As President of the National Association of Japanese Canadians in 1988, Art Miki was one of the key architects of the Redress agreement with the Government of Canada, signing the historic document alongside Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on September 22 of that year. In a new book, Gaman – Perseverance, Japanese Canadians’ Journey to Justice, Miki shares the intense negotiations leading up to the settlement, through the lens of his past experiences and family history, from being a youth in British Columbia during the 1940s, to an educator in Manitoba post-war, and ultimately a community leader across Canada. Detailing his involvement with Indigenous communities and the dispute that would lead to the historic Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, his foray into politics during the 1990s, and his role as a Canadian citizenship judge, Miki recounts a life of activism guided by his own experiences and deeply-held beliefs, shaped in part by his family’s wartime experiences.

Bulletin Interview: Art Miki

by John Endo Greenaway

I remember being in Winnipeg and meeting you for the first time. I was with Katari Taiko and we were performing at Folklorama at the Japan Pavilion. I think you were the mayor of the pavilion, and you were wearing a yukata as I recall. I was still very new to the community in those days, and it was all very exciting, travelling to another JC community and sharing what was at the time an art form not many people had even heard of. This would have been the early eighties, some years before the Redress agreement. In retrospect, those were pretty seminal times for the community. It was as if the community was rousing itself from a long hibernation. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. What stands out to you from those post-Centennial years, in terms of the mood in the community and where you were in your life?

In the early sixties when I became a teacher there was an assumption by the students that being Japanese you were culturally different and knew things like martial arts. With these expectations I decided to become more active in the Japanese Canadian community and joined the Manitoba Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association board and participated in cultural activities. I even took up judo. I guess I was trying to live up to the stereotypes that students had about Japanese Canadian people. I remember attending board meetings that were conducted in Japanese. I had to sit beside someone who could translate for me as I didn’t understand the Japanese language. However, this experience in learning about the community was valuable and during the Centennial year I represented Manitoba on the national Centennial body. I became more aware of the internment period and that motivated me to arrange seminars and workshops within the Manitoba Japanese Canadian community, bringing in speakers such as Tom Shoyama, Gordon Hirabayashi, Ann Sunahara, especially for the sansei who had no understanding how and why they lived in Manitoba. I recall sessions where young people were upset because their parents had never talked about the past and were reluctant to speak about it, especially about the internment period. My parents gave us some inkling of their past experiences when their friends visited and talk informally about their life in British Columbia or when my mother’s cousin would stay with us, sometimes for several months, as they were moving to the East after the camps closed. I overheard many of their conversations about their internment experiences and about my father’s nisei friend who joined the army. I think it this exposure that motivated me to get involved with the redress movement.

What has it been like for you, sifting through the past to come up with the contents of the book? I hope you were taking notes as you went!

I started writing the manuscript for the book, especially the section on the redress negotiations, in 1993 but had kept running notes of the events leading up to the announcement in the House. I started the manuscript as a documentation of the redress movement but then it laid dormant for many years although on occasion, I would add more details. It wasn’t until COVID and feeling guilty about not completing the manuscript that I decided to take advantage of the time to fully commit myself to getting the job done. Because of the lapse of time I decided to expand it into a memoir and include other areas of involvement following redress.

Is there a moment, or moments, from your early years that shaped you in terms of how you saw the world and led you to the life or service that you have pursued?

The first time my interest was peaked was during the Centennial year when I learned so much of our past history and the injustices that my grandparents, parents and the Japanese Canadian community encountered during the Second World War. That was motivation for me to participate nationally. The other moment was during the very early stages of redress when struggle for political power within the Japanese Canadian community led to divisions and conflicts. That was when I was persuaded to take the leadership role as President of the National Association of Japanese Canadians.

You and Maryka Omatsu, who was also a key player in the Redress negotiations, have been heavily involved in the Japanese Canadian Legacies initiatives that are now underway in BC and across the country. How do you see the JC Legacies work being done now in relation to the 1988 Redress movement and ultimate agreement in terms of how they share elements but are also very different?

The 1988 redress movement focused on ensuring that victims whose basic rights were violated and suffered pain, loss and humiliation through the government’s unjust policies received individual compensation and the recognition that the community on the West coast was destroyed with a fund for revitalization. The JC Legacy fund places a greater emphasis on assisting the survivors whose lives were significantly altered by the actions and attitudes of the BC government and politicians. Although there is support for the survivors who resided in BC in 1942 and those born in Canada up to April 1, 1949, there are significant funding opportunities nationally related to education, heritage; community and culture and for seniors’ health and wellness. For me, being involved with the BC redress committees and achieving a $100 million redress legacy package through tremendous efforts by key leaders such as Susanne Tabata, Paul Kariya and Lorene Oikawa, finally brought closure for the internment survivors by the governments, nationally and provincially, acknowledging and apologizing for the past wrongs. The funds are a tremendous boost to assist in strengthening community structures and organizations and for Japanese Canadians to develop and to enhance their talents and creativity.

