Ralph Sundberg

Ralph Sundberg was an American businessman living in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife and daughter, Elsie. He and his family were trapped on the Islands when the Empire of Japan conquered them in 1942.

The Sundbergs permitted their daughter to date young Japanese-American Kenzo Takahashi, in part because Kenzo was the son of a fisherman, and the Sundbergs would have access to meat. However, when Kenzo saved Elsie from three drunken Japanese soldiers, the Sundbergs were legitimately pleased with Elsie's choice of suitor.

When the United States arrived to retake Hawaii in 1943, the Sundbergs and Kenzo hid in a makeshift bombshelter Ralph had built in their basement. When they emerged, Kenzo was taken into custody, over the protestations of the Sundbergs.