Diplomats in the dark
QUESTION What happened to the two Japanese diplomats who were holding discussions with the U.S. State Department when Pearl Harbour was attacked?
BEFORE the Pearl Harbour attack of December 7, 1941, the Americans had imposed a trade embargo on Japan, outlawing the importation of resources vital to its war effort.
On November 26, 1941, Secretary of State Cordell Hull dispatched what became known as the Hull Note to the Japanese, demanding its withdrawal from Indochina and China.
This was the trigger for Japan’s decision to cross the Pacific and launch an attack resulting in the deaths of more than 2,400 Americans.
At the very moment of the attack, Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura, the Japanese ambassador to the U.S., and Saburo Kurusu, the special envoy, were waiting outside Hull’s office to notify him of a breakdown in negotiations between the two countries.
They had not been informed of the attack and President Roosevelt advised Hull not to tell them about it. But Hull’s anger got the better of him and Nomura and Kurusu fled the office in astonishment. Later that afternoon, they returned to deliver Japan’s declaration of war.
They were interned at Hot Springs, Virginia, until June 1942 when they were transported to Mozambique on the passenger liner Gripsholm to be exchanged with Joseph Grew, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, and other American prisoners of war.
Following the Allied victory in Japan, the American military tribunal of February 1946 decided not to prosecute Kurusu or Nomura because it was obvious they had been unaware of the Pearl Harbour attack.
Nomura had been a popular figure in the American diplomatic service. He had held several important posts, including being a member of Japan’s delegation at the Versailles Peace Conference, 1919-20.
After the war, he became president of the Victor Company of Japan — JVC, the electronics firm — and played a role in the country’s post-war rearmament. He died in Tokyo in 1964.
Kurusu first came to the U.S. in 1914 as the Japanese Consul in Chicago. During his six years there, he married an American, Alice Jay Little, with whom he had a son and two daughters.
He subsequently held diplomatic posts in Chile, Italy, Germany and Peru. On September 27, 1940, he signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin on behalf of the Japanese Empire, entering into a tenyear military and economic treaty with Germany and Italy.
After the war, Kurusu was a visiting professor at Tokyo University and lived on his country estate with Alice. He died in 1954.
Simon Arnold, Tenby, Pembs.
QUESTION Is the fandango the most difficult dance to perform?
THE fandango is an exuberant Spanish courtship dance, which can be as easy or as difficult as you like. Though it is danced in triple time, there are many more technically challenging dances, such as ballet.
Performed by a couple, the fandango begins slowly, with the rhythm marked by castanets, hand clapping, finger snapping and foot stamping, the tempo gradually increasing. It is an expression of passion, and the partners tease, challenge and pursue each other with steps and gestures.
Sometimes the fandango is danced by two men as a contest of athleticism and skill. The first dancer sets the rhythm and steps, the second picks up the footwork and elaborates.
To become a professional ballet dancer, you need to begin training at the age of six or seven. Moving as if you are weightless is a carefully crafted illusion. Strength is combined with a grace that comes from perfecting moves through endless repetition.
Female dancers must balance strength with a slim, lithe figure. These dedicated athletes do an unbelievably hard job.
Ballet can break a body. Many dancers’ careers are over by their mid-20s and some suffer life-long disabilities.
Another technically difficult dance is the Brazilian Capoeira. Developed by African slaves at the beginning of the 16th century, it combines dance, acrobatics and music. It’s breathtaking to watch and needs an incredible level of athleticism to perform.
Justine Mahon, Hawick, Roxburghshire.
QUESTION Is it true that in some Asian countries, babies are considered to be one year old at birth?
IN SOUTH Korea, everyone has the same birthday. The country uses the East Asian age system that originated in China and is also used in Tibet and Japan.
Under the system, you are born at the age of one and on New Year’s Day a year is added to your age. So, if a baby is born on December 31, they turn two the very next day! North Koreans stopped using this system in 1980.
For official documents and legal procedures, the international system is used and, at home, South Koreans celebrate the actual date of their birth.
Laura Marsh, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
MY SON lives in Taiwan and our granddaughter was born in December. According to local custom, she is one year and four months old.
Marie Garner, Wigan, Lancs.
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