Survivors

Survivor Definition

A living person of Japanese descent who was directly impacted (uprooted and displaced) by the BC Government actions between 1942 and April 1, 1949 and is living in Canada. This includes impacted seniors who were not displaced but were living in BC and seniors whose families left BC but were born during this period of time.

Meeting the Need

Canada is facing a growing crisis of providing adequate care for our elders.

A March 2021 report by the Canadian Medical Association shows that with elder members of the baby boomer generation now reaching 75 years old, Canada-wide demand for long-term care is expected to grow from 380,000 in 2019, to reach 606,000 patients by 2031.

As of 2021, the youngest Japanese Canadians who lived through the internment era are turning 72 years old, most are in their 80’s and 90’s, and a handful of our oldest living survivors are into their 100’s. Demographic and statistical research by Mr. Takashi Ohki, and validated by Dr. Audrey Kobayashi, shows that approximately 6,600 Japanese Canadian survivors are alive today, spread across Canada but concentrated in BC (≈44%) and in Ontario (≈39%).

All survivors in our community will need increasing amounts of care in the coming years, and research shows that approximately 1 in 3 survivor seniors are now classified as frail (using a Dalhousie clinical frailty scale) and at risk of a hospital-related event. For these survivors, care needs are already significant and growing, and many need immediate support.

Another, related category of higher needs survivors are those who are geographically isolated, whether because they are in an area that is remote or an area that has few other survivors or Japanese Canadians. Many of these survivors, too, require immediate support. For others, need may emerge from financial hardship or isolation and reduced connection to community health and wellness organizations.

The Japanese Canadian Survivor Health & Wellness Fund is meant to meet the needs of these underserved survivors

Demographics

Contributors

Mr. Takashi Ohki is a well respected Japanese Canadian, and has served his community through many roles, locally with the Edmonton Japanese Community Association (EJCA), and nationally for the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC). He has generously contributed many hours of his professional expertise as a statistician to produce solid demographics of the aging population of survivors in Canada, and we acknowledge his critical contribution to this work with gratitude.

Mr. Ohki lives in Edmonton with his wife Sanae. Both are very active community volunteers.

Dr. Audrey Kobayashi is Queen’s University Research Chair and Professor of Geography. She has validated the research of Mr. Takashi Ohki, as well as prepared an initial analysis on Japanese Canadian survivors in July 2020. We also acknowledge her contribution and expertise with gratitude.

Report:

Estimates of the Number of Japanese Canadian Survivors of the War Time Experience

By Takashi Ohki, St. Albert, Alberta

The Project Office of the JC Survivors Health & Wellness Fund is using the research of Takashi Ohki (2021) to assist with finding the location of survivors in Canada.

REPORTS

The Project Office of the JC Survivors Health & Wellness Fund is using the research of Takashi Ohki (2021) to assist with finding the location of survivors in Canada.

Estimates of the Number of Japanese Canadian Survivors of the War Time Experience
By Takashi Ohki, St. Albert, Alberta

March 2021 analysis by Deloitte, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association, shows the growing scale of elder care needs in Canada.

Canada’s elder care crisis: Addressing the doubling demand, 2021

By Deloitte, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association

Mr. Ohki provided estimates of the number of frail JC survivors (2021) which helped to frame the underserved category and the special project.

Estimates of the Number of Frail Japanese Canadian Seniors in 2021
By Takashi Ohki, St. Albert, Alberta

Japanese Canadians: A brief Demographic Profile with a Focus on Seniors

By Dr. Audrey Kobayashi

Audrey Kobayashi prepared a JC Survivors Document in July 2020 for the NAJC in preparation for the research done by the Institute of Fiscal Studies in Democracy (IFSD) in Ottawa. She also validated Ohki’s work. The IFSD subsequently prepared a case for health and wellness supports to the Japanese Canadian community. The NAJC submitted the report to the BC Provincial government in November 2020. The report buttresses the July 2020 NAJC submission to the Premier’s office, asking for health and wellness initiatives to be provincially supported.

Survivors

Survivor Definition

Meeting the Need

Canada is facing a growing crisis of providing adequate care for our elders.

Demographics

Contributors

Report:

Estimates of the Number of Japanese Canadian Survivors of the War Time Experience

REPORTS

The Project Office of the JC Survivors Health & Wellness Fund is using the research of Takashi Ohki (2021) to assist with finding the location of survivors in Canada.

March 2021 analysis by Deloitte, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association, shows the growing scale of elder care needs in Canada.

Mr. Ohki provided estimates of the number of frail JC survivors (2021) which helped to frame the underserved category and the special project.

Japanese Canadians: A brief Demographic Profile with a Focus on Seniors

Profiles

Chuck Tasaka: Update from the Kootenays – Finding Survivors

Lynn Kobayashi: Activism, An Intergenerational Inheritance

Takashi Ohki