Latest news with #JapaneseNavy
NHK
16-07-2025
- General
- NHK
Letters by Japanese officer who led Pearl Harbor attack to be exhibited
Two letters that the Japanese naval officer who led the attack on Pearl Harbor wrote shortly after the incident will be made public for the first time. The letters by Yamamoto Isoroku will be on display in an exhibition to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. The show will open on Saturday at the prefectural Fukushima Museum. Yamamoto's descendants provided them for the exhibition. Museum officials view them as valuable historical resources. They said the content of the letters suggests Yamamoto was calmly analyzing the initial stage of the war. The naval officer sent the letters to his wife's parents in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. One of the letters, dated January 13, 1942, about one month after the Pearl Harbor attack, was written when Yamamoto was onboard the battleship Nagato. He wrote that he engaged in a mission of heavy responsibility before retiring as a military officer. At a time when Japan was overjoyed with the success of the Pearl Harbor attack, he wrote that it managed to achieve a minor victory thanks to the enemy country's inattention and negligence. He went on to write that the full-scale battle would start later. The other letter was written in April in the same year onboard the battleship Yamato. He wrote about private matters such as his wish to visit his ancestors' graves after the war. He died about one year after writing the letters. A plane carrying Yamamoto was downed by a US military aircraft over the Solomon Islands. Yamamoto, who had studied at Harvard University, is said to have been well aware of differences of national strength between Japan and the US, and opposed starting a war with America.
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The haunting truth behind the 'Battle of Los Angeles' that saw city 'attacked' for 2 hours
On February 24, 1942, Los Angeles erupted in chaos as anti-aircraft guns unleashed a barrage into the night sky, but a historian says there was nothing up there to hit. The so-called 'Battle of Los Angeles' took place just 11 weeks after the Japanese navy's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor dragged the US into World War II. With Americans gripped by fear of a Japanese invasion of the West Coast, Dr Mark Felton, a historian and author, told the Daily Mail five people lost their lives as unexploded munitions rained down on the city during the air raid. Military commanders initially claimed Japanese bombers had been spotted on their way to attack, and that eventually led to to even more wild speculation that enemy agents or even UFOs were invading Southern California. However, when the sirens faded and the guns went silent along the coast, no enemy planes were ever found. The incident was later deemed a false alarm triggered by a stray meteorological balloon mistaken for an enemy aircraft. Felton called the event a stark example of 'war nerves,' with jittery troops and civilians primed for an assault that never came. Making things even worse, a real attack had just rocked the California coast the day before. A Japanese submarine had just shelled an oil field near Santa Barbara, marking the first attack on the American mainland since 1812. 'The Americans expected some sort of Pearl Harbor-like carrier plane attack on the US West Coast, so tension was very high, exacerbated only the day before by the shelling of the Ellwood Oil Refinery,' Felton said. The historian and Youtuber added that anti-aircraft battery units were ready to shoot down any suspicious aircraft approaching the mainland, leading to the tragic miscalculation. 'The combined number of guns within LA could place 48 flak shells into the sky every minute, creating a perilous curtain of fire for any would-be bombers to penetrate,' Felton revealed. On the night of February 24, anti-aircraft guns were on alert across the whole city, and 10,000 air raid wardens stood ready. A blip on the radar screen was formally identified as an unknown aircraft at 2:07am PT. That's when the first 'yellow alert' was posted. A blue alert then went out which signaled to military and local police that the aircraft was believed to be hostile. Three minutes later, a red alert was issued. At 2:25am, air raid sirens started wailing across Los Angeles, and thousands of wardens and police officers spilled into the streets. Searchlights raked across the sky in search of the mystery aircraft, which military gun batteries still hadn't seen or confirmed was even real. Despite not seeing a Japanese bomber, at 3:16am, all of the anti-aircraft guns suddenly opened fire, launching hundreds of shells that exploded like fireworks above the city. The guns ceased firing at 3:36am, with search lights still probing the sky again. At 4:05am, the flak guns started firing again. The chaotic night saw 10 tons of shells blasted into the sky across Los Angeles, as explosions echoed across the city and five citizens died from heart attacks and car accidents tied to the incident. The guns eventually stopped, but not until 1,440 rounds had been fired into the sky. While many exploded at pre-set altitudes, others fell back to Earth and detonated over homes across the city. 