Civilian Casualties

Civilian Impact of the Pearl Harbor Attack

At dawn on December 7, 1941, more than half of the United States Pacific Fleet—approximately 150 vessels and service craft—lay anchored or moored in Pearl Harbor. Almost the entire Pacific Fleet's battleships were in port, many of them positioned around Ford Island. By 10:00 a.m., the peaceful Sunday morning was violently interrupted. Twenty-one vessels were sunk or damaged, and the heart of the U.S. naval force appeared shattered. Smoke from burning planes and hangars filled the skies, while oil from the sinking ships polluted the harbor. Death was everywhere.

The loss of life was not limited to military personnel. Civilians from various backgrounds, ages, and locations across O‘ahu also suffered heavy casualties.

Civilian Casualties on O‘ahu

Many civilians worked on military bases and were present during the attack. One civilian shipyard worker was on the Floating Dry Dock YFD-2 and ended up hospitalized alongside wounded sailors and Marines. In Waipahu, a mistaken Japanese attack on the sugar mill injured seven civilians and killed one. A similar attack on the sugar mill near Marine Corps Air Station Ewa killed two and wounded seven more. In Wahiawa, two civilians were killed, and nine were wounded in another attack, which also saw a Japanese aircraft crash into a house.

Several civilian aircraft were in the air over O‘ahu that morning. At 7:51 a.m., two Japanese fighters fired on a civilian plane near Lā‘ie. Just three minutes later, another attack targeted two civilian Piper Cub planes. Two of the occupants went missing, and one tragically died after landing.

One of the most devastating aspects of the attack was the tragic deaths caused by friendly fire. Many of the 5-inch anti-aircraft rounds fired at the Japanese aircraft failed to detonate properly in the air and exploded when they hit civilian areas around Pearl Harbor and Honolulu. With many fire departments already deployed to military areas such as Hickam Fieldand Pearl Harbor, fires in civilian areas spread unchecked. Japanese fighters also strafed John Rodgers Field, Honolulu's airport, killing one civilian.

In total, 49 civilians were killed and 35 were wounded during the attack on O‘ahu.

The Ni‘ihau Incident

The tragedy of December 7 wasn't confined to O‘ahu. On the nearby island of Ni‘ihau, a little-known event unfolded that same day. Shigenori Nishikaichi, a Japanese Naval Airman 1st Class, crash-landed his aircraft on the small island after his fuel tank was damaged during a dogfight. Ni‘ihau, privately owned by the Robinson family, remains one of the most isolated places in Hawai‘i, home to about 130 Native Hawaiians living a largely subsistence lifestyle.

Believing a Japanese submarine would come to his rescue, Nishikaichi enlisted the help of the island's Japanese-American paymaster, Yoshio Harada, to terrorize the locals. Together, they detained several residents and set fire to one house. A group of islanders rowed to Kaua‘i to notify the Army. When an Army contingent led by First Lieutenant Jack Mizuha arrived, they found Nishikaichi dead, having been killed by local hero Ben Kanahele after the pilot shot him. Harada, overcome by the situation, committed suicide. Kanahele, who sustained injuries during the struggle, was later awarded the Medal of Merit and Purple Heart for his bravery.

Attacks Beyond Hawai‘i

The attack on December 7 wasn’t confined to Hawai‘i. On December 8, 1941, Baker and Howland Islands—located approximately 1,000 miles south of O‘ahu—were also attacked by Japanese forces. Due to the International Date Line, these attacks occurred simultaneously with the Pearl Harbor attack. These small coral islands, part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands, held strategic importance as refueling stops across the Pacific.

In the early stages of World War II, over 130 Native Hawaiians assisted the U.S. Department of the Interior in laying claim to the islands under the Guano Islands Act of 1856. Two out of the four Interior colonists stationed on Howland Island were killed during the Japanese attack. Their story is recounted in the film Under the Jarvis Moon.

The attack on Pearl Harbor left an indelible mark not only on the military but also on the civilian population of Hawai‘i. Civilians across O‘ahu, from workers on military bases to those in quiet towns, were deeply affected. The tragedy even reached the remote island of Ni‘ihau, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of that infamous day. Below is a list of the 49 civilians who lost their lives during the attack on O‘ahu.

 

List of Civilian Casualties

Ewa

• Yaeko Lillian Oda, 6
• Francisco Tacderan, 34

Honolulu

• John Kalauwae Adams, 18
• Joseph Kanehoa Adams, 50
• Nancy Masako Arakaki, 8
• Patrick Kahamokupuni Chong, 30
• Matilda Kaliko Faufata, 12
• Emma Gonsalves, 34
• Ai Harada, 54
• Kisa Hatate, 41
• Fred Masayoshi Higa, 21
• Jackie Yoneto Hirasaki, 8
• Jitsuo Hirasaki, 48
• Robert Yoshito Hirasaki, 3
• Shirley Kinue Hirasaki, 2
• Paul S. Inamine, 19
• Robert Seiko Izumi, 25
• David Kahookele, 23
• Edward Koichi Kondo, 19
• Peter Souza Lopes, 33
• George Jay Manganelli, 14
• Joseph McCabe, Sr., 43
• Masayoshi Nagamine, 27
• Frank Ohashi, 29
• Hayako Ohta, 19
• Janet Yumiko Ohta, 3 months
• Kiyoko Ohta, 21
• Barbara June Ornellas, 8
• Gertrude Ornellas, 16
• James Takao Takefuji, aka Koba, 20
• Yoshio Tokusato, 19
• Hisao Uyeno, 20
• Alice White, 42
• Eunice Wilson, 7 months

John Rodgers Airport

• Robert H. Tyce, 38

Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station

• Kamiko Kookano, 35
• Isaac William Lee, 21

Pearl City

• Rowena Kamohaulani Foster, 3

Wahiawa

• Chip Soon Kim, 66
• Richard Masaru Soma, 22

Waipahu

• Tomoso Kimura, 19

Honolulu Fire Department

• Hickam Field
• John Carriera, 51
• Thomas Samuel Macy, 59
• Harry Tuck Lee Pang, 30

Federal Government Employees

Hickam Field

• August Akina, 37

• Philip Ward Eldred, 36
• Virgil P. Rahel, age unknown

Pearl Harbor

• Tai Chung Loo, 19

Red Hill

• Daniel LaVerne, 25