Kazuo Sakamaki
| Kazuo Sakamaki | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
November 8, 1918 Awa, Tokushima, Japan |
| Died | November 29, 1999 (aged 81) |
| Allegiance |
 Japan
|
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Navy
|
| Rank | Ensign |
| Battles/wars | Attack on Pearl Harbor |
Kazuo Sakamaki (酒巻和男 Sakamaki Kazuo?, November 8, 1918 – November 29, 1999) was a Japanese naval officer who became the first Japanese prisoner of war of World War II captured by American forces.
Sakamaki was born in what is now part of the city of Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, one of eight sons. He was a graduate of the 68th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1940.
Sakamaki was one of ten sailors (five officers and five petty officers) selected to attack Pearl Harbor in two-man Ko-hyoteki class midget submarines on 7 December 1941. Of the ten, nine were killed (including the other crewman in his submarine, Kiyoshi Inagaki). He had been chosen for the mission due to his large number of siblings. Sakamaki had set an explosive charge to destroy his disabled submarine, which had been trapped on Waimanalo Beach, Oahu. When the explosives failed to go off, he swam to the bottom of the submarine to investigate the cause of the failure and became unconscious due to a lack of oxygen. The book Attack on Pearl Harbor claims that his sub hit four coral reefs and sank. Sakamaki was found by a Hawaiian soldier, David Akui, and was taken into military custody. When he awoke, he found himself in a hospital under American armed guard. Sakamaki became the first Japanese prisoner of war in American captivity during World War II and was stricken from Japanese records and officially ceased to exist. His submarine was captured intact and was subsequently taken on tours across the United States as a means of encouraging the purchase of war bonds.
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