The First Japanese POW During WWII (taken by US)

choi

Takuma Melber, The Lone POW of Pearl Harbor; Eighty years ago, Japanese submariner Kazuo Sakamaki was taken prisoner by the US—and erased from his own country's history. Wall Street Journal, Dec 4, 2021 at page C5 (C is Review section published every Saturday).
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the ... -harbor-11638594060
https://purdue.forums.rivals.com ... earl-harbor.220821/

Note:
(a) Takuma Melber
(i) Takuma Melber, Dr.   Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies, undated
https://www.asia-europe.uni-heid ... sdetail/melber.html  

quote:

"Position[:] MA [Master of Art] Transcultural Studies Coordinator | Lecturer

"Doctoral thesis (dissertation):

"Zwischen Kollaboration und Widerstand: Die japanische Besatzungspolitik in Malaya und Singapur, 1942-1945 (summa cum laude, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)
([in English:] Between collaboration and resistance: The Japanese occupation policy in Malaya and Singapore, 1942-1945; passed without corrections, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz)

• The same Center has another Web page that says the dissertation was published in "September 2017."
(ii) "Melber was born to his German father and Japanese mother. As for his parental details, the actual identity of his parents is still a mystery. * * * he is a historian by training."  from the Web.

(b)
(i) Kazuo SAKAMAKI  酒巻 和男 (1918-1999)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuo_Sakamaki
(a mug photo upon capture)
(ii) Kiyoshi INAGAKI  稲垣 清
(iii) Type A Kō-hyōteki-class submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_A_Kō-hyōteki-class_submarine
("(甲標的甲型, Kō-hyōteki kō-gata, Target 'A', Type 'A') * * * For simplicity, they are most often referred to by the hull number of the mother submarine. Thus, the midget carried by I-16-class submarine was known as I-16's boat, or 'I-16tou' ")
• The kanji 甲 has Chinese pronunciation kō.
• During World War II, each of all Japanese submarines were named 伊[number]型. For example, 伊一型（いいちがた [pronunciation: i ichi gata; abbriviation: 伊1; US used English letter I instead]), 伊ニ型 * * * 伊七型 and so on.
• During World War II, Japan named its operations from various sources: eh, 一号作戦 (English (by Allies): Operation Ichi-go; ろ号作戦 (ro being a letter in 五十音); 礼号作戦; 決号作戦; 捷号作戦 (shō-go-saku-sen); 天号作戦 etc.   
(iv) Meaning of "tou" in the preceding Wiki page is solved.
(A) Japanese Mini Submarines at Pearl Harbor. National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA, undated.
https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/maritime/japanese-mini-subs/
("I-18 tou")

Please read at least the beginning of the page.
(B) "It is thus called the I-16-tou -- tou being Japanese for boat." Los Angeles Times, Dec 7, 2009.
(C) Type A Kouhyouteki. KanColle Wiki, undated
https://kancolle.fandom.com/wiki/Type_A_Kouhyouteki
("Trivia[:] The Kouhyouteki, which means 'Target "A", Type "A",' was given its name in order to disguise its true purpose: if its design was discovered prematurely by Japan's foes, the Japanese Navy could insist that the vessels were practice battle targets. They were also called 'Tubes' (筒 Tou) or 'Target' (的 Teki, abbreviation of 'Hyōteki') and other slang names")
• As you can see from the top of this Web page, "KanColle" is from 艦これ (こ and れ are jiragana for ko and re. Recall that Japanese romanization does not have letter l; r only.)  
• The ou in "tou" and "Kouhyoutek" is just the other way of Romanizing Japanese, besides ō. Both signify a long vowel of o.
(v) Japanese-English dictionary:
* hyōteki 標的 【ひょうてき】 (n): "target"   (Both hyō and teki are Chinese pronunciatiomn of respective kanji.)
* kata 型 【かた】 (n): "(1) model; type (e.g. of machine, goods, etc)"  (When used as a suffix, "ka" is softened to "ga."(
* kan 艦 【かん】 (n): "warship"

(b) "Sakamaki's comrades, described as 'nine fallen soldiers, distinguished by their incomparable uprightness and loyalty' and celebrated as 'war gods' "
(i) 軍神
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/軍神
has two definitions: real gods and "壮烈な戦死を遂げて神格化された軍人."
(ii) Those nine were called 九軍神.

(c) The last of the print article is this paragraph: "Dr Melber teaches history and transcultural studies at Heidelberg University in Germany. He is the author of "Pearl Harbor; Japan's attack and America's entry into World War II," published by Polity Press [2020].