Lieutenant Commander Kohei Hanami – who commanded Amagiri at that time – attended President Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.

Kohei Hanami was the commander of the Japanese destroyer Amagiri on the night it collided with PT 109.

Cover Letter and Letter from Kohei Hanami, Former Commander of Amagiri Destroyer Papers of John F. Kennedy. Senate Files. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

Nine years after the sinking of PT-109, U.S. Representative John Kennedy, engaged in a race for the Senate, instructed his staff to locate Kohei Hanami, Commander of the Amagiri, the Japanese destroyer that had run down the 109. When they found Captain Hanami, Kennedy wrote him a heartfelt letter on 15 September 1952, with wishes of good ...

This file contains correspondence and press releases regarding a letter to Representative John F. Kennedy from Kohei Hanami, commander of the Amagiri, the Japanese destroyer that collided with Congressman Kennedy’s PT-109 boat during World War II.

Peering astern, Captain Kohei Hanami of the destroyer Amagiri watched as the survivors of the patrol craft clung to the forward half of their wrecked vessel in the destroyer’s wake.

Commander Kohei Hanami, the 34-year-old commander of the destroyer Amagiri—“Heavenly Mist” in English—watched anxiously. He was eager to get out of range of American fighter planes before daylight.

In September, 1952, Congressman Kennedy asked his staff and the US Navy to locate Kohei Hanami, who had commanded Amagiri on the night the ship rammed PT 109. He then wrote to his former adversary, a personal letter in which he offered his best wishes and suggested that if two former enemies could exchange friendly greetings it spoke well of ...

May 4, 2020 · Her commanding officer at the time Lieutenant Commander Kohei Hanami attended Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961. Even before Kennedy ran for the Senate Hanami wrote to Kennedy expressing his admiration.

Feb 14, 2025 · Years after the war ended, Kennedy established a personal friendship with the Amagiri’s skipper, Lieutenant Commander Kohei Hanami. Where Are They Now?