Yamamoto, the man who planned Pearl Harbor increased my knowledge about the
people of Japan because it introduced me to their culture, and the life and
times in Japan before World War II. In Japan, the family is the basic unit of
society. For example, if a Japanese has the unfortunate occurrence of producing
only daughters, they will insist that one of their daughters husbands changes
his last name to keep their daughter’s last name alive. It was, also, not
unusual for people to change their last names. Isoroku Tankano was born in 1884.
In 1916, he changed his last name to Yamamoto, because the name Yamamoto was an
honorable and ancient one in the history of Japan. One such figure was Tatekawa
Yamamoto, who fought against the Emperor, and his forces at the Battle of
Watkamatsu, during the Bosshin War. Since he was one of the leaders of the
rebellion, when he was captured, he was beheaded at Watkamatsu. Since Tatekawa
had no sons, Isoroku was also the future of the Yamamoto clan. Not uncommon in
Japan was the fact that men got married for the purpose of producing sons to
keep the family name alive. This is exactly what Isoroku did. In 1918, he got
married to Reiko, who, ironically, was from Watkamatsu. They had 4 children
together, 2 sons, and 2 daughters. It was the standard Japanese family, the
mother in charge of the household and of raising the children. He never really
loved her, because he had many extramarital affairs, and 2 of the women he
“loved”. The life and times in Japan right before World War 2 are
simply explained: The Imperialist Japanese Army, otherwise known as the
“young Turks” was steadily gaining power in the government, was
assassinating anyone who did not share in their views for a united Asia
(Yamamoto received many death threats, because he wanted to avoid war with the
U.S.A. or with Great Britain at all costs), and was using propaganda to convince
the Japanese to believe in a united Asia. The Emperor could not stop what was
going on in his country because Emperors stayed out of the daily life of his
people. When I say that the government is to unstable, I mean that it is too
susceptible to being taken over by an army. For example, in the 1930’s, the
Imperialist Japanese Army was using their influence over the Minister of War to
take over Manchuria, and eventually the Japanese government, and they were using
assassination as the chief method of wiping out any political opposition. Also,
if I moved in Japan, the culture shock would be enormous, starting with the
simple language barrier, and the difference in religion. Isoroku Yamamoto was
correct in his thinking that war between the U.S.A., Great Britain, and Japan
should be avoided at all costs, and in the event of war between the U.S.A.,
Great Britain, and Japan, Japan would lead in the beginning, like the first 6 to
12 months, but would eventually lose the war. One quality I admire about
Yamamoto is that he was able to do a task that he was totally against. For
example, even though he was against going to war against the U.S.A. and Great
Britain, when the Imperialist Japanese Navy appointed him Commander of the
Combined Fleet, he immediately went to work on a battle plan (Which we all know
resulted on the attack on Pearl Harbor). Another quality of Yamamoto’s that I
admire is that he led his life to the fullest. He was an avid gambler, both at
the table, and at a time of war. One such gamble he took was on April 18, 1943
when he flew in a battle and was shot down. The truth is that the Americans
decoded Japans naval code, found out the details of Yamamoto’s flight, and F.D.R.
himself ordered American pilots to ambush Yamamoto and the Japanese. Japan did
not know that the U.S.A. decoded their signal. Yamamoto also had certain ideals,
or standards of excellence. For example, he believed that the students at the
Kasumigaura Aviation Corps were not being trained harsh enough, so he made the
training there a lot tougher, he made all the students there shave their long
hair, but he finished the security rounds for the students, showing he had a
heart. Isoroku Yamamoto did not have to overcome many hardships on his climb to
the top of the success ladder except for being poor. Another particular negative
incident, which occured in 1928, when he was overseeing a training exercise in
the Sea of Japan, was when all of a sudden, overcast clouds appeared and the
pilots could not see the ship at all, and then, over the radio, one of the
pilots kept on describing how he had 30 minutes of fuel left in his tank, 25
minutes of fuel left, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, and then,
there was no more contact with any of the planes, they all crashed into the
water, and Yamamoto did not sleep, eat, or drink until all the bodies were
recovered. Isoroku Takano was born in 1884, in a medium sized city called
Nagaoka. In 1901, Isoroku won an appointment to the Imperial Naval Academy, on
the little Island of Eta Jima, off the coast of Hiroshima. He won an appointment
there because on a competitive entrance examination, he scored second out of the
top students in the entire nation. His appointment signaled changing times in
Japan, because, even though that all the enemies had not completely passed on,
it signaled that the new government was making strides to unify the new Japan.
