Nobusuke Tagomi and Mr. Baynes·Rudolf Wegener

The relationship between Nobusuke Tagomi, a high-ranking official of the Imperial Japanese Trade Mission in San Francisco, and Rudolf Wegener, a captain in the German Abwehr traveling under the cover name Mr. Baynes, begins as a formal, almost theatrical business arrangement. Tagomi, anxious and meticulous, prepares to meet a Swedish industrialist who is supposedly arriving to discuss injection molds. He practices a blasé expression to mask his awe of the German rocket that will carry Baynes, and he prepares a gift—a rare Mickey Mouse wristwatch—to "graft" the visitor's favorable attitude. The initial encounter at the airport is stiff with protocol: bows, formal greetings, and the presentation of the watch, which Baynes accepts with bemused gratitude. Tagomi's staff, including the young student Ito, later reports that Baynes is not Swedish but German, a fact Tagomi files away without altering his courteous demeanor.

The Unveiling of Purpose

The relationship shifts dramatically when the true nature of Baynes's visit is revealed. After weeks of delay waiting for the elderly "Mr. Yatabe"—who is in fact General Tedeki, the former Imperial Chief of Staff—the three men finally meet in Tagomi's office. Baynes drops all pretense, identifying himself as Captain Rudolf Wegener of the Reichs Naval Counter-Intelligence. He discloses Operation Dandelion, a Nazi plan for a nuclear attack on the Japanese Home Islands. Tagomi, who had believed he was facilitating a plastics deal, is thrust into the center of a conspiracy to prevent a genocide. He listens as Wegener explains that the new Reichs Chancellor, Joseph Goebbels, advocates for the attack, while SS General Heydrich opposes it, and that the Japanese must intervene by supporting the SD faction. Tagomi, overwhelmed, closes his eyes, feeling the moral ambiguity of the situation: to save Japan, they must ally with the most malignant elements of the Nazi regime.

The Crisis and the Killing

The relationship is sealed in blood when the SD attempts to kidnap or kill Wegener. A squad of armed men storms the Nippon Times Building. As two SD agents burst into Tagomi's office, Tagomi, without hesitation, draws a treasured Colt .44 revolver from his desk and opens fire. He kills one man instantly and wounds the second, who returns fire. Tagomi, with "record-eclipsing speed," fans the hammer and shoots the second man in the mouth, killing him. The act is sickening and immediate. Tagomi, a man raised in a Buddhist-influenced culture that holds all life sacred, is shattered. He sits reloading his gun, his hands shaking, and later, when the immediate danger passes, he begins to manipulate the yarrow stalks of the I Ching, seeking an explanation for the violence he has committed. Wegener and General Tedeki watch him with concern, recognizing that the killing has triggered a profound spiritual crisis.

The Aftermath and the Bond

In the aftermath, the relationship between Tagomi and Wegener is one of mutual respect and shared burden. Wegener accepts the moral responsibility for the deaths, recognizing that Tagomi fired on his behalf. General Tedeki observes that Tagomi's despair stems from having no standpoint by which to comprehend his act, and that the I Ching may provide an external frame of reference. Wegener, reflecting on the Doctrine of Original Sin, understands that Tagomi's logical, balanced mind cannot make sense of a reality where saving one life requires taking two. The bond between them is not one of friendship but of a shared, terrible knowledge. Later, when the German consul Hugo Reiss arrives to smooth over the incident, Tagomi confronts him, denouncing the coming "bloodbath" and the "vileness" of the Reich. In a final act of defiance that echoes his protection of Wegener, Tagomi refuses to sign the extradition order for Frank Frink, a Jew, scribbling "Release" on the form and effectively saving another life. This act, combined with the stress of the past days, triggers a heart attack. As he falls, he clutches the silver triangle pendant he bought from Robert Childan, a symbol of the new American art he had hoped would bring him peace. The relationship with Wegener, though brief, has irrevocably changed Tagomi, forcing him to confront the evil in the world and to act, at great personal cost, in defense of life.