THE JAPANESE IN THE ALEUTIANS

“Attu and Kiska Islands Captured By The Japanese”

After the Japanese attacks on Dutch Harbor, Alaska on the 3rd and 4th of June, 1942, six months after the attack by

the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, the Aleutian islands of Kiska and Attu were captured and garrisoned by the

Japanese. Capt. Takeji Ono of the Japanese Imperial Navy and his Japanese No. 3 Special Landing Party and 500

Japanese Marines landed on Narukami-shima (Kiska) a little after 1 a.m. on the 7th of June, 1942. These were

followed by another contingency of approximately 1000 Japanese Infantry. Concurrently on the 6th of June 1942,

the Japanese 301st Independent Infantry Battalion landed on Attu via Chichagof Harbor.

These pages are about the Japanese as they occupied these islands in the Aleutians during WWII. The pictures have

been derived from old WWII-era Japanese photo magazines, newspapers, and even some photos taken from film

developed from captured Japanese cameras after the re-capture of the islands from the Japanese.

There are several stories regarding the war's conduct from the perspective of Japanese soldiers stationed on Attu.

These stories came from several captured diaries penned by their owners and captured by the Americans at the

end of the Battle for Attu. See these links:

• Dr. Nebu Tatsuguri's Diary

• An unknown Japanese NCO's Diary

• Private Tsukiji's Diary

Efforts have also been ongoing to return Japanese WWII memorabilia, including "battle flags," to their owners or

owner's relatives. These are links to a successful reuniting of a flag by Russ Marvin, with the 2nd link to a Japanese

web site that will aid this process immensely, and a 3rd link from a Japanese newspaper showing how difficult this

process can be:

• Loveland, CO Vet Returns Wartime Letters to Japanese Family

• Attu Flag Returns Home

• Let War Memorabilia Come Home (Japanese)

• Let War Memorabilia Come Home (English)

We thank Ms. Naomi Tabuchi, Mr. Kiyoshi Nishiha, Mr. Nishiha's daughter Mrs. Megumi Morioka, and Dr. Yasuhiko

Kaji for their help providing these links and for putting forth the effort to also bring Japanese memorabilia back

home to Japan.