For That One Day: The Memoirs of Mitsuo Fuchida, the Commander of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

by Mitsuo Fuchida, Douglas T. Shinsato (Translator), Tadanori Urabe (Translator)

Daniel Martinez, Chief Historian at the Pearl Harbor National Monument, states that, "Mitsuo Fuchida is a remarkable man." Commander Fuchida plunged Japan into war with the United States when he led the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. His autobiography was "discovered" in 2007 in his son's basement library in New Jersey, nearly 66 years after the event that changed the world. This Imperial Japanese Navy officer was also at the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Leyte Gulf and in Hiroshima the day before and the day after the atomic bomb was dropped. Through a chance encounter in Tokyo, he converted to Christianity, and his first testimony in the US was with Billy Graham. During his travels through the US, he met ex-President Truman, President Eisenhower, and many of his former military foes--Nimitz, Halsey, Doolittle, Spruance. He tells a fascinating story of his life in war, peace and religious transformation. Among Pacific War enthusiasts, it is well known that there are a number of "disagreements" and "disputes" surrounding what actually happened at Pearl Harbor and Midway and, in Japan, in the days leading up to the surrender ceremony on the USS Missouri. In his autobiography, Japan's top aviator gives his perspective as an enemy and how, after total defeat and occupation of his country, he embraced America as a friend. MITSUO FUCHIDA INTERVIEW WITH MERV GRIFFIN (1965)--Watch@ www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMe3r7bM9js

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, World War II, Autobiography, Military History

323 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2011

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began reading this book with great anticipation. I knew that Mitsuo Fuchida was the man who led the Pearl Harbor attack; most people don't even know that much. I did not know anything else about him-did he survive the war? What did he do after Pearl Harbor? This autobiography answers those questions and much more giving different insight and perspective on what we think we all know about Pearl Harbor and WWII. Without giving too much away, he survived the war, became a farmer, converted to Christianity, and at one time or another met MacArthur, Truman, Eisenhower, Nimitz, Dolittle, and other former enemies. He traveled to the US numerous times as part of his missionary work and his son and daughter moved to the US eventually becoming US citizens. There are many parts of his life story that made me think beyond the content I was reading. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read autobiographies and biographies, particularly those interested in WWII.

[Cotton Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mitsuo Fuchida led the surprise air attack on Pear Harbor, literally supervising and analyzing the complex operation from the air, even as he participated in a torpedo plane. One is always at a loss to read any work in translation, but then again we're so lucky to live in an age when plucky, committed translators provide us their best interpretations of writings by such writers.

This book is wonderfully engaging on two levels. Fuchida brilliantly describes the preparations (from his historical field of view) for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Likewise, he gives fascinating details of the moments up to and during the air assault. He follows up the detailed overview of events at Pearl Harbor with more general discussions about the rest of Japan's rolling back all enemies, then sudden catastrophe (for Japan) at Midway and his nation's slide toward ruin. He had obviously vested his life and honor, typical of Japanese soldiers and Imperial Japanese Navy officers like him, in the fortunes of his country and had to watch as all their planning and efforts collapsed in defeat. He certainly placed blame at multiple doorsteps and had little love of admirals and what he believed to be unimaginative, timid leaders by the end of WWII.

On the second level he rises above all that had lead to his nation's ruin and his own poverty when coming upon words of Christian missionaries and finally in procuring his own bible. Fuchida had "a second birthday" the day he was saved and devotes the last part of his book to his testimony and life devoted to Christ. There can be no question that this is the evidence of a transformation.

I nonetheless fault Fuchida for his persistent relativism, a constant desire to elevate Japanese war motive and aims and compare Japan to other countries, like the United States, suggesting that any country practicing war shared common deeds, both noble and evil. He never allows himself to blame the well-documented policies of incalculable brutality by Japan on her neighbors on his country. He tries to lend honor, even rendering Japanese actions as anti-imperialist, in his summations. The only factor keeping these ideas from appearing totally ludicrous is his obvious love for his country and people, so the reader tends to forgive him his rose-colored glasses. After all is said and done he devotes himself to not only his faith, but pacifism.

