Densho Digital Archive - Don Okubo Interview (denshovh-odon

<Begin Segment 5>

gky: This is tape two with Don Okubo on the 8th of January, the year 2001, in Honolulu. Mr. Okubo, can you tell me how you felt that your Japanese background helped you understand the psyche, the Japanese psyche, and helped you in interrogations?

DO: Well, first of all, when you, when these prisoners saw me and I was Japanese, and we can communicate, which was very important. It meant that they felt a little more comfortable. And so whatever question I ask, they did reply. Because I have a Japanese culture and background, I told them about, I tried to put them at ease and that, "You'll be treated the best way we can treat you so you don't have to worry, and all you need to do is cooperate with me and help us shorten this war." So, in the beginning, he was kind of hesitant, but he started to give us, give me more and more information because it's for their own good. And because -- I know, the Japanese are very hard to convince them, but at that time, I was able to do that because of the information that I got from them. Other things -- I just talk to them about where they come from, and how many, if they're married, or if they have any families. I tell them I'm sure they'll be waiting for you to come home too. Since you're a prisoner, that you're able to go home. But, they said, actually, that they had no intention of going back to Japan alive. So I had to change their thinking.

gky: And how did you do that?

DO: Well, I told them, "If all you boys go back, doesn't go back, how Japan is going to rebuild?" Japanese government need young boys like that, you people to come home to rebuild the country." That makes sense. "You die for the country, but you die for nothing, you're not doing any good." They began to see what I meant.

gky: So, they began to...

DO: Yeah. They liked to seppuku, they like to just die. They had no intention of going back alive. So I told them that, "You don't have to be ashamed to go back to Japan because you're defeated. Japan, the country itself is defeated. But you did your best and suffer so much out here and lack of food and lack of everything. And so you have nothing to be ashamed. In fact, your parents will be too happy to -- your wife and children will be too happy to see you come home alive."

gky: Where were you when the war ended?

DO: Well, I was in Kwajalien taking care of the prisoners.

gky: And what was it like when they found out that the war had ended?

DO: Well, in a way it was kind of relief, already there's no fighting anymore and no killing, and the Americans would not be continuing bombing Japan. They know their homeland was being bombarded and all over was nothing but a fire all over.