special ethnic group in the immigration history of Canada. This dissertation takes the Japanese immigrants and their descendants from 1887 to 1941 as the object of the study, introducing their immigration background and reasons, illustrating their immigration process, analyzing their assimilation and integration in the Canadian Society, and exploring the relationship between the Japanese immigrants and anti-Japanese movement in Canada as well. The motivation for immigration is to improve their economic status in the affluent environment of Canada, in contrast with terrible economic situation of Japan during the stage of social transition, in which the life of the lower class was at the edge of collapse. Generally speaking, the immigration process during this period could be divided into two stages, i.e., stage of sporadic immigration, stage of large-scale immigration. The second stage could be divided into contract immigration and free immigration. The extent of Japanese immigrant's assimilation and integration in the Canadian Society is rather low. From the perspective of their own, the reasons lie in the independent life-style, relatively isolated community as well as the strong identity of native culture. Subsequently, these reasons become the excuse for the exclusionist that Japanese immigrants should be excluded. In turn, the rise of anti-Japanese movement blocks the process of Japanese immigrants'assimilation and integration in the Canadian Society. From the view of the immigrant-receiving country, the white-supremacy racism and the inheritance of the prejudice and discrimination on yellow race since Anti-Chinese movement result in the break-out of anti-Japanese movement. Meanwhile, anti-Japanese movement is affected by the Canada-Japan relation. During that period, Canadians universally hold a fierce precaution against Japan and its subjects, for Japan as a great power becomes a threat to Canada national security. After the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1941, Canadian government declared war on Japan, which finally terminated the immigration from Japan to Canada completely.