Figure 1.--Hawaiia was the only American territory in which the Japabese were the largest ethnic group. This was uintentionall. TheJapanese miltarists attacked Hawaii because the Pafic fleet was at OPearl Harbor. Here we see a rural school. Most of the children were Japanese. After the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor, there was fear of further air attacks or even an invasion. The children here are partiipating in a drill using a slit trench that that had just been dug for them.

Hawaii today is the only American state in which the largest segment of the population is of Asian origins. At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack some 460,000 people lived on the Hawaiian islands. The Hawaiian Kingdom had attracted Japanese emigration. The single most important ethnic group was Japanese -- significantly outnumbering the native Hawaiian and white population. This was some 160,000 people and all concentrated on the tiny Hawaiian Islands. This was much larger than the 120,000 Japanese on the Pacific coast of the mainland. Neither in Hawaii or California was there substantial support for Japanese aggression. Some of the older Japanese had a sentimental attachment to Japan, but nor Japanese aggression. The Japanese milirarists attacked Hawaii because of the Pear Harbor naval base. But it is iteresting thatin do ind o they attacked the most Japanese spot in Amrrica. The Asian portion of the population has declined in recent years, primarily because of inter-marriage and white immigration. Nearly a quarter of the Hawaiian population now has ancestry including two or more ethnic origins. The Hawaiian Island were unique in that it was he only targeted territory that had a substantial Japanese ethnic population. This was in sharp contrast to the Germans which had ethnic communities throughout Eastern Europe, even the Soviet Union.

Created: 2:20 AM 6/27/2025
Last updated: 2:20 AM 6/27/2025