Corporal Takeo Shimizu (d. 1943) led a squad of troops that was part of the Fifth Division of the Japanese Army. The son of a farmer, Shimizu was capable, but perceived as being too easy-going by his superiors. Thus, by 1941, he had only reached the rank of corporal.

Shimizu nonetheless took his duty seriously. He and his division were packed into the ship the Nagata Maru and taken to Hawaii. He was part of the initial invasion of Oahu and the force that finally occupied the American territory. Shimizu and his men were briefly allowed to lower their guard in the first months of the occupation, but when the United States launched a bombing raid on the islands, Shimizu and his men were forced back into a strict regiment of training and drilling in preparation for the return of the U.S.

In June, 1942, Shimizu and his regiment marched north to the beaches in anticipation of U.S. counter-invasion. However, the Imperial Japanese Navy succeeded in defeating the American forces, sinking the carriers Yorktown and Saratoga, and crippling the Hornet. Without air support, the U.S. withdrew without launching a landing force and Shimizu and his comrades returned to their barracks without fighting.

During the occupation, Shimizu experienced culture shock with American society in Hawaii such as the number of private-owned cars compared with Japan and Korean police officers, the latter of which he (and his countrymen) had a native prejudice. One such encounter was meeting with a Hawaiian Nisei, which Shimizu tried to befriend. But much to his surprise and then disgust, the timid Nisei spoke very little Japanese and was very accustom to American society than Japan. Flustered, Shimizu stormed back to the barracks and complained of his encounter and criticism on American society with his comrades.

When the American invasion finally came in 1943, Shimizu was part of the first line of Japanese troops to defend against the landing United States Marines. He and his squad were taken by surprise when American bombers destroyed their barracks and the armory. Shimizu was in a complete daze given the fact that he had again lower his guard. He and his men lost their Arisaka rifles during the bombing which forced them to wield American Springfield rifles instead. He was killed early in the fighting at the northern beaches of Oahu, ironically where he and his unit previously invaded Oahu. Before he died, he attempted to shoot the nearest American marine, which was Les Dillon, as he lay wounded on the ground. However, he was shot dead by a second marine before he had the chance.

v · d · e Days of Infamy Books Days of Infamy • End of the Beginning 1 of 2 Add photo POV Characters Fletch Armitage • Jane Armitage • Joe Crosetti • Les Dillon • Mitsuo Fuchida • Yasuo Furusawa • Minoru Genda • Jim Peterson • Takeo Shimizu • Jiro Takahashi • Kenzo Takahashi • Oscar van der Kirk Secondary Characters Braxton Bradford • Susie Higgins • Sanji Iwabuchi • Charlie Kaapu • Tomeo Kaku • Cynthia Laanui • Stanley Owana Laanui • Yosh Nakayama • Orson Sharp • Elsie Sundberg • Hiroshi Takahashi • Dutch Wenzel • Isoroku Yamamoto • Tomoyuki Yamashita Geography Hawaii