SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Security guards at San Francisco International Airport have come under severe criticism after an elderly Pearl Harbor survivor complained that they confiscated one of his war mementos as a "perceived security threat."

"They were just passing it around, like it was dangerous or something," complained Hachiro Takuma. "But I tried telling them, it's purely ceremonial: a samurai sword is only used to execute prisoners of war and Chinese girls, and I didn't see any of them on my flight."

Takuma survived the raid on Pearl Harbor, including the explosion of the battleship Arizona which nearly knocked his Zero fighter plane out of the sky. The 96-year old veteran of the Imperial Japanese Navy was visiting San Francisco as a tourist when the incident occurred.

While Takuma said he was upset about his treatment, he understood the basic underlying need for security. "I know we have to be vigilant these days against surprise attacks," he chuckled.