Haida was born in Honolulu on 24 April 1909, to parents who were Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. In 1923, while in Japan to place his late father's ashes in the family grave, Haida was caught up in the chaos after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, during which his family home was burgled and his passport was stolen. Being unable to return to Hawaii, Haida enrolled in in Tokyo. He later studied for a while at Chuo University and Keio University, leaving the latter without graduating.