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Our Story
Healing deep wounds. Walking forward, together.
The Healing Fund for Japanese Canadians began as a local Vancouver community movement in 2006, focusing on the public disclosure of GG Nakayama's decades of clergy sexual abuse from the Anglican Church of Canada. We have made great strides at each step, leading to the creation of the Anglican Healing Fund for Japanese Canadians, a project that will promote and support healing efforts among survivors and their families, and for the community.
We challenge the decades-long history of secrecy surrounding these crimes and want to work with survivors, survivor families and their communities to walk forward together in a healing journey.
Members of the Healing Fund Project Office
Emiko Lashin
Kevin Okabe
Wendy Matsubuchi-Bremner
Wendy Matsubuchi-Bremner - North Vancouver
I am Wendy Matsubuchi-Bremner, yonsei/4th gen from North Vancouver. My mother is Esther Yorimi Sunohara [Marpole, Slocan, Toronto] and my father was Edward Takeshi Matsubuchi [Cumberland, Hastings Park, Greenwood, Montreal]. After decades of pursuing justice for at least four of her brothers, Mom handed over the torch to me and told me it was my turn to advocate for all survivors and justice.
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I am pleased to be working with Project Office volunteers Debra Kihara, Emi Lashin, Kiyoko Judy Hanazawa, Kevin Okabe, Liz Nunoda and Ryan Walsh.
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Bio for Debra Kihara
Prior to retirement, Debra Kihara worked in Corrections for more than 30 years. The majority of her time was spent as a Communications Officer, briefing and accompanying victims, the public and the media to Parole Board hearings, including hearings of offenders serving Life sentences for murder or Indeterminate sentences for sexual or other offences. Debra also provided information to victims, the public and the media on these and other types of offenders. Members of her family were interned during WW II, and in addition to helping to plan the Honouring Our People conference, Debra also facilitated one of the groups.
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Emiko Lashin - Vancouver
My name is Emiko (Emi) Lashin. Part of the kanji for Emiko carries with it the meaning of "giver" and sure enough I have ended up pursuing giving professions such as nursing, teaching and counselling. I am presently retired but very active in the community. I have worked with many "movers and shakers" in the community, Judy Hanazawa being one. We learned about GG Nakayama about 20 years ago and have been working on obtaining retribution for the survivors of his abuse ever since.
Kevin Okabe, CPA, CA - Karnanaskis (Alberta)
Kevin is the Executive Director for the NAJC and has been providing management and administrative support to the project on behalf of the NAJC. He is a Yonsei (father’s side) and Nisei (mother’s side) and has been involved as a volunteer in the Japanese Canadian community for over thirty years, leveraging from his experience as a consultant, small business owner and business executive. He served for five terms on the NAJC National Executive Board as a Director, Secretary and Treasurer for the NAJC.