Exhibit Spotlight: The Unknown Japanese Scout

Picture of the Memorial of Bougainville Island located in Yokohama, Japan’s Kodomonokuni Children Park located here: https://goo.gl/maps/d9C4Rr5r6fRuSyYj9

SAMPLE

The Meeting of an American and Japanese Scout on Bougainville Island during WWII

Transcribed from the photo above, with edits made for clarity and reading flow.

This statue is a memorial to a true story of a fierce battle in World War II that took place on Bougainville Island in the South Pacific. An American soldier was seriously wounded in his left leg, and he was unable to walk. After a long while, as he lay on the sand, he heard someone approaching him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a Japanese soldier standing over him with a bayonet attached to his rifle. The American thought that he was going to be killed by the Japanese soldier, and he fainted. After a while, he woke up. He was surprised that he was still alive. His left leg was bandaged, and he found a note in the sand by his side. It was written in Japanese. The American put the paper in his pocket and continued to pray for a rescue. Later, he was found by fellow Marines and evacuated to a field hospital. The physician treating him could read Japanese, so the soldier showed him the note. It was a message from the Japanese Soldier which read: “When I was about to kill you, you made the three-fingered Scout salute. I, too, am a Scout. A Scout is a brother to every other Scout, so I could not kill you. I gave you first aid instead. Good luck!” The note was unsigned.

After the war, the American soldier and his father visited the Boy Scout headquarters in North Brunswick, New Jersey, and told Chief Scout Executive Arthur Schuck this story. They donated money for a memorial to the Unknown Scout Soldier to be built in Japan. They asked that their names not be revealed unless the Japanese Scout Soldier could be identified.

In 1953, the Chief Scout Executive of Japanese Scouts stopped in New Jersey on his way home from the World Conference held in Austria. When he met with Mr. Schuck, the American Executive told him this story and gave him the money. When the Japanese CSE returned home, he tried to learn the identity of the Japanese soldier, but could not do so. The Japanese Scouts and their families were so impressed and inspired by the story, however, that they too donated money for the memorial. This was used to create the statue of the Japanese Scout guarding the Monument.

In 1956, the Bronze Memorial was completed. It is not known where the Monument was originally located. Today, the Memorial is in Kodomo-no-Kuni Children’s Park in Yokohama, which was opened in 1965.

In front of the relief is a statue of a Japanese Scout who has a Tokyo Community Strip and a Second Class badge on his uniform. He is proudly saluting the two Scout Soldiers as he guards the Monument.

In 2006, the Japanese Scout Soldier was identified as Lieut. Imada. The same as the American Soldier is. , till I’ll loan. But it is believed that he lived in Salt Lake City.