Tamakichi Koike

Page from Tamakichi Koike’s Certificate of Registration of Alien, issued in July 1942 and showing his addresses in Cairns after his release from Loveday. NAA: BP25/1, KOIKE T JAPANESE. KOIKE Tamakichi [also known as Peter] born 1869 Nationality - Japanese [Birthplace - Hiroshima Japan] arrived Townsville Qld on Sendai Maru 10 July 1894.
Page from Tamakichi Koike’s Certificate of Registration of Alien, issued in July 1942 and showing his addresses in Cairns after his release from Loveday. NAA: BP25/1, KOIKE T JAPANESE. KOIKE Tamakichi [also known as Peter] born 1869 Nationality - Japanese [Birthplace - Hiroshima Japan] arrived Townsville Qld on Sendai Maru 10 July 1894.

Tamakichi Koike, a fisherman, was born in Japan in 1869 and entered Australia in 1894. Over some 47 years in Australia he had lived in Innisfail, Mossman and - for some three decades – Cairns. Before his internment he was known to be living with a ‘half-caste aboriginal’ called Minnie Gough.

Koike was on the authorities’ radar well before Japan entered the war. It was noted in January of 1941: ‘Although he has been a number of years in Australia and he bears a good character, the facts are that he holds a License to Fish and used his boat for that purpose, which would give him the opportunity of acting detrimentally to the British Cause if he so desire. I consider that he should not be allowed to frequent the water front and inlet of Cairns, and recommend that his licenses be cancelled immediately.’[1]

Koike was interned 8 December 1941 and taken to Loveday, where he was allocated to Compound 14B. He remained in Loveday until he was released on 5 September 1944, by which time he was 75 years of age, and returned to Cairns. After release he was permitted to reside at a location approved by Deputy Director of Security in Queensland.

 

Sources:

NAA: BP25/1 KOIKE T JAPANESE. KOIKE Tamakichi [also known as Peter] born 1869 Nationality - Japanese [Birthplace - Hiroshima Japan] arrived Townsville Qld on Sendai Maru 10 July 1894

NAA: MP1103/1 QJ16065 Prisoner of War/Internee: Koike, Tamakichi; Date of birth - 10 June 1870; Nationality – Japanese

NAA: MP1103/2 QJ16065, Prisoner of War/Internee; Koike, Tamakichi; Year of birth - 1870; Nationality - Japanese

 

[1] Inspector of Police Cairns 22.1.41 to Commissioner, NAA: BP25/1, KOIKE T JAPANESE