Taiwan’s Pearl Harbor Connection

I did not know this:

…Niitakayama, the Japanese name of Jade Mountain which is Taiwan’s highest peak, was a code word for the launching of attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto received on December 7 the coded message: "Niitakayama nobore (Climb Mount Morrison, Jade Mountain’s popular name known in the West)." American intelligence agents monitored the message but didn’t know "Niitakayama" was the code for Pearl Harbor and "climb" meant "to attack."

Jade Mountain in Taiwan, covered in snow against a pure blue sky.

(Taiwan’s Jade Mountain a.k.a. Niitakayama a.k.a. Mount Morrison.  Image from NationsOnline.org)


UPDATE (Apr 16/08):  Shan Ding-lu has photos from a hike in the Jade Mountain vicinity.  (Hat tip to David on Formosa)


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2 thoughts on “Taiwan’s Pearl Harbor Connection”

  1. Niitakayama was indeed the Japanese name for Jade Mountain, but that wasn’t what it meant. 新高山 simply stood for “New High Mountain”.

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