'Some of the larger three inch shells that had failed to explode in mid air detonated instead when they began impacting all over LA houses and garages were damaged as white hot shards of shrapnel ripped through homes, often narrowly missing terrified residents,' Felton revealed. As the sun came up later that morning, Army bomb disposal teams went to work roping off streets from curious bystanders and finding live shells which had buried themselves in roads and gardens. After the battle, reporters claimed 50 enemy aircraft had bombed the city. American military reports suggested a force of up to 25 to 30 aircraft tried to invade the West Coast. However, both of these stories would have required a Japanese aircraft carrier to be in the area, which was not the case. At this point, authorities suggested that the aircraft spotted on radar might have been a civilian plane, piloted by enemy agents. In the end, authorities had to admit the truth: no Japanese aircraft had attacked Los Angeles. The skies were empty and the sound and fury of the anti-aircraft batteries were firing at nothing. On February 26, the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, officially declared that the raid had been a 'false alarm.' 'The incident is famous as an example of 'war nerves' - basically, the troops were on edge, pent-up and ready for anything, and it didn't take much to trigger such a response,' Felton said. 'It is also an example of military incompetence from the high command down to battery commanders, all of whom were expecting a Japanese attack,' he added. 'Once the firing started, the impression of an enemy attack was further exacerbated by the imagination of gunners who claimed to see or hear planes in the night sky, stray US flares in the sky and AA [anti-aircraft] shells landing in LA and exploding, looking like falling Japanese bombs.'
CNA
06-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Japan to export used destroyers to Philippines to deter China: Report
Bilateral military cooperation has included joint exercises, a Japanese radar aid package and a high-level strategic dialogue. Last year they signed a reciprocal access agreement, the first such for Japan in Asia, allowing deployment of forces on each other's soil. To clear military equipment export restrictions for the destroyers under Japan's pacifist mandates, Tokyo will treat the installation of equipment and communication systems requested by Manila as a joint development project, the Yomiuri said. The Abukuma-class destroyer escort, a relatively small type of destroyer with a 2,000-ton standard displacement, is operated by a crew of about 120 and is armed with anti-submarine and anti-ship missiles, torpedo tubes and guns, according to a Japanese navy website. The Philippine Navy does not have destroyers, only frigates and corvettes, which are typically smaller and lighter-armed vessels.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
White House marks 83rd anniversary of Midway victory in WWII
June 4 (UPI) -- Wednesday is the 83rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway, which turned the tide against the Japanese during World War II, the White House announced. The attack by the Japanese Navy on Midway Island marked its last in the Pacific Theater of operations and occurred 1.5 years after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. "After the shocking attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Imperial Japan surged across the Pacific -- dealing Allied forces a series of defeats, from the fall of the Philippines to the capture of Hong Kong and Singapore to devastating air raids over Australia," the White House announced in an unattributed online statement. "With the U.S. Navy still reeling from the surprise attack, Japan's ruthless push for regional dominance seemed unstoppable," the statement said. A surprise attack led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle that dropped bombs on Japan on April 16, 1942, prompted the Japanese to expand their territorial gains in the Pacific Theater of Operations, including targeting Midway Island for occupation. Occupying Midway would have given Japan a military base that was within striking distance of Pearl Harbor and the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet by land-based bombers. U.S. codebreakers, though, had broken Japan's Purple Code, and the Navy sent an uncoded message saying Midway Island's desalination facilities were down. It was a ruse that prompted the Japanese to say that its next target had problems with its fresh water, which the U.S. codebreakers intercepted. "The Japanese plan was clear: lure what remained of the battered U.S. Pacific Fleet out of Pearl Harbor, destroy it and capture Midway, from where they would launch further offensives across the Pacific," the White House announcement says. Knowing Midway was the intended target, newly appointed Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Chester Nimitz