Only ever heard this mentioned in passing, but think it deserves a wider audience. "When the Empire of Nippon launched its massive attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941, Airman 1st Class Shigenori Nishikaichi was among the raiders, escorting a group of bombers in his Zero fighter. After two successful runs, the bombers were seeking further targets when, seemingly from nowhere, a flight of nine US air fighters attacked them. The US forces were flying P-36As, and were hugely outclassed by the Zeros. Despite the advantage of surprise, the US planes were quickly dispatched. Nevertheless, one round had punctured the fuel tank of Shigenori Nishikaichi's fighter, and he began losing fuel. That single bullet set into motion events that would eventually lead to United States interning more than one-hundred thousand people of Japanese heritage--despite their citizenship--in concentration camps for the remainder World War II.As the Japanese pilot made his way back to the aircraft carrier, his injured plane fell behind. It soon became apparent that he would not be able to reach the carrier as it steamed away from Hawaii and back toward Japan. Instead he fell back on his emergency orders: he was to land on the uninhabited island of Niihau and wait on the north beach for an Imperial submarine to make rescue. On his first flyby however, he noticed a severe flaw in the plan. Contrary to Japan's pre-attack intelligence, the tiny island was inhabited." Incident on Niihau Island • Damn Interesting This link has more detail- The Niihau Incident
I am not so sure we can claim this incident as the wellspring for the Japanese-American Internment camps, but I do conceed it helped to make them a reality. Looking at American attitudes in Hawaii, the West Coast and the country as a whole much of the foundation work had already been laid in the somewhat myopic veiws held by both the government and the public at large. General Short's defence plans seem to reguard a inssurection/5th column as likely as an actual enemy attack. My one problem with giving the Incident as the primary factor for the camps is the fact that the government seemed to downplay it when it was ready made to support the action of internment camps.
I just caught up with this story. I never knew they had an alternate plan for damaged planes who could not make it back. I also found this. 2 missing engine parts surface. a valve and a rocker arm. PBS investigates. video http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/the-niihau-incident/
Wow, very interesting story. Thanks for sharing it. I would love to research more on if this did, in fact, have any impact on internment camps in the U.S.
Akutan was another example of the backup plan gone awry, though for different reasons. It seems the Japanese did have a system for rescuing downed flyers, just not a very effective one. Worked a few times in the Solomons, where Malaita, and I think also Buka, and Buin (initially) played similar roles.