Japan. c 1969. An informal group portrait of five Japanese about to enjoy a meal. The group ...

Japan. c 1969. An informal group portrait of five Japanese about to enjoy a meal. The group includes Mrs Matsue Matsuo, second from left; and Mr Sanae Miyata, President of the Yawushu Iron and Steel Workers' Union, third from left; and one of the other two men is Mr Tenji Tanaka who was the leader of the Kumamoto-ken Economic Observation Mission to Australian and New Zealand, the Chairman of the Executive Committee for Gathering the Brave Men's Ashes in Bougainville and also the Chairman of the Prefectural Assemby, Kumamoto-ken. Mrs Matsuo is the mother of Lieutenant (Lt) Keiu Matsuo, Japanese Imperial Navy, who commanded the Japanese midget submarine No. 21 during the attack on Sydney Harbour by four Japanese midget submarines on 31 May 1942. Lt Matsuo's midget submarine ran aground in Taylors Bay, Mosman, and he and his crewman, Petty Officer Masao Tsuzuko committed suicide, both died of bullet wounds to the head. The bow section of Lt Matsuo's submarine is in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, along with the stern and centre section of midget submarine No. 14. The 83 year old Mrs Matsuo, and her daughter Mrs Fujie Saeki, visited the Memorial on 1 May 1968 and in an emotional ceremony the Director of the Memorial presented Mrs Matsuo with her son's senninbari, belt of a thousand stiches, which he was wearing at the time of his death. In return Mrs Matsuo presented the Australian War Memorial with a small damascened bowl, inlaid in gold with a maidenhair tree, the symbol of her city. She laid a wreath at the base of the conning tower of the midget submarine and poured sake brought from her home city of Yamaga in Southern Japan. Mrs Matsuo was also accompanied by Professor Tadakazu Matsumoto.(Donor S. Miyata, received from the officer of the Governor General)