This book should be read, one would think, with a desire for the observations and insights of a foreign mind, holding fast to the recognition that other perspectives can teach many times more than the some formulaic narrative told by one's own fellow citizens over and over again.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow...this book was so fascinating! I had no idea the man who planned/led the attack on Pearl Harbor later became a Christian and missionary/speaker. Given that his autobiography was discovered after his death (and he did not finish it prior to his death), it lacks editing and completeness. But it is obviously well-researched, thoughtful, and thorough. I was moved to tears while reading his interactions with victims of Pearl Harbor after his conversion. I also was completely absorbed to read about the events that led to Pearl Harbor, the battles of WWII, and post-war events (I had no idea there was a coup that attempted to keep Japan from surrendering!!) from the Japanese perspective. It was so good!

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what I expected from a memoir of the Commander of the Pearl Harbor attack, but now that I’ve read it, the idea is more interesting than the book.

As a military strategist, Mitsuo Fuchida writes of equipment, terrain, force sizes and military theory. There are narratives on issues such as whether the military should be organized around the Navy’s first and second fleets or the Nagumo Task Force. He writes of the Pearl Harbor campaign with pride referring to the “enemy’s” “limited capacity” that will be hit with “our overwhelming superiority”.

Illness prevented him from taking a leading role in MidWay. He was in injured while viewing the battle, after which he had to take a lesser role (primarily teaching). He watched and commented on some of the poorly made strategies and tactics.

In Fushida’s Pearl Harbor plans there was no thought to human casualties; it was purely about equipment, fuel, capacity and timing. After the bombing he writes that the Japanese noted that the Americans wasted no time in rebuilding the lost battleships, but deeply mourned loss of people. Based on the American value of life, and the recognition that Japan was outgunned, war policy became one of inflicting pain.

He believes the War Crimes trials were unduly harsh and stacked against Japan. If a declaration of war is the difference between war and murder (as it seemed to be), Fuchida feels that 30 minutes is sufficient notice.

Fuchida does not seem to hate the US. I could not figure out his motivation for attacking the “enemy”. It was not until the end of the book (p. 255), ten years after the war, he told a reporter that “it was a sacred war to liberate Asian nations that had been suffering enormously under the rule of the whites for 200 long years”. In the 1950’s when he travels in the US as a Christian, he is sad when he sees a Pearl Harbor victim or a victim’s family, but seems to have no remorse.

The last chapters are devoted to Fuchida’s post-war life. He meets the “enemy” and is well received by Nimitz, MacArthur, Truman and others and publically embraces Christianity (in the Billy Graham Crusade). All his grandchildren are US citizens.

Because of the author’s role in changing history it is an important document for history.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

For That One Day is the memoirs of Mitsuo Fuchida, the Japanese Commander for the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The book goes from the very beginning of his life to close to his death, detailing his ecstatic fascination with becoming a member of the Imperial Japanese Army, his military career, to his times after the war, finally concluding with his conversion to Christianity. Of course, it goes into greater detail than how I have structured it, but it could really give you a look into the Japanese side of World War Two. As an American, I was most definitely fascinated with this book because it showed the other side of World War Two to me.

The plot of this book follows, as I’ve said, the beginning of his life to close to the very end of his life. Mituso Fuchida was born on December 3rd, 1902, supposedly born under a lucky star as he writes. Ever since he was born he aspired to be an Admiral in the army, he was a bit of a rambunctious kid, and when he joined the army they specified that the U.S was his enemy. His army career consisted of making a switch to being an aviator for the Imperial Japanese Army, after many great performances, so to speak, by Fuchida he ascended the ranks of the Navy, with one of the greatest responsibilities being given to him coordinating the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Then he participated in many battles close to the end of the war, and survived many close calls. After the war he participated in the War Crimes Tribunal in Japan. One day on his way to the Tribunal he picked up a pamphlet from one of the former POWs from the American side which revealed how this POW kept his sanity during the brutal torture, it was through his faith. After, Fuchida converted to Christianity and went on many trips to America and the book concludes with him becoming frail in his old age.

The many different characters help Fuchida throughout the different stages of his life that the book describes. For example, many Navy higher-ups one higher up with the name Ozawa pushes Fuchida’s theory of aviation to the Head of the Navy. Another example would be, an American man by the name of Sachs. Sachs allowed Fuchida to do many things that many people couldn’t do, for example Fuchids visited Ex-President Truman and was able to have a conversation with him about the world and their faith. The final example will be Margaret Covell, although she never met Fuchida, Fuchida heard Margaret’s story from one of the many Japanese soldiers who became POWs, this in turn would start Fuchida’s conversion to Christianity.