The sansei are becoming the new elders and there’s a new generation coming up with a completely different view of the community and the world. If I can ask your to generalize, what’s your view on the community today? 

I have noticed that the JC Legacy fund projects have opened the doors for many of the younger generation to become engaged with the administration of the funds and on advisory and assessment committees. It is heartening to see yonsei and gosei, many who not been involved with the Japanese Canadian organizations until now, taking an active role in various aspects of the projects. The Japanese community in Canada is so small that in order for the Japanese Canadian community organizations to survive we need to encourage and invite Japanese immigrants to become active in community activities. I find in Winnipeg that many take advantage of the Japanese language program for their children and participate in cultural and social activities such as Obons and Folklorama. I know that local organizations have to make activities relevant to the new generation and need to encourage the yonsei to take on leadership roles. The funds from the JC Legacies to the NAJC is meant for local leaders to develop capacity for future sustainability and relevance. 

Is there something that you are most proud of, looking back over the years, in terms of what you have accomplished?

Certainly, being involved with the successful redress agreement and being in the House of Commons on September 22, 1988 to hear the acknowledgement and apology by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was an accomplishment that I will always remember and cherish. Another accomplishment that I’m proud of is as an educator. In 1974, I was appointed as principal to a new Harold Hatcher Elementary School that was still in the building stage in Transcona Springfield School Division. I was given the freedom by the Superintendent, Vera Derenchuk, to establish a school setting different from the traditional grade system to what I called a non-graded system where the emphasis was on family groupings and individualized learning. I was able to hire teachers who supported the educational philosophy that was the basis for learning process. I held parent meetings to explain the educational philosophy and convinced the parents the benefits of this system.  Today, I hear most often from students and parents who had associations with Harold Hatcher School and talk fondly of their experience. Just recently, I ran into a former student and his father at the gym that I go to. He approached me and told me I was his principal and thanked me because he indicated that those were his best school years. His father agreed with him. It was over 40 years ago when he attended Harold Hatcher School and to hear the positive impact that this school had on him was rewarding to hear. 

Is there anything you look back on and say, gee, I never saw that coming !

After my attempt to be a politician and to lose by a narrow margin in the 1993 federal election when the Liberals under Jean Chretien was elected, a friend told me that I was likely meant to lose and that something better was in store. Four years later I received a call from the Privy Council in Ottawa and the woman congratulated me on my appointment as a Canadian Citizenship Judge. I must have sounded surprised because she asked whether I had known. I told her that this was quite a shock because I had no knowledge of this nor had anyone asked me. She then asked whether I was willing to accept the appointment. I told her that I was honoured to accept. Being a Citizenship Judge turned out to be a meaningful and rewarding experience and I’m  grateful for the opportunity to meet immigrants and refugees and grant them Canadian Citizenship. Over the ten years I have granted over 40,000 citizenships. Each time I meet one of these citizens they are thankful and express appreciation to me for welcoming them into the Canadian family. I never saw this coming but it was the greatest gift that was given to me. 

Not to put you on the spot, but do you have any words of wisdom for up-and-coming young leaders in the community?

For our young up-and-coming leaders, I would say “be proud of who you are and learn about your parents and grandparent’s past”. For me, knowing the hardships and sacrifices that my parents and grandparents made to become a Canadian is always an inspiration. I feel that “anything is possible” if you put your mind to it. I always say to myself “take a risk” because it you don’t, you will never know what you can accomplish. 

Is there anything you’d like to add?

When I was president of NAJC we established a close and supportive relationship with the Indigenous community. In the book I share instances where the Japanese and Indigenous groups have collaborated on several issues as our past experiences have common elements when we explore the impact of the internment on the Japanese Canadians and the forced placement of Indigenous students in residential schools, both government imposed.  

From the introduction to Gaman-Perseverance, by Art Miki

This journey that I embarked upon was guided by beliefs and teachings that I applied when faced with challenges. I have always tried to maintain a positive outlook whenever faced with troublesome situations. One thing I learned from my aunt Kome Nagasaki, my father’s eldest sister, is that a positive view of life and people is always infectious. She claimed that she was the luckiest person alive, despite being a victim of abuses during World War II. She lived to ninety-nine years of age. I attribute her long life to the positive attitude she carried all her life. Even when situations seem hopeless and untenable, one should try to look for some positive aspect that gives hope. My philosophy of overcoming adversity is based on a conviction that anything is achievable. I, for one, have never shied away from challenges but would rather face them head-on, with the confidence that I would be able to overcome obstacles and meet my goals.

I strongly feel that in facing challenges, one must take risks and not be afraid of failure. In my school office, I had a saying posted on the wall: “If you don’t make mistakes, you are not learning.” There is a Chinese proverb that says: “Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success.” Setbacks and failure are great learning tools that will be an asset later on. I found that people sometimes saw potential in me that I had not envisioned. For instance, it was another principal whose confidence in my ability gave me the impetus to become an elementary school principal.