Perspective: Nativism

Restrictive legislation had unintended consequences in terms of the Japanese community. Following the Lemieux-Hayashi agreement, Japanese workers who hoped to travel back and forth from Canada had to stay, and many arranged to take wives from back home. The Japanese "picture wives" began to arrive after 1907; marriages were arranged in Japan and were often confirmed by exchanging photographs of the prospective bride and groom. By 1924, some 6,240-picture brides had arrived in Canada. The wataridori period in Japanese immigration now

changed to one of long-term settlement. The rising number of children from Japanese couples prompted renewed fears of a "yellow peril" among British Columbia's population, however. Therefore, the Japanese and Canadian governments negotiated a new Gentlemen's Agreement in 1928 that reduced the quota of passports available to Japanese men, women, and children to a total of 150 annually. 1

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