Aratani U.S.-Japan Historical Initiative
As the crew got off the airplane in Japan, we were greeted by the "tsuyu" (rainy) season. At last, we had made it to beautiful and slightly muggy Japan! After almost a year of planning, the Go For Broke National Education Center's Aratani U.S.-Japan Historical Initiative was underway. The purpose of this program is to gain a better understanding of the Japan perspective of World War II and the Pacific Theater.
The crew's ambitious goal was to interview 20 veterans in Japan in 14 days. In the end, the crew interviewed 21 veterans from June 2-17, 2008 in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. Seven of the interviews were with Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) who were in Japan at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The other 14 interviews were with Japanese citizens who served under the flag of Japan.
Shinji Morimoto
The Niseis interviewed were with family or attending school when the war broke out and could not return to the U.S. due to restrictions. They continued with their education, but after turning 20 years old, they were drafted into the Japanese Imperial Army or Navy.
Nobuaki Iwatake, born and raised in Kahului, Maui, was stationed on the island of Chichi-jima (near Okinawa). While on duty, he observed an American airplane crash into the water near the island. He noticed that the pilot was able to get out safely and paddle in his rescue raft. Before he could contact his superiors, an American submarine rescued the pilot. About 80 years later, Iwatake, through a chance meeting at a reunion on Chichi-jima, found out that pilot was former President George H.W. Bush. He was later able to meet former President Bush on other occasions, and they eventually became friends.
Teiji Takemiya, a Nisei in the Japanese Navy, trained as tokkotai (special mission) on a five-man midget suicide submarine. But, before he could carry out the suicide mission, the war ended. He was assigned to two Japanese Navy officers who were to meet with MacArthur's men to arrange for the U.S. terms of surrender. Takemiya was responsible for translating the terms to get Japanese military compliance of the surrender orders. Although a junior to these officers, he informed them that unless they cooperated completely, the U.S. would not tolerate their lack of respect.
Takeshi Teshima with
Christine Sato-Yamazaki
Another Nisei interviewed was Takeshi Teshima, who was an original 100th Infantry Battalion member and a good friend of one of the National Education Center's founders, Col. Young Oak Kim. After his tour of duty with the 100th, he went to Japan to work with the Occupation Forces in the censorship area. His responsibility was to view and censor the Kabuki Theaters. Teshima went on to stay in Japan and opened a successful business, which he still oversees today.
Other Niseis interviewed included: Frank Kawamoto, Katsuya Nishimura, Robert Kawamoto and Tom Umeda.
Many of the Japanese citizens interviewed were captured during or at the end of the war and had stories about being interrogated by or meeting Nisei Military Intelligence Service (MIS) soldiers or non-Nisei soldiers who were Japanese linguists.
For these Japanese veterans, it was drilled into their minds that "surrender" or "being captured" was not an option. In all cases they were to give their lives to the Emperor and Japan. Their villages held final farewell celebrations as friends and family sent them off to die a war hero's death.
Fumio Oda with
Ken Akune
But when it came time for them to make a life or death decision, the men interviewed all decided it was better to come home, even if they suffered humiliation, to help build a new Japan. Their families were happy they came home alive and their efforts helped Japan return to prosperity.
Michiharu Shinya was a naval officer whose ship sunk near Guadalcanal. He was eventually captured and spent three years at a prison camp in New Zealand. He also had the opportunity to meet many Nisei soldiers, but during this time he also encountered Christianity. It affected his life so much that he eventually became a pastor in Japan and later headed a Christian university.
Takeo Sugimura, another captured Japanese soldier, was part of a Banzai suicide attack during his duty in the Palao Islands. He was wounded and was the only one in his unit to survive. He was helped by a U.S. soldier, sent to Hawaii for recovery and met many Nisei soldiers there. He also spent two years as a POW in Iowa. Sugimura has a great deal of respect for the Nisei and the United States.
While on Guam and trying to avoid capture, Shinji Morimoto read leaflets that were dropped by the MIS from U.S. airplanes. After reading the leaflets, Morimoto, along with about 50 other Japanese Imperial soldiers, decided it was best for them to surrender. He spent one year as a POW and encountered Nisei soldiers.
Fumio Oda
Other Japanese veterans interviewed included: Satoshi Fujimoto, Hatsuo Higashi, Kosaku Hirose, Yoshiro Kimizuka, Muneharu Kitagaki, Sukenao Morita, Fumio Oda, Masaji Ozawa, Michiya Suzuki, Norio Watanabe and Tomio Yamaji.
The Hanashi Oral History Program crew was: Christine Sato-Yamazaki (CEO/president), Ken Akune (MIS veteran), Yukiko McCarty (interpreter), Steven Wasserman (volunteer) and Tim Yuge (Hanashi coordinator).
This trip is truly important as it provides a different prospective of the Nisei story. The Go For Broke National Education Center greatly appreciates the generosity of the Aratani Foundation, which funded this mission. These interviews will help all future generations to better understand the stories of all World War II veterans.
Go back to the main eTorch page
