Discrimination, internment camps, then deportation: the end of the second world war did not mean peace for Japanese-Australians

Interned Japanese having lunch at their camp at Woolenook Bend, South Australia, 1944. State Library South Australia

For most of the world’s population, the end of the second world war was a glorious day. This was not necessarily the case for Japanese-Australians, who faced repatriation to Japan after being interned by their home country, Australia.

Shortly after Japan entered the war in December 1941, 1,141 Japanese people living in Australia were seized and transferred to “enemy” camps – accounting for 98% of the total Japanese population in Australia. This was much higher than the proportion of Italians and Germans sent to Australian internment camps.