17 Facts About Art Miki

Art Miki was president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians from 1984 to 1992, and is best known for his work in seeking compensation for Japanese-Canadians who were interned by the Government of Canada during World War II.

Art Miki was born in British Columbia, and was among the 22,000 Japanese Canadians from that province who were displaced and interned during World War II.

Art Miki was educated in a French school, despite the fact that he did not speak the language.

Art Miki received a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba in 1969, and a Master of Education degree in 1975.

Art Miki received an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg in 1999.

Art Miki was a teacher for 29 years, and was for several years a high school and principal of Joseph Teres elementary school in the Transcona neighbourhood of Winnipeg.

Art Miki became president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians in 1984, and announced that his organization would seek a formal apology from the Canadian government and full compensation for property that was confiscated in the 1940s.

Art Miki's announcement was seen as an important, as the NAJC had previously been divided on the issue of reparations.

Art Miki rejected the settlement figure as arbitrary, and called for a formally negotiated settlement.

Art Miki had a good working relationship with Murta despite their disagreements over policy, and described him as having a good understanding of the issues affecting minority groups.

Art Miki again rejected the offer, and called for a negotiated settlement.

In May 1986, Art Miki released a Price Waterhouse study which indicated that Japanese-Canadians had lost $443 million in the 1940s due to discriminatory government policies.

Crombie offered a $12 million community fund without individual compensation, which Art Miki rejected as inadequate.

Art Miki's association requested $25,000 for each of the 14,000 survivors and a $50 million community fund, figures that Crombie rejected as beyond the government's means.

Art Miki described the settlement as marking "a great day for justice and human rights" and "a historic day for Canadians of Japanese ancestry who have been struggling so long to resolve the injustices of the 1940s".

Art Miki has been a director of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation, and served as executive director of the Organization for Co-operation in Overseas Development.

Art Miki later ran for the Manitoba Liberal Party in Radisson in the 1995 provincial election, but finished second to New Democratic Party incumbent Marianne Cerilli.