Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose) was a name given by

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in the

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during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of

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. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific and

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to demoralize Allied forces abroad and their families at home by emphasizing troops' wartime difficulties and military losses.Berg, Jerome S. ''The Early Shortwave Stations: A Broadcasting History Through 1945''. Jefferson: McFarland, 2013. ''CREDO Reference''. Web. Retrieved 5 March 2017. p. 205. Several female broadcasters operated using different aliases and in different cities throughout the territories occupied by the

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, including Tokyo, Manila, and Shanghai. The name "Tokyo Rose" was never actually used by any Japanese broadcaster, but it first appeared in U.S. newspapers in the context of these radio programs during 1943. During the war, Tokyo Rose was not any one individual, but rather a group of largely unassociated women working for the same propagandist effort throughout the Japanese Empire. In the years soon after the war, the character "Tokyo Rose" – whom the

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(FBI) now avers to be "mythical" – became an important symbol of Japanese villainy for the United States. American cartoons, movies, and propaganda videos between 1945 and 1960 tend to portray her as sexualized, manipulative, and deadly to American interests in the South Pacific, particularly by revealing intelligence of American losses in radio broadcasts. Similar accusations concern the propaganda broadcasts of Lord Haw-Haw and Axis Sally, and in 1949 the '' San Francisco Chronicle'' described Tokyo Rose as the " Mata Hari of radio". Tokyo Rose ceased to be merely a symbol during September 1945 when

Iva Toguri D'Aquino Iva Ikuko Toguri D'Aquino ( ja, 戸栗郁子アイバ; July 4, 1916 – September 26, 2006) was a Japanese-American disc jockey and radio personality who participated in English-language radio broadcasts transmitted by Radio Tokyo to Allied t ...

, a Japanese-American disc jockey for a propagandist radio program, attempted to return to the United States. Toguri was accused of being the "real" Tokyo Rose, arrested, tried, and became the seventh person in U.S. history to be convicted of treason. Toguri was eventually paroled from prison in 1956, but it was more than twenty years later that she received an official

presidential pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

for her role in the war.

Iva Toguri and ''The Zero Hour''

Although she broadcast using the name "Orphan Ann", Iva Toguri has been known as "Tokyo Rose" since her return to the United States in 1945. An American citizen and the daughter of Japanese immigrants, Toguri traveled to Japan to tend to a sick aunt just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Unable to leave the country when war began with the United States, unable to stay with her aunt's family as an American citizen, and unable to receive any aid from her parents who were placed in internment camps in Arizona, Toguri eventually accepted a job as a part-time typist at Radio Tokyo (NHK). She was quickly recruited as a broadcaster for the 75-minute propagandist program '' The Zero Hour'', which consisted of skits, news reports, and popular American music. According to studies conducted during 1968, of the 94 men who were interviewed and who recalled listening to ''The Zero Hour'' while serving in the Pacific, 89% recognized it as "propaganda", and less than 10% felt "demoralized" by it. 84% of the men listened because the program had "good entertainment," and one G.I. remarked, " ts of us thought she was on our side all along." After World War II ended in 1945, the U.S. military detained Toguri for a year before releasing her due to lack of evidence. Department of Justice officials agreed that her broadcasts were "innocuous". But when Toguri tried to return to the United States, an uproar ensued because Walter Winchell (a powerful broadcasting personality) and the

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lobbied relentlessly for a trial, prompting the

(FBI) to renew its investigation of Toguri's wartime activities. Her 1949 trial resulted in a conviction on one of eight counts of treason. In 1974, investigative journalists found that important witnesses had asserted that they were forced to lie during testimony. They stated that FBI and US occupation police had coached them for more than two months about what they should say on the stand, and that they had been threatened with treason trials themselves if they did not cooperate. U.S. President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

pardoned Toguri in 1977 based on these revelations and earlier issues with the indictment.

Tokyo Mose

Walter Kaner (May 5, 1920 – June 26, 2005) was a journalist and radio personality who broadcast using the name ''Tokyo Mose'' during and after World War II. Kaner broadcast on U.S. Army Radio, at first to offer comic rejoinders to the propaganda broadcasts of Tokyo Rose and then as a parody to entertain U.S. troops abroad. In U.S.-occupied Japan, his "Moshi, Moshi Ano-ne" jingle was sung to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down" and became so popular with Japanese children and G.I.s that the U.S. military's '' Stars and Stripes'' newspaper called it "the Japanese occupation theme song." In 1946, Elsa Maxwell referred to Kaner as "the breath of home to unknown thousands of our young men when they were lonely."

