In the summer of 2001, the movie “Pearl Harbor” was screened here and there. It was interesting in that it also featured the "Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.”
However, I was disappointed to see that American paradigm on “Remember Pearl Harbor” did not change favorably to peace of the world, even in the summer of 2001. And, some others might feel very uncomfortable seeing that.
And then the Al Qaede’s attacks on American civilians and Pentagon were reported at the beginning of autumn of 2001.
To our astonishment, they associated the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 with the Pearl Harbor military attacks in 1941.
In first place, the phrase “Remember Pearl Harbor” should mean a misstep or an omission of then President Roosevelt because he neglected a need to have informed American citizens that a war was so near and imminent due to his administration’s strategy to drive the Imperial Japan into a corner where she had no choice but surrender without fight or war without hope.
Japanese pilots were ordered to destroy American navy and army facilities in Hawaii but not to intentionally kill American citizens, just like American soldiers now in Iraq and Afghanistan being ordered so. The attacks were intended to inform American people that if their government continued to drive so unfairly Imperial Japan to a corner, they had to suffer a fierce war she tried to proclaim just in time, however, unfortunately in vain. And, this is the last chance to resume negotiations on restoration of sound relationships between Imperial Japan and the United States that is expected to take this message in earnest now that their past policy brought destruction on the military bases in Hawaii.
But, this naïve anticipation with an irresponsible strategy was completely betrayed. In first place, Imperial Japan had been allied with Nazis Germany that killed six million innocent Jews. Moreover, Imperial Japan had long interfered in civil wars in China, mainly, between the Communist Party and the Nationalist Party, deciding that she had take on control of the long-plagued mainland China after all.
The atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in 1945 was intentionally aimed at killing Japanese civilians, which could not balance with pure military operation against the opposite military in the Pearl Harbor in 1941.
The Pacific War ended long time ago. And now, Japan and the U.S. have been maintaining reasonably sound relationships, owing to so many victims some of whom on Japan’s side have been enshrined in that famous and controversial Yasukuni Shrine of the Shinto religion in Tokyo.
Navy Commander Fuchida who had led the entire air squadrons from aircraft carriers to the Pearl Harbor in 1941 converted to Christianity after the war. It is because he met with and was highly moved by former U.S. bombardier DeShazer who had participated in the Doolittle Air Raid on Tokyo in 1942 which had been conducted as a heroic retaliation to the Pearl Habor attack as depicted in the movie.
When former navy captain Fuchida met Jacob DeShazer, Mr. DeShazer was working as a missionary in Tokyo since he had been freed from a state of prisoner of war follwoing unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan.
To our astonishment, Mr. Fuchida also became a Chiristian missionary in Japan and further traveled to the United Sates preaching there for several years.
Coming back to Japan, Mitsuo Fuchida died in peace at age 74 in 1976 in his home town in Nara Prefecture.
Can we expect any such story from the 9/11 terrorist attacks? Anyhow, the two “surprise attacks” are so different as Islam and Shinto-ism are. Nonetheless, eventually there might appear such hidden heroes even when the war on terror ends.
“FOR HE WHO IS LEAST AMONG YOU WILL BE THE GREATEST.”
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuo_Fuchida