MRS. DEJIMA

A JAPANESE WOMAN WHO KNEW WHERE SHE WAS

Riye Dejima moved from Japan to Guam around the year 1930 with her husband Tanejiro (sometimes rendered Tomochiro), to try their hand at doing retail business.  She was a widow by the time the Japanese invaded Guam in 1941, her late husband being 20-some years older than her.  The bombing started on the morning of December 8, but the Japanese did not occupy the island until the morning of December 10.  For those two days, all the Japanese civilians on Guam, including Mrs. Dejima, were rounded up by the Americans and put in the Hagåtña jail.

MRS DEJIMA'S PREWAR STORE AND GAS STATION

Once released by the Japanese, Mrs. Dejima helped as an interpreter between the Japanese military and Chamorros.  Then, she was ordered by the military to re-open her retail business.  All throughout the war, Mrs. Dejima walked carefully the fine line between not alienating the Chamorros of her adopted island, and upsetting her fellow Japanese who now wielded power.  She quietly helped Chamorros, when able, to avoid problems during the war.  Out of concern for her neighbor and friend, Agueda Johnston, Mrs Dejima advised her how to best behave in order to save her life. She told Agueda Johnston to keep her feelings in her heart, and not on her lips.  "This is war," she said. Mrs Dejima helped save the Johnston home from being raided by telling the Japanese soldiers to go elsewhere.

According to George Tweed, the lone American hideout, a Chamorro woman wanted to get cigarettes and other things for the Americans held up under the Japanese at the Cathedral in the early days of the Occupation. Other Japanese store keepers turned her away, saying "Nothing for the Americans," but Mrs Dejima sold her what she wanted.

Tomás Santos Tanaka, better known as Tommy, was one of Tweed's benefactors, bringing him canned goods and whatever else he had. He was getting them from Dejima's Store, where he worked as a clerk. Mrs. Dejima turned a blind eye to what he was doing. Tweed said that Tanaka told him that Dejima knew all along, and told him to help himself to whatever he needed.

Mrs Dejima probably saved Tanaka's life, too. It's well-attested that Tanaka was beat up almost to the point of death to get information on Tweed. Dejima went to the Japanese police when she knew how bad the beatings were. She promised the Japanese that she would get information out of Tanaka if they allowed her to bring him home and nurse him. While she did that, she got information about Tweed that she knew the Japanese already knew, and fed them the same lines as if coming from Tanaka.

When the Americans invaded, she went north, as ordered by the Japanese and ended up in Yigo.  The Japanese military was ordering all Japanese, even the civilians like Mrs. Dejima, to commit suicide.  Instead, Mrs. Dejima was found by U.S. troops and confined in the stockade for captured Japanese at Agaña Heights.

While at the stockade, another Japanese looked at her angrily and said, "You supported Americans!" She gave it right back to him and screamed, "What did you say? You bastard!"

When she was released, Mrs. Dejima was fortunate to have something to rebuild on.  Mrs. Dejima had the idea to bury her valuables - jewelry and watches in one can, and half a mile at another spot, a big can containing a smaller can with thousands of American dollars. Mrs. Dejima herself said that after the war she borrowed money to restart her business.

NEW YEARS 1968

She reopened her store and lived a long life.  Her store became known as a place for fishing supplies, and for betel nut scissors.

In 1978, now in her seventies, Mrs. Dejima sold her business and retired, but the new owners kept the store name, Dejima Store. She had been a store keeper for 48 years or so.

She died in 1997 at the age of 92.

Though Japanese, she knew that her life was here, among the Chamorros, and she played her cards right.  She advised and helped the Chamorros as much as she could, and stayed out of trouble.

DEJIMA SELLS HER STORE IN 1978

"I AM AT PEACE FOREVER ON THIS ISLAND I LOVE
AND THE PEOPLE I TREASURE"