Essay On Japanese Internment

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During a state of total war, is it necessary to sacrifice the rights of individuals to protect the nation? This was the difficult question that Canada answered during World War 2. After the Empire of Japan formally entered the war, Japanese citizens were detained for the sake of national safety. They were taken from their homes, and put into internment camps for the duration of the war. This action has been criticized as being unjust and unethical. However, the Canadian government was justified in its policy of Japanese internment. It was a necessary action for punishing Japanese actions, fulfilling the government’s duty to represent its citizenry, and legally protecting the nation’s safety. First of all, the Empire of Japan committed …show more content…

Due to the public disdain for Japanese immigrants, the government was justified in its actions against them. In the view of many Canadians at the time, the Japanese were dangerous and evil. They saw them as “...robots, operating with cheap machine-like efficiency [...] posing a threat to the future of the white race.” (Source H). With the pressure of a world war and enemy nationals right at their doorsteps, it is reasonable that many Canadians were hostile towards the Japanese. Many wholehearted supported Japanese internment, as they believed it would help maintain public order. This antagonization can also be seen in propaganda posters of the time. One such poster depicts the Empire of Japan as one of the shadowy figures threatening a woman and child (Source B). While propaganda posters are not fully reliable, they can still give a glimpse of how the public felt about the topic. In this case, it is clear that they were very much against the Japanese. Even if an action is ethically questionable, the government should first and foremost represent the will of the people. Overall, it is clear that Canadians were apprehensive of Japanese immigrants, and would have supported their internment. As a representative of the people, it is entirely justified for the government to take the appropriate

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