Japan and Baja California

[Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division]

Did Japan ever plan to invade or capture Baja California? Or some other part of Mexico? This been between 1850 and WWII, I think.

[Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division]

I found some information on this. Is this just conspiracy theorist crap?

Imperial Power Struggle
The extraordinary story of Japan’s takeover of hundreds of miles of Baja
coastline began in the decade before World War I, when imperial powers were
jockeying for colonies, resources and strategic advantage. The Japanese
military, fresh from its crushing defeat of Russia in 1904-1905 and seeking
to spread its reach across the Pacific, sought a naval base in Mexico in
order to counter the growing U.S. presence in the Americas. The U.S. had
acquired the land for the Panama Canal in 1906 with the express purpose of
moving its naval fleets easily into the Pacific.

In 1908, reports reached Washington from Central America that Japan had
entered into a secret treaty with Mexico for a long-term lease of a naval
base at Magdalena Bay. As the winds of war swept the world in the coming
years, the Japanese presence in Mexican affairs grew.

The noted historian Barbara Tuchman recounts the Japan-Mexico Connection in
her remarkable history of the pre-World War I period, The Zimmerman
Telegram:

“Japanese training ships visited Mexican waters. In 1911 came Admiral
Yashiro, Grand Admiral of the Japanese fleet, on a state visit. Entertained
by the Mexican Minister of War at a splendid banquet at Chapultepec, the
Admiral rose, rather unsteadily after seven courses and seven wines, to
toast this ‘fraternal feast’ of the Mexican and Japanese Army and Navy and
to make a speech teeming with portents of common action against a common
enemy.” The common enemy, of course, was the United States.

http://www.earthtrust.org/iwc96/eco5.html

[Skywatcher]

Conspiracy theory or not, the Mexicans thought there was enough of a threat to have their air force patrol the coast.

The Latin American Aviation Historical Society
After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, Mexico along with most other Latin American countries, broke diplomatic relations with Germany, Japan and Italy. The threat of a Japanese invasion of the West Coast (including the peninsula of Baja California) prompted the Mexicans to mobilize the units of the Fuerza Aerea Mexicana (Mexican Air Force) to patrol and guard the Mexican West Coast.

[Skywatcher]

Probably not what you’re after, though.

[Skywatcher]

Found something better. About halfway down this page is a photograph of a Japanese ship in San Diego Bay in 1911. They were supposedly scouting for an invasion of Baja California scheduled for April, 1915.

Los Angeles Times, 18 & 19April, 1915: “All signs for a permanent base for Mikado’s Navy (an ideal opportunity to secure a strategic military site with the Panama Canal just opened and Mexico convulsed in revolution)…the water already mined, the Japanese naval forces which have occupied Turtle Bay, Lower California (the best anchorage between Cabo San Lucas and San Diego), 400 miles below San Diego, seems to be preparing to stay…” and the next day: “…dispatches were received from Washington…indicating that the fleet of Japanese war vessels…and the 4,000 soldiers…in Turtle Bay had abruptly quitted those waters before the arrival of the United States cruiser New Orleans…”

[Skywatcher]

This would be a good subject for Cecil to tackle.

[Askance]

sought a naval base in Mexico in order to counter the growing U.S. presence in the Americas.

Smart move! Up to the 1770s there was no US presence in the Americas, from then on it continually increased! Snapping right into action, after only 141 years Japan responds!

[Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division]

I did some more searching and can’t find any information other than the two websites listed.

[Skywatcher]

Should be easy to verify with the LA Times from the middle of April, 1915. They’re probably on microfilm.

[Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division]

I tried to do a Lexis search but I don’t think it goes back that far. The LA Times’ online archieve only goes back to 1986. I don’t know if the my Universities library will have the LA Times back that far, but I will try to check this weekend.

[BobT]

I have access to the historic LA Times and other papers through ProQuest. There are numerous stories about the Turtle Bay incident in all the major papers.

You can pretty much read any major paper from April 14, 1915 on for information.

[Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division]

I didn’t get a chance to look for microfilm of the LA Times story. However, even if that story was listed accurately, it does not mean that the Japan had a secret treaty with Mexico. I would like to throw this out to someone with better research Kung-Fu (Cecil I’m looking at you) than me.