The Roles Played by the Yosami Radio Transmitting Station
The Yosami Radio Transmitting Station played important roles before and after World War II for 64 years from 1929 when it established wireless communications to 1993 when it ceased its operation.
Communication with Europe
The Yosami Radio Transmitting Station was constructed by Japan Wireless Telegraph Company (renamed as International Electric Telecommunication Company in 1938) as wireless communication facilities in 1929, and established communications with Warsaw, Poland, followed by Berlin, London, and Paris.
Its receiving station had been completed in Kaizo-mura, Mie-gun (currently the north suburbs of Yokkaichi), Mie-Prefecture, and the Kaizo (Yokkaichi) Radio Receiving Station and Yosami Radio Transmitting Station were controlled by the Nagoya Wireless Telegraph Station, set at Nagoya Postal Office.
Before the Nagoya Wireless Telegraph Station was planned, high-powered VLF was regarded prerequisite, and thus the Yosami Radio Transmitting Station was designed as high-power VLF transmitting facilities. Yet, by the time when Yosami started its operation, low-power shortwave transmitters have developed, and became major facilities for overseas communication, placing the VLF facilities of Yosami as auxiliary. Then Yosami expanded shortwave transmitters, and both VLF and short waves were used for communication to Europe.
Communication by the Japanese Imperial Navy
While short waves were in dominant use, with the discovered future of VLF, of penetrating into the sea by some depth, VLF began to be used for communicating with submarines. In 1941 the Yosami Radio Transmitting Station was placed under the control of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and on December 2, a war attack message code of “Climb Mount Niitake 1208” was reportedly relayed by the Station to Japanese Navy advancing submarines, making declaration of the Pacific War.
Communication by the U.S. Navy
Following the end of the Pacific War and World War II of 1945, International Electric
Telecommunication Company was liquidated and the Yosami Radio Transmitting Station was ordered to be demolished, by the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Allied Forces in 1947. Yet, the GHQ in turn decided to requisite the VLF Transmitting facilities of the Station for the use of the U.S. Navy located in Yokosuka, and for the use of Yosami Radio Transmitting Station, Denki Kogyo Company was established in 1950. Following the initial operations by the U.S. Navy communication personnel, in 1952, employees of Denki Kogyo Company took its role in a few years.
Since then the Yosami Radio Transmitting Station had been operated for 41 years until the U.S. Navy ceased its communication in 1993. In the following year, the Station was returned from the U.S. Navy to Japan. The antenna wires stretched were removed in 1995, followed by the eight steel towers, except the materials for the memorial tower, demolished in 1997.