The writing style of Fuchida, especially in this book, is beautiful. It takes different aspects of his life and pertains them to the situation. For example, in Chapter 7 Fuchida mentions the fact that he thinks he heard the voice of Jesus, although he had not known him yet. This alludes to the fact that he will become a Christian and then get to know Christ and experience his love. Another example is towards the end of the book after the war has happened Fuchida is mad that the Americans are one-sided in the trials. This includes his military days on how he was told to hate America, as it was the big bad guy of the West as they believed. In all, the writing style is the best I’ve seen in any book.

Overall I rate this book five stars out of five. The plot is interesting and enticing to the reader and really opens your eyes to the Japanese side of things. The characters are well flushed out and have many key parts in the plot. Finally, the writing style, although hinting at some spoilers in the plot, is one of the best writing styles I’ve seen in any book that I’ve read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history and World War Two as a whole.

[Ali Salman · Rating 4 out of 5]

انتهيت من قراءة هالسيرة الذاتية لميتسو فوشيدا قائد سرب الطيران الياباني اللي هاجم الامريكان في بيرل هاربر ،،

حسب وجهة نظره ،من أسباب خسارة اليابان حرب المحيط الهادئ مع الولايات المتحدة تركيز اليابان على بناء السفن العملاقة ثقيلة التسليح على حساب حاملات الطائرات وسلاح الجو ،،

باعتقاده ان ذاك الوقت كان زمن الطيران ،، والحروب البحرية التقليدية بين السفن العملاقة ولى زمنها ، بحيث ان السفينة الحربية الضخمة صارت مجرد هدف سهل للطائرات ،، ولكن القيادة اليابانية كانت ما زالت تعيش احواء الانتصار على الاسطول الامبراطوري الروسي وكان من الصعب اقناعهم بالتركيز على بناء حاملات الطائرات وسلاح الطيران ،،

ويستدل على ذلك انه فخر الصناعة البحرية اليابانية السفينة ( ياماموتو ) بالرغم من دخولها للخدمة بداية الحرب العالمية الثانية الا ان اول طلقة طلقتها كانت في سنة ١٩٤٤.

أيضا يرى ان من اسباب خسارة اليابان للحرب اخطاء الادميرال (ياماموتو ) القائد العام لسلاح البحرية واللي من ابرزها ثقته الزائدة وعدم تأمينه لوسائل الاتصال بين وحدات الجيش الشي اللي خله الامريكان يعترضون اتصالاته ويكشفون خطة معركة ميدواي ،،، بالمحصلة خسرت اليابان معركة ميدواي واللي كانت نقطة تحول في الحرب،،

ايضا يذكر بان الجنرال توغو اخطأ بالاكتفاء بهجوم واحد على بيرل هاربر بدل ما يصدر امر بهجوم ثاني مباشرة وهالشي فوت عليهم التدمير الكلي للاسطول الاميركي في بيرل هاربر،،

في الربع الاخير من الكتاب يكشف الكاتب عن اعتناقه للمسيحية واشلون قضى باقي عمره يحارب الكراهية التي تخلقها الحروب وتبشيره بالديانة المسيحية وعمله ف�� الارساليات

[Joe Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For That One Day is a very interesting memoir from Captain Mitsuo Fuchida who planned and executed the raid on Pearl Harbor and eventually wound up becoming a Christian missionary. He lived an interesting life to say the least!

Fuchida has written about the Pacific War elsewhere, so this is really more of a personal remembrance as opposed to a military history. It does contain a lot of interesting details about the Pearl Harbor attack and his experience at Midway. Because it is not a military history, Fuchida is not shy about offering his opinion on people and events. He is not too happy with most of the admirals that he served under - they were too timid.

I found the story of his conversion to Christianity to be fascinating. And his stories of his mission trips to the United States are very interesting as well - he was able to meet with many of his former adversaries, like Nimitz and MacArthur and also then President Eisenhower.

Fuchida never really completed this memoir - he had some serious medical issues and only wrote about a third of what he had planned to write. Even so, it's a very compelling story. The editor and translators did a remarkable job. I strongly recommend this book.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a military perspective, the attack on Pearl Harbor was brilliantly planned and well executed. American military leaders agree, at least that's what he says they told that when they met him years later.

I like military history memoirs by the guys with their "boots on the ground." Fuchida planned and lead the attack that kicked the US into the war. And he shares some of the frustrations he had after it was left incomplete.

