Nikkei Australia founding member Dr Yuriko Nagata’s book Unwanted Aliens: Japanese Internment in Australia was launched as an e-book at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Vancouver, Canada on 7 November (Vancouver time).
The e-book is now available to read online.
Dr Nagata’s Unwanted Aliens: Japanese Internment in Australia was first published in 1996.
At the launch, inaugual Nikkei Australia Chair Elysha Rei spoke about the Nikkei Australian historical context and the importance of Dr Nagata’s scholarship to a younger generation of researchers.
Dr Nagata gave a moving speech about how she conducted her research for this book more than 30 years ago. She spoke about meeting the former internees during her interviews.
‘When I meet them, they say hello, and happy to talk about it, but they are not confident to talk about it. They want to rather hide away,’ said Dr Nagata. ‘They were not empowered at all.’
‘I still remember this one man, Joe Murakami’, she said, ‘Joe was very willing to talk.’
But in 1988, Joe wrote a letter to Dr Nagata saying that he was in constant fear about being asked his ancestry, which had left Joe, ‘socially unfulfilled to this day. This is Joe’s words in a letter to me,’ she said.
Dr Nagata went on to ask, ‘why do we not know about Japanese internment in Australia?’
Australia has currently the second largest Japanese community outside Japan, numbering about 100,000 and second only in number to the US. But when the topic of wartime internment of the Japanese is raised, most people think of POWs, and do not know the history of civilian internment here in Australia, she remarked.
Compared to the situation in Australia, Canada has its own national museum to document and honour Nikkei histories, which is why Dr Nagata experienced, ‘overwhelming emotions’ when she arrived at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre for the book launch. ‘Someone may have seem me crying over there’, she said.
But she went on to say that the existence of ‘our little group’ Nikkei Australia has been an important factor in keeping these histories alive and relevant, and that even though we ‘don’t have even a computer’, an office, let alone a museum dedicated to our stories, ‘one day, we’ll get there.’
The 30th anniversary edition of Unwanted Aliens was supported by the Past Wrongs Future Choices project. Elysha and Dr Nagata’s travel to Vancouver, Canada for the launch was also supported by PWFC. The event was also the launch of two related books: the 50th anniversary edition of The Enemy That Never Was: A History of the Japanese Canadians by Ken Adachi and Challenging Exile: Japanese Canadians and the Wartime Constitution by Jordan Stanger-Ross and Eric M. Adams.
Special thanks to Dr Jordan Stanger-Ross for his dedication to this re-publication and unwavering support, and to Mari Suzuki, Chie Muraoka, and Elysha Rei of Nikkei Australia for editing, proofreading, and years of work to bring this edition to a new generation of researchers and Nikkei peoples around the world.
And of course, congratulations Yuriko san!
A fabulous launch of the second edition of Unwanted Aliens. Well done Yuriko, Elysha and PWFC
An important moment for not only the research community, but all who have interest in the history of Japanese and Japanese-heritage people in Australia. Congratulations Yuriko, and everyone who helped make this possible.
Congratulations and thank you for your brilliant work, Yuriko San!
Thank you for all your hard work on this; and congratulations on the digital edition. I look forward to reading this now I can access it online.
Such an important book – I’m very glad it’s now widely available again, so that a wider audience can learn from it. And I loved Yuriko’s quotes about meeting Joe Murakami, visiting the Nikkei National Museum in Canada and about Nikkei Australia. Thank you for inspiring us to keep the memories alive and continue this important research.
Such a vital work for Nikkei Australian histories! So happy to see more people will be exposed to Dr Nagata’s trailblazing knowledge!
Huge congratulations Yuriko san, thank you for holding these histories for us, and for future generations.
Congratulations Yuriko on the second edition launch of your seminal book, which has been invaluable in unpacking the internment “story” from the Broome perspective.
Your comments in the preface, and Jordan’s in the forward, are most prescient for our times.
Thank you so much PWFC for your support of this re-publication.
Congratulations! Looking forward to reading this new edition
Congratulations, Yuriko on the launch of your e-book, Unwanted Aliens.For many of us, it is more than an historical account. It's the story of our parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and family friends. It is the story of our families separated from their homes, their livelihoods, and their communities. Above all, it is a story of their resilience in the face of fear, uncertainty, and prejudice.
Your work gives voice to a chapter of Australian history that for too long remained unspoken and insufficiently understood. This e-book will share these experiences to a wider audience, honouring those who lived through them and ensuring that future generations can better understand both the injustices they faced and the strength they demonstrated.
We thank you for your dedication to documenting this history and for helping to keep their voices alive.
Congratulations, Nagata san. Thank you so much for what you did for all of us. You have changed the course of our history. It has taken a person like you to open this part of our history for the rest of us. It is fantastic that it is now available for everyone to read. I loved your speech. Joe would be very happy.
Congratulations Yuriko san! The new 30th anniversary edition looks fantastic. I was very moved by your speech. Thank you for all your hard work in ensuring these stories endure for generations to come. おめでとうございます.
Congratulations, Yuriko san! I’m so happy to see *Unwanted Aliens* finally available again after so many years. This is wonderful news for everyone who has been waiting for it. Thank you for your dedication and hard work!