Nobuo Fujita was a Japanese naval officer and aviator who holds a unique place in World War II history—as the only person to conduct an aerial bombing of the continental United States. His story, however, goes far beyond this singular event, evolving into a remarkable tale of reconciliation, peace, and personal transformation.
The War Years
Born in 1911 in Japan, Nobuo Fujita became a pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy. During World War II, he served as a reconnaissance pilot aboard submarines—an unusual and daring assignment. In 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese military devised an audacious plan: to bomb the U.S. mainland using a submarine-launched seaplane.
On September 9, 1942, Fujita launched his Yokosuka E14Y “Glen” floatplane from the deck of the submarine I-25 off the coast of Oregon. His mission: to drop incendiary bombs in the forests near Brookings, Oregon, with the intent to ignite massive forest fires and cause panic among the American public. The raid, known as the “Lookout Air Raid,” caused minimal damage due to damp conditions and a swift response from local firefighters. Fujita returned safely to the submarine and conducted a second, equally unsuccessful, bombing days later.
Though tactically ineffective, the attacks marked the first and only time the U.S. mainland was bombed from the air by an enemy during World War II.
Postwar Reflection and Reconciliation
After the war, Fujita returned to civilian life in Japan. He opened a hardware store and lived quietly, haunted by his wartime actions. But his story took a surprising turn in 1962 when he was invited back to Brookings, Oregon, the very town he had tried to set ablaze two decades earlier.
Initially unsure whether he would be met with hostility or forgiveness, Fujita brought with him a cherished family heirloom—a 400-year-old samurai sword.
It was a gesture of atonement and goodwill. He presented it to the city as a symbol of peace, intending it as a gesture of apology should he not be welcomed. To his surprise, the residents of Brookings greeted him with kindness and open arms.
That visit marked the beginning of a deep, long-term friendship between Fujita and the people of Brookings. He would return several times over the following decades, planting trees at the bombing site, funding scholarships for local students to visit Japan, and advocating for peace. In 1992, Brookings named him an honorary citizen, and he was even invited to plant a tree at the very spot where one of his bombs had fallen.
Legacy
Nobuo Fujita died in 1997 at the age of 85, but not before seeing the fruits of his efforts to foster reconciliation between former enemies. His ashes were partially scattered at the Oregon bomb site—a place that had once been a symbol of war, but through his efforts, became one of peace.
His life is remembered not just for the history-making bombing mission, but for his profound personal journey—from wartime aviator to peace ambassador. In many ways, Nobuo Fujita’s story stands as a powerful testament to the capacity for forgiveness and the enduring human desire to make peace with the past.
sources
https://www.brookings.or.us/291/Fujita-Sword
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Fujita
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