Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada

​Dr. Masajiro Miyazaki was born in Japan in 1899 and emigrated to Canada in 1913. After graduating from the University of British Columbia, he was licensed as an Osteopath in Missouri in 1929.

During W.W.II, Dr. Miyazaki and his family were interned at Bridge River (now South Shalalth) where fellow Japanese Canadians internees, First Nations and BC Hydro employees consulted him for medical advice.

In 1944, Artie Phair met Dr. Miyazaki while taking photographs and, as Lillooet was without a doctor at the time, drafted the petition that allowed the Miyazaki family to move into the lower floor of Longford House and set up a medical office there. In 1947, Dr. Miyazaki became the legal owner of Longford House.

In 1950, Dr Miyazaki became the first Japanese Canadian to hold public office when he was elected to the Town Council. In honour of his many achievements and contributions, he was invested into the Order of Canada in 1977.

Prior to his passing in 1984, Dr. Miyazaki gifted the property to the Village of Lillooet. It is now known as the Miyazaki House and his office is preserved as he left it.