ALPHA Education

ALPHA Education Our mission is to promote the learning and critical understanding of the history of WWII in Asia

Orange Shirt Day: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not a single date on a calendar but an ongoing commitment...
09/30/2026

Orange Shirt Day: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not a single date on a calendar but an ongoing commitment to active learning, truth-telling, and meaningful action.
ALPHA Education is situated in Scarborough, on treaty lands covered by Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties, under the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Covenant. We recognize that the land where we gather holds deep, ongoing histories. As an organization dedicated to historical memory and peace education, we look to Indigenous frameworks of truth, accountability, and relationship to place to guide our work.
Today and every day, we reflect on the ongoing impacts of the residential school system, honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and examine how our physical and educational spaces can foster genuine justice and relationship building.
Images: The land and the ALPHA space at 1775 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto

That apology didn't come easily. On September 22, 1988, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney delivered it in Parliament, accomp...
09/23/2026

That apology didn't come easily. On September 22, 1988, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney delivered it in Parliament, accompanied by monetary compensation to individual Japanese Canadians and the community's decision to establish the Canadian Race Relations Foundation ().

Getting there took strong, visible action. On April 14, 1988, hundreds of Japanese Canadians and multicultural supporters converged on Parliament Hill in what's remembered as the Ottawa Rally for Redress, carrying yellow placards, "Ribbons of Hope" bearing the names of those who couldn't attend, and over 14,000 postcards signed in support of redress. The demonstration united multiple generations-World War II veterans, elderly survivors, younger activists-symbolizing the long intergenerational weight of the wartime injustices.

Justice was decades in the making, and it took organizing, lobbying, and people willing to show up, a reminder of what civic engagement can accomplish.

ALPHAEducation.org

We asked students to finish the sentence "Peace is..." — and their answers remind us there's no single definition. It co...
09/22/2026

We asked students to finish the sentence "Peace is..." — and their answers remind us there's no single definition. It could be quiet, kindness, safety, home. At ALPHA Education, we believe peacebuilding starts with understanding how the past shaped the present, which is why learning about WWII in Asia is at the heart of what we do. For International Day of Peace, we ask: what does peace mean to you?

Did you know? On September 18, 1931, Japanese officers staged an explosion on a section of railway they controlled near ...
09/18/2026

Did you know? On September 18, 1931, Japanese officers staged an explosion on a section of railway they controlled near Mukden, China then blamed it on Chinese forces. It was a small blast on a stretch of track- a false flag. What followed was the invasion and occupation of all of Manchuria, northeast China, the first stretch of a path that would just be the start of 14 years of militarism, war, and atrocity across East and Southeast Asia.

Did you know? On September 18, 1931, Japanese officers staged an explosion on a section of railway they controlled near ...
09/18/2026

Did you know? On September 18, 1931, Japanese officers staged an explosion on a section of railway they controlled near Mukden, China then blamed it on Chinese forces. It was a small blast on a stretch of track- a false flag. What followed was the invasion and occupation of all of Manchuria, northeast China, the first stretch of a path that would just be the start of 14 years of militarism, war, and atrocity across East and Southeast Asia.

On this International Day against Nuclear Tests, we are inspired by Japanese Canadian Setsuko Thurlow, Nobel Peace Prize...
08/29/2026

On this International Day against Nuclear Tests, we are inspired by Japanese Canadian Setsuko Thurlow, Nobel Peace Prize winner and atomic bomb survivor.

Her call resonates across generations: “follow each other out of the dark night of nuclear terror.”

As a survivor of Hiroshima, Ms. Thurlow has dedicated her life to nuclear disarmament, speaking truth about the horrors of atomic weapons and armed conflict.

Her legacy reminds us: peace is possible when we commit to abolishing nuclear weapons.

On August 22, 1910, Korea was formally annexed by Japan. This marked the end of the Joseon Dynasty, which had ruled Kore...
08/22/2026

On August 22, 1910, Korea was formally annexed by Japan. This marked the end of the Joseon Dynasty, which had ruled Korea for over five centuries. Japan's colonial rule of Korea was characterized by efforts to assimilate Koreans into Japanese culture, restricting the use of the Korean language and forcing them to adopt Japanese names.

Koreans resisted Japanese rule by way of arms and by nonviolence, organizing movements for independence such as the 1919 March 1st Movement and the 1926 June 10th Movement. Learning from history, what questions of peace between nation-states should we ask?

Looking back at WWII in Asia, we see them clearly–the humanitarians who resisted, rescued, and refused to look away. ...
08/19/2026

Looking back at WWII in Asia, we see them clearly–the humanitarians who resisted, rescued, and refused to look away.

History remembers the generals and political leaders. We remember the humanitarians, the ones who resisted, rescued, and refused to look away.

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito addressed the Japanese people by radio for the first time, announcing Japan’s surre...
08/15/2026

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito addressed the Japanese people by radio for the first time, announcing Japan’s surrender and ending WWII in Asia. For a public that had never heard his voice, it was a moment that changed everything.

We ask: what has changed and what has not?

On this day 35 years ago, Kim Hak-sun told the world how, from age 17, she had been r***d daily by multiple Japanese sol...
08/14/2026

On this day 35 years ago, Kim Hak-sun told the world how, from age 17, she had been r***d daily by multiple Japanese soldiers during World War II. As a survivor of Japanese military sexual slavery, her testimony gripped the world and paved the way for other survivors to come forward.

An estimated 200,000 young women and girls were forced to become “comfort women” from 1932 to 1945. For decades after the war, many survivors faced shame, stigma, social ostracism, and painful trauma. Kim Hak-sun’s testimony opened the door for more survivors, known as “grandmas,” to finally share their stories and advocate for justice.

On this International Memorial Day for “Comfort Women,” we remember the hundreds of thousands of young girls and women victimized by the crime of sexual slavery. We honour the courage of the grandmas and join their call for recognition and justice.

Address

1775 Lawrence Avenue East
Toronto, ON
M1R2X7

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

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+14162990111

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