Canada ALPHA (Association for the Learning and Preserving of the History of WWII in Asia) is a volunteer community organization formed in 1997 with three local chapters across Canada – B.C., Calgary and Toronto. The mandate is to foster humanity education and racial harmony with its mission to promote public awareness, learning and preserving of the history of WWII in Asia. In 2004, the Toronto Chapter of Canada ALPHA began working closely with Ontario educators in an attempt to integrate this important, but seldom known, history and human rights lesson into the provincial secondary school curriculum.

Major Accomplishments

1.    Peace & Reconciliation Study Tours to China for Canadian Educators: In the summers of 2004 and 2005, Canada ALPHA organized and sponsored two study tours to China for Canadian secondary school teachers. As many as 40 educators from both Ontario and B.C. participated. They saw first-hand evidence of the long-hidden human tragedies and atrocities committed by Japan’s military during the Second World War. The educators have taken the lessons learned about this dark history seriously and are committed personally and professionally to supporting Toronto ALPHA in a number of educational initiatives to promote the cause of global citizenship, justice and reconciliation.

2.    Incorporation of Asian WWII history into the Ontario Grade 10 history curriculum documents: Thanks to the joint efforts of Toronto ALPHA and a small group of educators, the history of Asia in WWII and events, such as the Nanking Massacre, have been formally included as suggested topics in the 2005 revision of the Grade 10 history course, which is a compulsory course for all secondary students in Ontario. This is a major breakthrough. Ontario becomes the first jurisdiction in the Western world to have officially incorporated this important history into its secondary school curriculum.

3.    Development of the first Ontario teachers’ resource guide on Asian WWII history: To assist and support teachers to teach this history, Toronto ALPHA formed a working group with educators and study tour participants to write and compile a comprehensive resource guide entitled, The Search for Global Citizenship: The Violation of Human Rights in Asia, 1931-1945 (A Resource Guide for Ontario Teachers of Canadian and World Studies, Grades 10-12). This document, which is available online (www.asia-wwii.org), provides teachers with information about historical events and the related human rights issues, as well as suggested lessons, teaching expectations, easy-to-use resource materials, and reference lists.

Aim:
In cooperation with people who pursue peace and justice all over the world, and with respect to the lessons of history, we aim to preserve the truthfulness of historical records of the Second World War in Asia, especially the wars of resistance against Japanese aggression and atrocities, with a view to making the Japanese government acknowledge her role in the Asian Holocaust, apologize for its actions and pay compensation for her war crimes, and to correcting the tampered history books.

Declaration:
Japan, as a leading economy in the Asian Pacific area, could have a beneficial influence over the peoples of Asia if she could have a relationship of mutual respect and lasting peace with her neighboring countries. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the Japanese military regime invaded Asian countries and raided Pearl Harbor while German Nazis overran Europe. This brought about profound tragedies and brutal war crimes so numerous as to take a long time to relate.

With the War behind us for over 50 years, Germany had long admitted to committing atrocities and made compensations for her victims. Japan, on the other hand, has so far dodged the issues of formal apology and compensation for her war crimes. Instead, in recent years, some influential Japanese politicians tried to whitewash the invasion as the protection of Asia from Western imperialism, and the Education Ministry altered history textbooks to cover up the truth. Such shortsighted measures will only be an insult to Asian nations and arouse racial hostilities and hatred.

In line with Canada's national policy of multiculturalism and racial harmony, we want to maintain harmonious relations with the ethnic Japanese community. But we deplore the unrelenting Japanese militarism.

To bring justice to the sufferings of the Asian people during WWII, Japan must formally admit her mistakes, sincerely apologize for her crimes and offer reasonable compensation for damages incurred. Only then will the future generations come to see the militarist warmongers for what they were, and not repeat their mistakes. Only then will truth be restored to history.

The way to peace is to respect and learn from history. This is the goal of our association.