The Niihau incident, the incident after Pearl Harbor

[TomSea]

The Niihau incident, the incident after Pearl Harbor

When the Empire of Nippon launched its massive attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941, Airman 1st Class Shigenori Nishikaichi was among the raiders, escorting a group of bombers in his Zero fighter. After two successful runs, the bombers were seeking further targets when, seemingly from nowhere, a flight of nine US air fighters attacked them. The US forces were flying P-36As, and were hugely outclassed by the Zeros. Despite the advantage of surprise, the US planes were quickly dispatched.

The Niʻihau incident (or Battle of Niʻihau) occurred on December 7, 1941, when Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot Shigenori Nishikaichi crash-landed his Zero on the Hawaiian island of Niʻihau after participating in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

He was killed in a struggle with people on the island.

The island’s Native Hawaiian residents were initially unaware of the attack, but apprehended Nishikaichi when the gravity of the situation became apparent. Nishikaichi then sought and received the assistance of the three locals of Japanese descent on the island in overcoming his captors, finding weapons, and taking several hostages. Eventually, Nishikaichi was killed by Niihauans Benehakaka “Ben” Kanahele and Kealoha “Ella” Kanahele;Ben Kanahele was wounded in the process, and one of Nishikaichi’s confederates, Yoshio Harada, committed suicide.

The incident and the actions of Nishikaichi’s abettors demonstrated the potential for racial or ethnic allegiance to overwhelm national allegiance; this ultimately may have influenced the decision to intern Japanese Americans during World War II. ...


Continued: https://dirkdeklein.net/the-niihau-incident-the-incident-after-pearl-harbor/

So, locals of Japanese descent helped this Japanese pilot in the Hawaiian Islands. I was not aware of this incident.

[endicom]

I've known of it but had forgotten the details. The Panay incident of 1937 is also little known.

Hawaii was dealt with by making it a military zone.

Exclusion involved, IIRC, five miles in from the West Coast and affected more than people of Japanese descent. Part of the Gulf Coast was treated similarly.

I think that relocation forced people in 100 miles. Some 5,000 Japanese-Americans are said to have successfully relocated on their own, some 120,000 placed into Relocation Camps. A small number of Italian-Americans were also affected but for just months. Relocation involved U.S. citizens.

What I would call 'internment' would be the alien detention camps that are common to all wars.

Our Commonwealth allies also had such camps but not much is made of that in this country.

[TomSea]

I will read up on this Panay incident. Thanks.