Mitsuo Fuchida's Testimony "I am Mitsuo Fuchida, Lieutenant Commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force. On the morning of December 7, 1941, I led 360 aircraft from an aircraft carrier to attack Pearl Harbor. When I saw the American fleet lined up defenselessly in the harbor, I shouted into the radio: 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' (Tora! Tora!—Attack successful!) At that moment, I was filled with the fervor of victory. I believed this was Japan's destiny, the Emperor's will, and a judgment on American arrogance. Four years later, on August 15, 1945, I stood outside a radio station in Tokyo, listening to Emperor Hirohito announce the surrender. I didn't shed tears, only anger and emptiness. I hated America, I hated Doolittle, I hated those B-25s that bombed Tokyo." I swore: if given the chance, I would avenge them with my own hands. But God shattered my hatred in a way I never imagined. In 1948, I saw a pamphlet at Shibuya Station: *I Was a Prisoner of the Doolittle Raider*. Its author was Jacob DeShazer—the American pilot captured and tortured by our side in 1942. He should have hated us. He was imprisoned in a dark cell, ate moldy food for 37 months, suffered beatings, and witnessed his comrades being executed. But he wrote: "I learned to forgive. Because Jesus said on the cross: 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'" "He not only forgave Japan, but also returned to Japan as a missionary to lead us to the God who forgives sins. I was shocked. This couldn't be human power. I bought a Bible. The first time I opened it, I randomly turned to Luke 23—the words Jesus spoke on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." At that moment, I knelt down. I saw myself not as a victor, but as a sinner. I had killed people with airplanes, I had shouted "Long live the Emperor," I had taken pride in hatred. But Christ died for me—for me, his enemy. On April 14, 1950, I was baptized in Tokyo and became a Christian. From that day on, I laid down my sword and took up the cross. I traveled throughout Japan, America, and Europe, standing before thousands and thousands of people saying: "I was a follower of the sword, now I am a follower of the cross." "I waged war, now I proclaim peace." "I used to hate Americans, but now I love them—because Christ loved me first." Someone asked me, "Do you regret Pearl Harbor?" I replied, "I regret that I've lived my whole life in sin. But God has forgiven me, and He can forgive you too." On May 25, 1976, I died in California, USA. Before I died, I told my children: "Don't erect a tombstone for me. If anyone asks who I am, tell them: I was an enemy of Pearl Harbor, but now I am a servant of Christ." Postscript: In his later years, Fuchida settled in the United States and became a traveling evangelist, preaching the gospel alongside his former enemy, Dessazer. The two co-authored books, jointly witnessing "How Hatred Can Be Overcome by Love." This is a miracle of history, and the power of the gospel. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)