Takeo Yoshikawa - Return To Japan and Later Life

Return To Japan and Later Life

Takeo Yoshikawa never received any official recognition of his services despite the fact that he continued to work for naval intelligence during the remainder of the war. When the war ended and Japan was occupied by U.S. forces he went into hiding (disguised as a Buddhist monk) for fear of being prosecuted for his role in the Pearl Harbor attack. He returned to his wife (whom he married shortly after his return from the U.S.) when the Americans left.

In 1955 he opened a candy business but it failed as word spread of his role in the war. The Japanese blamed Takeo for the war; "They even blamed me for the atomic bomb," he declared in one interview. Penniless and jobless, he was supported by his wife for the rest of his life via her position selling insurance. "My wife alone shows me great respect," said the old spy. "Every day she bows to me. She knows I am a man of history." He died in a nursing home.

Over the years, the mysterious spies of Pearl Harbor were always mentioned in passing in history books. While Yoshikawa contributed to the decision to intern Japanese Americans he himself distrusted the Japanese-American community who in his mind were loyal to America over Japan.