by John Mason Glen, Ph.D. for the Western Heritage Foundation
It was a classic example of the “Thucydides Trap” where an emerging nation — Japan in this case — begins violence against an established nation — America.
The Pearl Harbor air raid was an immense tactical success, however the oil storage facility or the maintenance capabilities at the Oahu military base were not destroyed. Many of the ships and planes were rebuilt, serving in the war.
Much of the success of the air raid can be credited to Takeo Yoshikawa, the Japanese naval officer charged with espionage in Oahu. His rented apartment on a high hill offered a panoramic view of the assets and activities of the US Pacific Fleet.
Often posing as a tourist and escorting a friendly local geisha, he observed that the ships were often anchored close together, making them easy targets. Yoshikawa also informed his superiors the ships sortied Monday mornings and returned to anchor Friday afternoons, making the weekend a perfect attack time.
Fortunately for the U.S., the three aircraft carriers were at sea that morning, but all seven battleships were either damaged or destroyed, plus nearly 200 aircraft and there were 2,500 casualties. The American Congress declared war on Japan the next day.
The Japanese Consul corps, including Yoshikawa, were immediately rounded up; but what to do with them became a question. The U.S. still had diplomats in Japan, and if the Consul corps was treated harshly, the enemy might retaliate.
The Other Arizona connection
Sixteen adults and five children of the Japanese Consular corps, including Yoshikawa, were moved from D.C. to the Triangle T guest ranch in Dragoon, Arizona (southeast of Tucson) in February 1942; they were interred for five months. They were treated with kindness, allowed to play tennis and other outdoor sports under the watchful eye of American machine guns positioned on the boulders surrounding the ranch.
In summer 1942, the internees were transported to New York and then to South Africa, where an exchange of diplomats occurred.
Certain he would be arrested as a spy, Yoshikawa hid out in the hinterland, posing as a Buddhist monk, finally opening a candy store in 1953. Anti-war sentiment in Japan was such that he was ostracized, his business failed and the government refused him a pension. He died in a nursing home in 1993 forgotten, broke and bitter.