dispatched the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and the USS Yorktown aircraft carriers and supporting vessels to lay a trap for the Japanese Navy. Admirals Chester Spruance and Jack Fletcher commanded the tactical fleet during the Midway operations. Japan sent four of its best fleet aircraft carriers to draw out the U.S. Pacific Fleet and destroy it in a decisive battle. Instead, the Japanese fleet was surprised by U.S. attack aircraft on the morning of June 4, 1942. "In the course of 24 hours, they sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, destroyed a heavy cruiser and crushed Japanese hopes of advancing deeper into the eastern Pacific," the White House said. The U.S. lost the Yorktown during the battle, but the United States was able to replace its losses and grow its fleet. The Japanese Navy continued to decline in size and effectiveness while trying and failing to defend its prior gains in the Pacific Theater. "Today, former enemies stand united as allies," the White House said. "The United States and Japan have forged an enduring partnership built on the shared values of freedom, sovereignty and an abiding commitment to peace across the Indo-Pacific." The White House statement says the United States and Japan "are advancing the causes of safety, security, prosperity and liberty ... while confronting threats from China and North Korea." The Battle of Midway serves as a "glorious reminder" that "no challenge is too great for the strength of the American spirit," the White House said.
UPI
04-06-2025
- General
- UPI
White House marks 83rd anniversary of Midway victory in WWII
June 4 (UPI) -- Wednesday is the 83rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway, which turned the tide against the Japanese during World War II, the White House announced. The attack by the Japanese Navy on Midway Island marked its last in the Pacific Theater of operations and occurred 1.5 years after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. "After the shocking attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Imperial Japan surged across the Pacific -- dealing Allied forces a series of defeats, from the fall of the Philippines to the capture of Hong Kong and Singapore to devastating air raids over Australia," the White House announced in an unattributed online statement. "With the U.S. Navy still reeling from the surprise attack, Japan's ruthless push for regional dominance seemed unstoppable," the statement said. A surprise attack led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle that dropped bombs on Japan on April 16, 1942, prompted the Japanese to expand their territorial gains in the Pacific Theater of Operations, including targeting Midway Island for occupation. Occupying Midway would have given Japan a military base that was within striking distance of Pearl Harbor and the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet by land-based bombers. U.S. codebreakers, though, had broken Japan's Purple Code, and the Navy sent an uncoded message saying Midway Island's desalination facilities were down. It was a ruse that prompted the Japanese to say that its next target had problems with its fresh water, which the U.S. codebreakers intercepted. "The Japanese plan was clear: lure what remained of the battered U.S. Pacific Fleet out of Pearl Harbor, destroy it and capture Midway, from where they would launch further offensives across the Pacific," the White House announcement says. Knowing Midway was the intended target, newly appointed Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Chester Nimitz dispatched the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and the USS Yorktown aircraft carriers and supporting vessels to lay a trap for the Japanese Navy. Admirals Chester Spruance and Jack Fletcher commanded the tactical fleet during the Midway operations. Japan sent four of its best fleet aircraft carriers to draw out the U.S. Pacific Fleet and destroy it in a decisive battle. Instead, the Japanese fleet was surprised by U.S. attack aircraft on the morning of June 4, 1942. "In the course of 24 hours, they sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, destroyed a heavy cruiser and crushed Japanese hopes of advancing deeper into the eastern Pacific," the White House said. The U.S. lost the Yorktown during the battle, but the United States was able to replace its losses and grow its fleet. The Japanese Navy continued to decline in size and effectiveness while trying and failing to defend its prior gains in the Pacific Theater. "Today, former enemies stand united as allies," the White House said. "The United States and Japan have forged an enduring partnership built on the shared values of freedom, sovereignty and an abiding commitment to peace across the Indo-Pacific." The White House statement says the United States and Japan "are advancing the causes of safety, security, prosperity and liberty ... while confronting threats from China and North Korea." The Battle of Midway serves as a "glorious reminder" that "no challenge is too great for the strength of the American spirit," the White House said.
