Elsie Sundberg (b. ca. 1922) was the daughter of a wealthy American family in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was a high school classmate of Kenzo Takahashi's, and the two dated. When the Empire of Japan invaded Hawaii in 1941 and drove out the Americans, Elsie was suspicious of Kenzo, despite his self-identification as an American. Elsie and Kenzo progressed into a loving relationship. Early in 1943, Kenzo kept Elsie from being raped by drunken Japanese soldiers. He received a beating, but he also received the gratitude of the Sundbergs.