Listen to My Grandmother is a Japanese War Bride, an audio story first broadcast on ABC Radio National in October 2024, featuring the voices of Nikkei Australia members Alli Parker, Chairperson Elysha Rei, Anna Wilkinson, and Kaori Maeda-Judge. The story is produced by Treasurer Masako Fukui.

Between 1952 and 1965, over 600 Japanese war brides crossed once enemy lines to make a home in Australia. Anti-Japanese sentiment was still palpable then, and they had little choice but to hide their Japanese-ness, and assimilate into Australian society. But today, WWII is in the distant past, and ‘Japan-as-enemy’ is an idea that feels alien. How do the grandchildren of Japanese war brides tell this history, one that began with war, fear, and hate?

Producer: Masako Fukui

Sound Engineer: John Jacobs

Supervising Producer: Michelle Rayner

Guests: 

Alli Parker, author and screenwriter

Elysha Rei, artist

Anna Wilkinson, PhD Candidate, Deakin University, Melbourne

Robert Parker

Jenny Hall

Members of Sakura kai

Folk song Sakura Sakura was performed on the Koto by Satsuki Odamura

Readings from Alli Parker’s novel, At the Foot of the Cherry Tree, by Kaori Maeda-Judge

Special thanks to the people of Hironagahama: Mr Tadashi Wakamoto, Ms Hiroe Hashimura, and also Ms Maya Nagadori of Hiroshima TV

Photo of Gordon and Cherry Parker, courtesy of Parker family archives