SURREY, B.C. - A new heritage feature was unveiled in Inouye Park on Saturday, recognizing the contributions of early Japanese Canadians in Surrey and sharing the story of Zennosuke Inouye, after whom the park is named.
Inouye owned a successful farm in Strawberry Hill until, in 1942, the Canadian government uprooted and exiled all people of Japanese ancestry, selling their possessions without consent. Inouye wrote dozens of letters to government officials demanding his land back and reminding them of his service to Canada in the First World War. Of the many Japanese Canadian families in the area, Inouye’s was the only one to have their land returned to them.
The heritage feature unveiled Saturday is a bronze mailbox artwork, symbolizing home, land ownership and the rural farming community that existed in the Strawberry Hill area. The piece, entitled Konjou, was created by artist Kellen Hatanaka to honour Inouye’s efforts after his internment and to amplify the unjust treatment of Japanese Canadians.
“I can visualize my grandfather, Zennosuke Inouye, looking at the mailbox, seeing the word ‘konjou’ in Japanese, meaning perseverance, and smiling,” Inouye’s grandson, Barry Inouye, said. “Thinking, ‘It took eight years and 29 letters, but my perseverance was worth it. I’m so glad I never gave up.'”
“The resilience of Japanese Canadians in Surrey whose lives were profoundly affected by dispossession and internment is an important and under told part of Surrey’s story,” said Kristin Hardie, Heritage Services Manager. “We are pleased to acknowledge it publicly and to share this day with the community.”
The unveiling marks the first of a three-part public heritage project that includes a commemorative feature in R.A. Nicholson Park and a permanent large-scale photo display at the Strawberry Hill Hall. The three-part project is made possible with the financial support of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, which leads initiatives across British Columbia to honour Japanese Canadian elders, preserve history, strengthen communities and support healing.
“Japanese Canadians helped build communities across British Columbia, yet so much of that history was lost through their forced uprooting and dispossession,” said Susanne Tabata, CEO of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society. “Projects like this help restore those stories to the places where they belong. We are proud to support the City of Surrey in creating lasting opportunities for future generations to learn about this history and the people who shaped their communities.”
For Surrey residents, the feature adds a permanent place of remembrance in Strawberry Hill, a neighbourhood whose farming roots were shaped by Japanese Canadian families before the Second World War. The park itself carries Inouye’s name, and the mailbox now gives visitors the story behind it.
(Source: City of Surrey media release, November 10, 2026)