[Amy Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly detailed and informative about the war in the Pacific from a Japanese POV. I am amazed by Fuchida's conversion but also his wide influence and untiring work for Christ in his later years. It encourages me to keep praying for loved ones to know Christ. I wish God had granted Fuchida the grace to finish this book, but he accomplished all he was meant to do in God's will.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Commander Fuchido led the Japanese Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor. This book of memoirs was translated into English, and published after his death. It was difficult to keep all the Japanese names in my head, which is understandable, and made for slow reading. It is obvious Fuchido is not a professional writer, thus he failed the great author test. However, the book was written honestly, and from the heart. I found it fascinating, as it was written from the Japanese perspective, by a Commander of the Japanese Navy. He does not go into the reasons for the attack (I think we have all read those before), nor does he try to justify or excuse it. He acknowledges that war is bad, and shows how his thinking and philosophy changed after the war, after he was discharged from the Navy, after he moved to a small village, and had to learn to be a farmer. I've never read a book, magazine or article like this before. The last 1/4 of the book recounts his conversion to Christianity, and his Evangelical Missions, one of the first being in the U.S., with Billy Graham. I am glad I had the opportunity to read this and had to give it 5 Stars, due to content and the push it gave me towards beginning to understand prewar Japan. If you have a keen interest in WWII, this should go to the top of your To-Read List.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read two previously published books on the life of Mitsuo Fuchida, the commander of the Pearl Harbor air attack on December 7, 1941, so the subject matter was not new to me. However, those previous books gave just a glimpse into the life of Fuchida and did not get into any great depth. Translated from his handwritten autobiography years after his passing, this book tells a great story with brutal honesty, goes in-depth and is pretty accurate. The translators make note of 30 factual inaccuracies that they discovered in his writing, but the errors are minor and do not detract from the main narrative. There is a lot of information and for readers fluent in American English, the Japanese names and geography might be a slight distraction, but it lends to further credibility to the author's knowledge base. The last section of the book, when he discusses his trips to the United States after World War II ended, is very valuable because of the stories that he tells about a few incidents from Pearl Harbor that are not very well known and were almost lost to history. Reading about the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Doolittle Raid and Hiroshima from the perspective of a major Japanese participant brings great context to understanding the complicated nature of World War II in the Pacific. I rate this a must read for those interested in Pearl Harbor and why the war was fought.

[Lauren Ukkerd]

My family visited Pearl Harbor a few weeks ago when we were in Hawaii and while browsing the gift shop I came across this book in the book section. As I thumbed through it I became interested in the other side of the Pearl Harbor attack from the Japanese side of things. I wanted to understand this nation's reasoning for wanting to go to war with the United States and what the mindset of the commander of the Japanese Navy was leading up to the attack on our nation. If you want to get a true sense and understanding of both sides of Pearl Harbor I definitely recommend this book. I already knew and had learned about our side of the story and what transpired from our side but as we always say there are two sides to every story and this book certainly proved it to me. There were times as I was reading the book that I became angry, pissed off and downright upset but always kept in mind that this Japanese leader was doing what he felt was best for his country just like our leaders most of the time do what is best for our country.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due to Fuchida's role in World War 2, his memoirs are a must-read for anyone wanting further insight into the attack on Pearl Harbor and the role of the Japanese Air Force throughout the Pacific. Fuchida gives accounts of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the battle of Midway, the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese surrender, and then his conversion to Christianity and his life afterward.

However, his writing is not polished. He writes as if he were telling you an off-the-cuff story of what he remembers. He seems to have done little research about the events in question that may have bearing on his analysis and memories of those events.

[Pei-jean Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The memoirs of the man who commanded and lead the first Japanese wave of attack on what President Roosevelt described as 'a date which will live in infamy' who would later become disillusioned with the Japanese tradition of Bushido and spend the rest if his life as a Christian missionary. Interesting also to read his opinion of the Japanese military commanders if the time namely Yamamoto and Nagumo.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a "fact is stranger than fiction" storyline, this book tells the amazing story of Fuchida, who led the attack on Pearl Harbor. You will learn about his subsequent conversion to Christianity from being America's enemy to preaching alongside Billy Graham! There is plenty of detail in this biography. An interesting summer read.

[Berdj ANASTASSIAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

books about WW2, written by soldiers of the losing countries, are very rare.
Even more rare is the fact that it comes from Japanese. So many did suicide attacks during the war or Seppuko after the armistice.
So, having such an important figure of the IJN writing about the japanese side, is in immense insight.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mitsuo Fuchida was the commander of the attak on pearl harbor and this book tells about his life after pearl harbor how he found Christ and the important people he meet after and during the war. He tells you why he decided to become a aviation officer and his point of view on pearl harbor.