Interview with Tomi-Taro (Tom) Nishio

Tomi-Taro (Tom) Nishio's interview was conducted on October 18, 2012 by Elizabeth Fujita-Kwan.

Tom-Taro Nishio was born on January 14, 1921, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Kitsilano as the second of seven siblings. In the interview, he shares his childhood memories, such as attending school, playing rugby, and the discrimination he faced growing up in an Occidental area. During World War 2, Tom and his family were interned due to the War Measures Act and relocated to Bridge River, a self-supporting camp. There, he volunteered to teach elementary school to the children interned. Tom later enrolled at Western University during the internment period and encountered more discrimination. He enlisted in the Canadian army, serving in India, before returning to complete his education and join his family in Montreal, Quebec. There, he began working for Henry Morgan’s and later started a business with his father and younger brother, distributing Mikasa dinnerware. Tom met his first wife, Joyce, a pioneering nurse in Japanese Canadian history, and they had three children. After her passing, he moved to Toronto, where he married Mary and continued the business while contributing to the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and the Momiji Health Care Society. At the end of the interview, Tom expresses his happiness with today’s social progress regarding diversity and opportunities for the younger generations.