The Untold Story of the Niihau Incident: A Dark Chapter of World War II

Although the possibility of Japanese American disloyalty was very remote, there was an incident that took place between December 7 and 13, 1941, which gave the public pause for thought. This instance became known as the Niihau Incident.

Yoshitada Nishikaichi holding a portrait of his late elder brother in 2001

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot Shigenori Nishikaichi, crash-landed his Mitsubishi Zero on the Hawaiian island of Niihau, located southwest of the island of Kauai. Prior to the attack, the Imperial Japanese Navy had mistakenly designated the island of Niihau as a safe, uninhabited location for damaged aircraft to land. Stranded pilots were instructed to wait on the island until they could be rescued by submarine. To the contrary, the tiny 48 square mile island was home to 180 Hawaiians and two Japanese families.

After landing on the island, Nishikaichi was relieved of his pistol and papers by a local Hawaiian named Hawila Kaleohano. Unable to communicate with the pilot, Kaleohano sent for Ishimatsu Shintani, a 60-year-old Japanese-born man who was married to a local Hawaiian woman, to help translate. After a brief conversation with Nishikaichi, Shintani departed without saying a word, forcing Kaleohano to send for another Japanese, 39-year-old Yoshio Harada. Yoshio and his wife Irene Umeno Harada were both nisei, born in Hawaii.

Nishikaichi informed the Haradas of what had taken place at Pearl Harbor and desperately asked to have his papers returned. Apparently, he had been warned that the papers, which included maps, radio codes and the Pearl Harbor attack plan, should by no means fall into hands of the Americans.

The inhabitants of Niihau were unaware that the United States was now at war with Japan, and the Haradas decided that it would be prudent not to tell them. They asked Kaleohano to return the pilot’s papers. When he refused, the Haradas decided to assist Nishikaichi in retrieving his papers and escaping.

By nightfall, word of the attack on Pearl Harbor had reached Niihau by radio. The pilot was questioned again, and it was determined that he should be taken to the island of Kauai by Niihau’s landlord, Aylmer Robinson. Robinson lived on Kauai and made weekly visits to Niihau. Unbeknown to the Niihauans, newly imposed wartime restrictions had prohibited boat traffic across the 17-mile channel between Niihau and Kauai. Robinson was unable to return to Niihau as planned. Nishikaichi was allowed to stay with the Haradas until he could be transported to Kauai. A guard was stationed outside the Harada residence to ensure that the pilot did not escape.

On December 12, Ishimatsu Shintani approached Kaleohano with $200 in cash, which he offered in exchange for the pilot’s papers. Kaleohano refused and Shintani left, warning that there would be trouble. Later that evening, Harada and Nishikaichi overpowered the guard posted outside, acquired a shotgun and the pilot's pistol that were stored in a warehouse nearby, and proceeded to Kaleohano’s house. Unable to find him, they made their way to the pilot’s downed plane to attempt to make contact with the Japanese military using the aircraft’s radio. Unable to make contact, they managed to remove one of the two machine guns on board the plane and later set fire to the craft. They then set fire to Kaleohano’s house in a final effort to destroy Nishikaichi’s papers. They were unaware that Kaleohano had given the pilot's papers to a relative for safekeeping.

On the morning of December 13, Nishikaichi and Harada captured two locals, Ben Kanahele and his wife Ella. They ordered Ben to find Kaleohano and kept Ella as a hostage to ensure that Ben followed through on the directive. Later that day, Ben and Ella realized that the pilot and his companion were fatigued and turned on them. During the attack, Nishikaichi shot Ben three times. Despite being shot, Ben picked the pilot up and hurled him into a stone wall. Ella struck him on the head with a rock and Ben slit his throat with a hunting knife. Harada, witnessing the incident, turned the shotgun on himself and committed suicide.

When the Army rescue party from Kauai arrived on December 14, Irene Harada and Ishimatsu Shintani were taken into custody. Shintani was sent to an internment camp, where he remained for four years. Irene Harada, thought to be a Japanese spy, was imprisoned at the Wailua Jail on December 15, 1941. She was later transferred to the Honouliuli Internment Camp on Oahu where she remained until June of 1944.

In an interview given to Patsy Sumie Saiki for her book, "Ganbare! An Example of Japanese Spirit" published in 2004, Irene asked, “My husband paid the penalty for his actions, whatever his motives were that last day. He gave his life for someone whom he hardly knew, but who was a human being before he was a friend or enemy. Is loyalty to a country stronger than kindness to a human being who is right there before you?”

Although the actions of Nishikaichi’s abettors did demonstrate the potential for ethnic allegiance, the internments on the mainland resulted more from racism than a security risk posed by individuals of Japanese heritage.

Excerpt from "The Sun Will Rise Again."