PEARL HARBOR: FORGIVENESS

J. Grant Swank, Jr.


Mitsuo Fuchida flew the Japanese warplane that left the aircraft carrier Akagi for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.


The US Pacific Fleet there was struck by Fuchida’s surprise attack.


This man spent the remained of his war years doing what he did best—flying aircraft.


However, at the war’s finish, Fuchida felt empty of soul. Life was not fulfilling. Instead, it was extremely flat, distasteful.


Some time after the conflict, Fuchida came upon the testimony of a young Christian woman. Her mother and father had been killed by the Japanese. That war had swept away her parents’ lives.


In response to that vacuum, this believer concluded to tell Japanese prisoners about Christ’s grace. She taught them about His way of salvation through repentance of sins, coming upon redemption in the heart.


Because of this witness, Fuchida picked up a Bible to start his research of the Christian’s Book. In time, he read Christ’s words from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).


Then it dawned upon his conscience how that Christian woman had discovered such compassionate forgiveness toward her foes.


On that day Fuchida surrendered his life to the Christ of forgiveness.


Presently, he was called by Christ to spend his life as a preacher and evangelist to the Japanese in particular. He personally had found divine peace of spirit; he wanted to share that comfort with others.