Popular culture

Tokyo Rose has been the subject of songs, movies, and documentaries: *1945: The

Mr. Hook Mr. Hook is the title character of a series of American animated cartoon shorts produced between 1943 and 1945 during World War II for the US Navy. The series included for 4 shorts with the first by Walter Lantz Productions being produced in full co ...

propaganda cartoon ''Tokyo Woes'', directed by

Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer. He was best known for his work on the '' Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows '' ...

and featuring Seaman Hook. The cartoon's titular character (voiced by an uncredited Sara Berner) is a parody of Tokyo Rose broadcasts. Tokyo Rose is portrayed as an overly enthusiastic, crooked-toothed Japanese woman speaking on a propaganda broadcast with a loud voice and an American accent. When she criticizes war bonds, Seaman Hook fires a projectile from a naval gun to blow up Japan. *1945: Tokyo Rose "Voice of Truth", five-minute film short produced by the U.S. Treasury Department to promote public support of the 7th war loan. *1946: ''Tokyo Rose'', movie drama directed by

Lew Landers Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director. Biography Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...

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played "Tokyo Rose", a "seductive jap traitress";

Byron Barr Byron Barr (August 18, 1917 – November 3, 1966), sometimes billed as Byron S. Barr, was an American actor. He appeared in 19 films from 1944 to 1951. Barr perhaps is best known for his role as Nino Zachetti in ''Double Indemnity'', his first ...

played the G.I. protagonist sent to kidnap her. *1949: In the musical ''

'', sailors mention getting "advice from Tokyo Rose" in the song "

There Is Nothing Like a Dame "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" (for 4 part male voices, 2 tenors and 2 basses) is one of the songs from the 1949 musical '' South Pacific''. The song was written by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is widely popular in the mu ...

". *1957: The Hollywood service comedy '' Joe Butterfly'', about U.S. military journalists in Japan just after World War II, includes a fictionalized subplot about the search for the "real" Tokyo Rose. *1957: In the movie '' The Bridge on the River Kwai'', a Tokyo Rose broadcast is briefly heard on the demolition team's portable radio. *1958: In the movie ', a Tokyo Rose broadcast details ships and sailors lost at sea based on information gained from trash jettisoned by U.S. submarines. *1959: In the movie '' Operation Petticoat'', a Tokyo Rose broadcast warns the crew of a U.S. submarine to surrender. *1960: '' The Andy Griffith Show'' makes a brief reference to Tokyo Rose in the episode titled "Stranger in Town".

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is trying to persuade his deputy, Barney Fife, that he's being unreasonably suspicious of the stranger in town. "Say, do you reckon he could be a foreign spy?" Barney asks. Andy replies, "He don't sound foreign to me." Barney says, "They learn to talk better than any of us! Remember Tokyo Rose?" *1969: ''The Story of "Tokyo Rose"'', a CBS-TV and WGN radio documentary written and produced by Bill Kurtis. *1974: UK rock band Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers recorded a song titled "Tokyo Rose" for their album ''Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers''. *1976: ''Tokyo Rose'', CBS-TV documentary segment on ''

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''. *1976: "Harbor Lights", a successful song by

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until h ...

on his album '' Silk Degrees'', begins with the line "Son of a Tokyo Rose, I was bound to wander from home". *1977: "Tokyo Rose," title of a song by American metal band

Riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

(now known as Riot V) as part of their first album, '' Rock City''. The band would also go on to reference Tokyo Rose in several other songs, such as " Feel the Same," and " The Land of the Rising Sun." *1978: Dutch rock band Focus released a song entitled "Tokyo Rose" on their album ''

Focus con Proby ''Focus con Proby'' is the seventh studio album by the Dutch rock band Focus, released in 1977 on EMI Records. It features five tracks with vocals from American singer P. J. Proby. The record also features guitarists Eef Albers and Philip Catheri ...

''. *1978: Tokyo Rose made a brief appearance in Tsubame Kamogawa's manga ''Macaroni Hôrensô'' in an episode originally published in

Weekly Shonen Champion Weekly, The Weekly, or variations, may refer to: News media * ''Weekly'' (news magazine), an English-language national news magazine published in Mauritius * Weekly newspaper, any newspaper published on a weekly schedule * Alternative newspaper, a ...

on August 14, 1978. *1984: Italo-disco group City-O' released a song entitled "Rose of Tokyo". *1985: Canadian rock band

Idle Eyes Idle Eyes is a Canadian rock and roll band from Vancouver, British Columbia. They are best known for the Canadian hit single "Tokyo Rose", which peaked at #16 on ''RPMs Canadian singles chart in June 1985. There is also a Hardcore band from Au ...

had a Top 20 success in their homeland with the song "Tokyo Rose" from their self-titled debut album. The song's narrator addresses his lover, saying she "tells a story like Tokyo Rose". *1987: American heavy metal band ''Shok Paris'' released the song "Tokyo Rose" on their 1987 album ''Steel and Starlight''. It's about a lonely G.I. who fell in love with the propaganda broadcaster during the war, and remembers her voice many years later. *1988: Canadian singer-songwriter

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

mentions "Tokyo Rose on the radio" in her song "The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)" on the album ''

Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm ''Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm'' is the 13th studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1988. It was her third for Geffen Records. The album features various duets with guest artists such as Peter Gabriel on "My Secr ...

