The cenotaph has undergone many changes in its nearly 100 year history. The Japanese Canadian War Memorial was built by the Canadian Japanese Association (CJA) in 1920, placed on gravel, in a barren open field with no trees around it. Today, the cherry blossom trees have grown out and the monument is enclosed by a fence and a tidy, cement flooring.

On the cenotaph are names of Japanese Canadian soldiers who fought for Canada during the First World War, including men who had survived, as well as men who were killed while defending the country through various battles, in particular: Vimy Ridge and Arras Front in 1917. On top of the cenotaph is a Japanese lantern, which symbolized unification between Canada and Japan.

The first change, just a few years after the erection of the cenotaph, was the planting of cherry trees, including the Shirofugen in 1920, Ojochin in 1925, and the Shirotae cherry trees in 1932. These cherry trees would come to serve many symbolic interpretations, many relating to the fallen soldiers. During the Second World War, the monument’s lantern was extinguished, as Canada had declared war on Japan and established Japanese Canadians as enemy aliens of the state.

The lantern was not relit until 1985. In a ceremony, 98 year old Sergeant Masumi Mitsui, who served in the First World War and fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge and Battle for Hill 70, relit the lantern. The monument was restored and a fence was built around the monument.

Following this restoration, the monument underwent two more recent phases of refurbishment. The first phase began in October 2014 and included the remodeling of the cenotaph. The limestone was polished white and the petals on the base were cleaned.

In February 20 15, with funding from Heritage BC's Heritage Legacy Fund, a second phase of refurbishment was established. This included filling in cracks on the marble lantern on the top of the cenotaph, as well as replacing the glass windows on the cenotaph with custom made panes to match the design of their originally established era.

The Japanese Canadian War Memorial signifies the contributions Japanese Canadians made to Canada, through their devotion in the battles of 1917 and beyond.

James Anderson Benzie designed the memorial at Stanley Park in 1919.