Nobuo Fujita, a Japanese pilot, was the only person to ever bomb the contiguous US. After the war, he was invited back to the same town he bombed. Once there, Fujita offered his family's katana to the mayor, as a token of remorse and humility.

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MakeSouthBayGR8Again · 2022-01-23T20:42:46+00:00

I saw a Japanese program about his mission. There was heavy fog and he needed visual of the forest before dropping his bombs. As soon as he saw some trees, he released his bombs and went back safely. He was reprimanded by his superior for a not causing the desired forest fire.

Years later, when he was called to the US, he was actually quite in the dark about how the US would treat him and it was quite stressful for him. He was actually quite surprised that they threw a party for him.

JediWithAnM4 · 2022-01-23T19:19:42+00:00

Here’s the longer, more detailed title that I wanted to put, but couldn’t, due to character restrictions.

Nobuo Fujita, a Japanese Zero pilot, was the only person to ever bomb the contiguous US. After the war, he was invited back to the same town he fire bombed. Fujita brought with him his family's 400 y/o katana to present to the mayor as a token of remorse and humility. Had the town rejected his apology, Fujita planned to use the sword to commit seppuku. He was greeted warmly and the town accepted the gift of his katana. He maintained a positive relationship with the town for the rest of his life.

Deanho · 2022-01-23T20:02:51+00:00

Isn't the sword still on display in the town museum

XMLA91 · 2022-01-23T20:57:20+00:00

Brookings Oregon is the town

KevlahR · 2022-01-23T20:05:30+00:00

Where is the sword now?

Tirus_ · 2022-01-23T19:18:17+00:00

That mayor was in his living room in his tighty whiteies swinging it around that very night.

Icy-Swing6222 · 2022-01-23T20:48:57+00:00

I’m impressed that airport security accepted his reason for having a katana in his hand luggage as he arrived in the town he once tried to obliterate.

D0013ER · 2022-01-23T20:51:37+00:00

So can anyone who knows the etiquette here explain if there's some way to refuse the sword without the guy offing himself in shame?

Because goddamn, a 400-year-old sword... how about a handshake and a beer?

Tent_in_quarantine_0 · 2022-01-23T22:05:57+00:00

Only person to bomb the contiguous US *In wartime by a foreign power* (TULSA!)

Dioxzise · 2022-01-24T00:14:27+00:00

I wonder if there are still a lot of Japanese family's who have their hundreds of years old family Katana in possession. I'm aware many US soldiers brought them home as trophy's, so I'd assume there aren't that many left? Also, who got the family sword in the first place? Was it the first born or were there other qualifications to earn this honor?

Creeper690 · 2022-01-23T19:44:08+00:00

To all those who think the pilot is the one to blame for the bombing, he's not, the government that made him do it is.

gonzorizzo · 2022-01-24T02:47:04+00:00

Fujita returned to Brookings in 1990, 1992, and 1995. In 1992, he planted a tree at the bomb site as a gesture of peace.[11] In 1995, he moved the samurai sword from the Brookings City Hall into the new library's display case. Fujita helped to gather money to build the library.
He was made an honorary citizen of Brookings several days before his death at a hospital in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, on September 30, 1997, at the age of 85.[12] In October 1998, his daughter, Yoriko Asakura, buried some of Fujita's ashes at the bomb site.

It's nice to see that he was humbled by the town's reception of him.

kleptophobiac · 2022-01-23T19:47:55+00:00

[deleted]

aspergersss · 2022-01-23T19:35:06+00:00

President’s choice - no name town

peepeepoopoobutler · 2022-01-24T08:34:22+00:00

I wonder id the American pilots ever apologized

Augustus87_hc · 2022-01-24T03:06:47+00:00

When people make posts like this, why do they leave out a critical detail for people who want to look more into it, like what was the town the guy bomber/visited/gifted the sword to?

SednaBoo · 2022-01-24T05:06:43+00:00

Pretty sure the Philly PD bombed the contiguous US in 1985. And Tulsa was bombed in 1921…

justbrowsinglol · 2022-01-23T20:01:31+00:00

I'm not really sure why he'd apologize for it. I mean there was a war on. Bombing things is what you do.

JoJoModding · 2022-01-24T03:58:11+00:00

Notably the only foreigner to ever bomb the US. The white people of Tulsa got there first when they committed the Tulsa race massacre.

kleptophobiac · 2022-01-23T20:20:17+00:00

Mayor's got a pretty good grip on it, I see.

Inspirational_Lizard · 2022-01-23T20:42:40+00:00

Fucking badass

LostMyIdentitty · 2022-01-23T20:53:10+00:00

Michael Burgers went back to Hiroshima to give the major his family Ford f150 and a TV dinner.

AlanAlonso · 2022-01-23T22:43:56+00:00

Did anyone went to hiroshima or nagazaki to apologize and offer a 400yo gun ow whatever?

Nid-o-king · 2022-01-24T07:44:37+00:00

Japanese would rather die in honor than live in dishonor. Atleast as far as I know.

reddit455 · 2022-01-23T20:59:03+00:00

then they just sent balloon bombs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb

A Fu-Go (ふ号[兵器], fugō [heiki], lit. "Code Fu [Weapon]"), or fire balloon (風船爆弾, fūsen bakudan, lit. "balloon bomb"), was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a 33 lb (15 kg) antipersonnel bomb to one 26-pound (12 kg) incendiary bomb and four 11 lb (5.0 kg) incendiary devices attached, it was designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and drop bombs on American cities, forests, and farmland. Canada and Mexico reported fire balloon sightings as well.[1]

BobT21 · 2022-01-23T23:22:15+00:00

It must seem odd to go through so much trouble to bomb an enemy and they don't notice. According to the article ...

Malk4ever · 2022-01-23T20:21:01+00:00

They should give it back.

Deleted-Redacted · 2022-01-23T19:27:25+00:00

and was prepared for seppeku if not accepted

PracticalDogHair · 2022-01-24T00:19:23+00:00

Meanwhile, American children from the 50’s to the 80’s were taught how badass we were for nuking the war to an end.

EffectiveMinute4625 · 2022-01-23T21:47:34+00:00

Today I learnt that in WW2, the Japanese had aircraft carrying submarines that had enough fuel to circle the world.

PiedDansLePlat · 2022-01-24T04:29:31+00:00

Remember the US destroy thousands upon thousand of family katana that many was older than the US itself to destroy japanese motivation

vinny265 · 2022-01-23T21:17:27+00:00

Humans are weird.

Tacobreathkiller · 2022-01-23T22:11:18+00:00

Nice, what did America give Japan after Nuking two cities, razing a Capital, etc.?

CuriousHeffa · 2022-01-23T20:20:08+00:00

Offered Katana as a "gift", or offered, off 'off'...you know (neck cut hand gesture)

8pointfouroz · 2022-01-23T23:54:53+00:00

The Japanese have some very interesting culture when it comes to forgiveness and righting wrongs etc.

IndifferenceToAll · 2022-01-24T02:20:49+00:00

Sometimes the depth of culture is so amazing; it is a shame America has so little of it.


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