Half-truths about Kato and The Green Hornet

You probably know that The Green Hornet's sidekick Kato used to be Japanese and as the story goes, after Pearl Harbor his nationality was changed to Filipino.

Partly true.

Seems that yes, Kato was Japanese and yes, later became Filipino and yes, this happened during WWII.

But it didn't happen after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Actually it happened more than a year before Pearl Harbor.

Kato (right) from the 1940 Green Hornet film serial

I do not know the reason for sure but I can guess.  Any World War II historian will tell you that Japan was gunning for Pacific conquest (and probably world conquest) shortly before 1933.  Japan was none-too-friendly with anyone during the years preceding WWII.

Therefore, it could be suggested that by 1940 (after Japan had already begun it's brutal challenge to take over the entire Pacific) it was evident that Japan was not really a country the script writers of The Green Hornet might want to associate Kato with.

Granted, this is all conjecture on my part but I think it's a pretty good theory, myself.