Faculty of ArtThe faculty, staff and students of the Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program are deeply saddened by the passing of Tomi-Taro (Tom) Nishio on March 23, 2021. Mr. Nishio was one of the 76 Japanese Canadian students forcibly removed from UBC in 1942. Mr. Nishio excelled in sports: he played rugby for UBC and later was on the football and swim teams at the University of Western Ontario. While at Western, he volunteered to be a translator in the Canadian Army during WWII. After the war, he returned to Western and was one of the first Japanese Canadians to earn a business degree.
Mr. Nishio was featured in the film “A Degree of Justice,” which was produced for 2012 convocation at UBC for the Japanese Canadian students of 1942. His interview describes some of his experiences following the events of 1942. We are grateful to Mr. Nishio for sharing his stories so that the injustices of the past would never be forgotten.
Mr. Nishio’s biography can be found in the Degree of Justice Yearbook.
