When a Japanese war pilot crash-landed on a Hawaii island during the Pearl Harbor attack

Hawila “Howard” Kaleohano, a 30-year-old ranch hand, was the first to reach the crash site. He took Nishikaichi’s pistol and documents, including a map of Oahu, charts and other military documents, out of the plane and held them in his possession.

“He could speak a little English,” Kaleohano later said in a 1946 article in the Honolulu Advertiser, “but he didn’t say anything about the war or attack.”

Unaware of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Niihau residents took care of Nishikaichi as they would any other downed pilot. Because he spoke Japanese, the residents sent for the island’s beekeeper, Ishimatsu Shintani, to interpret what the pilot was trying to say. However, the beekeeper became alarmed and upset upon hearing what the pilot had to say and left without translating.

Next, the Niihauans reached out to island residents Yoshio and Irene Harada, who were also of Japanese descent, and they talked to the pilot, who told them about Pearl Harbor and that he wanted his weapon and papers returned. For unknown reasons, the Haradas decided to keep what he told them about the Pearl Harbor attack a secret. They did tell Kaleohano that Nishikaichi wanted his weapon and papers back. Kaleohano said no. News finally came later that night, through a battery-operated radio, that Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the Niihau residents then realized they had an enemy fighter pilot on their hands. The residents were unsure what to do. The owner of the island, Aylmer Robinson, was on Kauai, and there was no way to reach him.

In the end, the residents held Nishikaichi under house arrest at the Haradas and placed a guard outside.

Even so, Nishikaichi found a way to sneak back to his plane and set it on fire, in an attempt to destroy it so it would be no use to the U.S. government. His orders were to destroy his plane and his documents, which he failed to maintain, should he be captured.

Between Monday, Dec. 8, and Wednesday, Dec. 10 — days after the Pearl Harbor attack — Nishikaichi talked a lot with the Haradas and convinced them to help him. Shintani, the beekeeper, was also brought back in to ask Kaleohano once more if Nishikaichi could get his papers and weapon back.

Again, the answer was no.

Nishikaichi and the Haradas knew then that negotiating with Kaleohano wasn’t going to work, so Yoshio Harada snuck in and stole the pistol back, as well as a resident shotgun. Later, Harada and Nishikaichi returned armed to demand the documents. Then Nishikaichi took a shot at Kaleohano, but he missed.

Kaleohano got away and ran to warn the rest of the residents, who gathered together to form a plan. Some built a fire to send a distress signal to Kauai. Others, including Kaleohano, took a 10-hour boat trip to Kauai to let the owner know.

Meanwhile, the pilot terrorized the town — and set Kaleohano’s house on fire.

“The pilot came back to town with the weapons that had been stolen, and he demanded to see the ranch hand. And they made excuses. They couldn’t produce the ranch hand because they didn’t want to tell him that he had gone for help,” Bengston said. “So he took hostages and threatened them if they didn’t produce him or his papers that he would kill them" [link to www.sfgate.com (secure)]