At the Academy, Isoroku’s speciality was gunnery, which meant that he would
become a deck specialist In 1904, upon his graduation at the Japanese Naval
Academy, Isoroku joined the Imperial Japanese Navy aboard the cruiser Nisshin as
a deck officer, and as a gunnery specialist. The Nisshin was one of the cruisers
used in the Russo – Japanese war. In August,1905, Isoroku was sent to the
gunnery school at Yokosuka Naval Base. In September of that year, he was
promoted to sublieutenant. In October, 1905, He received a letter of
commendation for the brave action taken in the Battle of Tsushima Strait, which
meant that his career was on the rise. He remained at Yokosuka until 1907, when
he was transferred to the ship Kagero, and his naval career resumed slowly, as
it should during a time of peace. In 1908, the sublieutenant served aboard the
Maezuru, in Manchurian waters. In 1911, Isoroku was promoted to Lieutenant,
moving slowly up the chain of experience and promotion in a peacetime navy.
Isoroku’s father died on February 21, 1912, and around this time, his mother
fell gravely ill. He received military leave, to tend to his dying mother. He
wanted to quit the navy, but his mother would not let him. In August, 1912,
Isoroku’s mother died. In 1913, Isoroku’s career moved into high gear. He
received an appointment to the Naval Staff College at Tsukiji. In 1915, Isoroku
was promoted to lieutenant commander. Graduation from this college was required
if you wanted to hold a staff position in the Japanese navy and in 1916, he
graduated from the Naval Staff College. Also in 1916, there were some personal
changes in Isoroku’s life. First and Foremost, as mentioned previously, Isoroku
dropped his last name Takano and changed it to Yamamoto. Also, Yamamoto realized
the time was correct to get married, and on August 31, 1918, Yamamoto and Reiko
were married at the Navy Club in Shiba, Tokyo. On April 4, 1919, Yamamoto traveled
to America aboard the Suwa Maru. Of course, he traveled in first class. He went
to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was enrolled in a special course for
foreigners at Harvard University titled English E. He also studied Petroleum
resources, since it is of great importance to Japan. In December, 1919, Yamamoto
was promoted to commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy. While in America, he
was interested mostly in aviation. He read in newspapers, and on the radio that
General Billy Mitchell of the U.S.A. Army trying to convince Congress that
airplanes could sink a battleship, but nobody believed him. He left America in
1922. In 1922, Yamamoto was appointed to teach at the navy staff school. In
August, he left the school, and took a job as an executive officer aboard the
cruiser Kitakami. Also in 1922, Yamamoto and his wife had a son, Yoshimasa, and
one of his obligations as a member of the Yamamoto clan was fulfilled. In 1923,
he was promoted to captain of the Imperial Japanese Army, and in June, he was
appointed to the cruiser Fuji. He held this position for a year before he
convinced his bosses to let him teach at the Kasumigaura Aviation Corps. Late in
1924, he all of a sudden became executive officer, and director of studies. He instituted
harsh new dress codes, and somewhat changed the curriculum. At first, the
students complained, but they eventually settled down. In 1925, Yamamoto had a
daughter, Sumiko. He was also appointed as a Japanese naval attack. He left for
America on January 21 aboard the ship Tennyo Maru. His job was to observe all
activities of the U.S.A. Navy, particularly to the adherence to the Naval Treaty
of 1922. In the spring of 1928, it was time for Yamamoto to go home. In the same
year, Yamamoto was appointed to command the cruiser Akagi. In the end of 1929,
he was appointed to the Naval Affairs Bureau of the Navy Ministry. Also in 1929,
Yamamoto had a second daughter, Masako. He was also appointed to the delegation
that would be sent to the London Naval Conference in 1930. One part of the
Japanese group sent to the London Naval Conference in 1930, the fleet faction,
wanted equal treatment compared with the U.S.A., and Great Britain. Another part
of the Japanese delegation, the treaty faction would be quite happy with 70% of
the Navy that the U.S.A., or Great Britain had. The old portion was 66%, and
after the conference, it remained at that figure. While at the conference,
Yamamoto was promoted to Admiral. His new job would be to develop new naval,
air, and aircraft weapons. On October 3,1933, he was appointed to command the
First Air Division of the Navy. In 1936 Yamamoto was named head of the
aeronautics department of the navy. This job lasted only a short time, because
he reluctantly accepted an appointment as vice minister of the navy, in the same
year. Soon after his appointment, it was rumored that he was a primary target
for an assassination. He held this position until August 30, 1939, when he was
appointed Commander of the Combined Fleet. Soon after his appointment, he began
planning his attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy, led
by Isoroku Yamamoto, attacked Pearl Harbor, and Japan took an early lead in the
war. The turning point of the war was the Battle of the Midway, when the U.S.A.
cracked Japan’s code. On April
18, 1943, Yamamoto’s plane was ambushed by American forces, and Yamamoto’s plane
was shot down, killing him instantly. The decision to ambush Yamamoto’s plane
was made by F.D.R
. Yamamoto was a very loyal man, a patriot, if you will. He did his
job even when he disagreed with it, he flew a plane even though it was not
necessary, and he cared about everyone he knew. From the American point of view,
he was an evil man who killed many, put to the Japanese, he was a patriot, and a
hero.
