12. Treatment of Japanese-Americans and Canadians
During World War II, the United States and Canada forcibly relocated and interned citizens of Japanese descent, leading to significant loss of property and livelihoods. In the U.S., Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, resulted in the internment of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens. They were removed from their homes and placed in internment camps, often in remote areas, where they lived in overcrowded and inadequate conditions. Many were forced to sell their properties at a loss before relocation (archives.gov). Similarly, in Canada, the government detained and dispossessed over 21,000 Japanese Canadians, representing more than 90% of the Japanese Canadian population. Beginning in early 1942, they were forcibly removed from their homes on the West Coast and sent to internment camps in the interior of British Columbia and other parts of Canada. Their homes and businesses were sold by the government to pay for their detention (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca).