''. *1989: American composer and musician Van Dyke Parks released a concept album titled '' Tokyo Rose'', on the subject of American and Japanese relations. *1992: In season 7 episode 5 ("Where's Charlie?") of the American television situation comedy ''

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'', terminally naive Rose Nylund mistakenly believes her roommate

Blanche Devereaux Blanche Devereaux is a character from the sitcom television series '' The Golden Girls'', and its spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. Blanche was portrayed by Rue McClanahan for 8 years and 204 episodes across the two series. The charact ...

's beau has left Blanche for Tokyo Rose. *1993: Filmmake
Rika Ohara
��s performance piece ''Tokyo Rose'' premiered at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions in 1993. *1995: ''Tokyo Rose: Victim of Propaganda'', A&E Biography documentary, hosted by Peter Graves, available on VHS (AAE-14023). *1997: The Vigilantes of Love released the song "Tokyo Rose" on their album ''Slow Dark Train''. *2002: Japanese band

Cali Gari Cali Gari (stylized as cali≠gari) is a Japanese visual kei experimental rock band formed with the concept erotic grotesque.

released the song "Tokyo Rose au Monde Club" on their album ''

Dai 7 Jikkenshitsu Dai 7 Jikkenshitsu is the first major label album of the band Cali Gari.''Review at C ...

''. *2006: In ''

Flags of Our Fathers ''Flags of Our Fathers'' (2000) is a book by James Bradley with Ron Powers about his father, Navy corpsman John Bradley, and five United States Marines, who were made famous by Joe Rosenthal’s '' Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima'' photograph. Th ...

'', an American war drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by

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and written by William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis about the five Marines and one Navy corpsman who were involved in raising the flag on Iwo Jima, the night before the battle's start those responsible for the radio on one of the ships connect the Tokyo Rose program to the public address system. *2010: In his dissent from Justice Stevens remarked: "If taken seriously, our colleagues' assumption that the identity of a speaker has ''no'' relevance to the Government's ability to regulate political speech would lead to some remarkable conclusions. Such an assumption would have accorded the propaganda broadcasts to our troops by 'Tokyo Rose' during World War II the same protection as speech by Allied commanders". *2011: American country-rockabilly band Whiskey Kill released the song "Tokyo Rose", the initial track for their debut album ''Pissed Off Betty''. * 2015: Japanese artist Miwa Yanagi's theater piece ''Zero Hour: Tokyo Rose’s Last Tape'' was staged at REDCAT Theater, Los Angeles, on February 26-28. The work was presented by Japan Society New York as part of series ''Stories from the War''. * 2024: New York Times columnist calls Tucker Carlson the 'Tokyo Rose of our day',

Other uses

The first registered rock group using the name Tokyo Rose was formed in the summer of 1980. They are most known for their video which tells the story of the war time Tokyo Rose. Tokyo Rose is also the name of an emo/pop band hailing from New Jersey. In 2019, Burnt Lemon Theatre brought the musical theatre production Tokyo Rose to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and New Diorama Theatre. An extended version toured in 2021 in several UK cities, accompanied by the release of a cast album. In 2022, Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour (A Graphic Novel): A Japanese American Woman's Persecution and Ultimate Redemption After World War II was published by

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. It was authored by Andre R. Frattino and illustrated by Kate Kasenow (Illustrator). The Foreword was written by

Janice Chiang Janice Chiang (born December 28, 1955) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Accessed February 1, 2011WebCitation archive/ref> is an American comic-book letterer with over thirty years’ experienc ...

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Veterans Remember "Tokyo Rose" Oral History Project
(University of Montana Archives) * "The Zero Hour" show with Tokyo Rose in 1944 at The Internet Archivebr>

"Zero Hour" broadcasts
archived at EarthStation1.com
"Zero Hour" broadcast
(excerpt) and commentary by Iva Toguri D'Aquino ("Orphan Ann") in 1945, at YouTube.com
F.B.I. file on Tokyo Rose
at vault.fbi.gov * " The Zero Hour (Japanese radio series), The Zero Hour" show 8-14-1944, music with "Ann the Orphan,"

, a Japanese-American dubbed "Tokyo Rose" by the American military ** {{Citation, last=Federal Communications Commission. Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service, title=Zero Hour, 08-14-1944 (Tokyo Rose), date=14 August 1944, url=https://archive.org/details/ZeroHour08141944, access-date=2017-05-14 * "Tokyo Woes" – Voice of

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...

(of Bugs Bunny fame) in this U.S. Navy

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

. Because they wanted to keep this a secret, all original negatives were destroyed shortly after release. * " NN Interview https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/02/10/tucker-carlson-vladimir-putin-interview-wallace-vpx.cnn American expatriates in Japan American radio DJs Anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States Collective pseudonyms Japan–United States relations Japanese people of World War II Race-related controversies in radio Women in war in East Asia Women in World War II American women radio hosts Nicknames Nicknames in radio