WHO BECAME KAMIKAZE PILOTS,
AND HOW DID THEY FEEL TOWARDS THEIR
SUICIDE MISSION?
     Abstract
     This extended essay is about the
Kamikaze pilots who made suicide attacks from the
					







     air during the Pacific War. This paper
aims to find who the pilots really were and how
     they felt about their suicide mission.
The hypothesis for the research was that any pilot
     could become a Kamikaze pilot, and
that the pilots probably felt scared, yet took the
     responsibility to carry out their
mission.
     Most of the investigations were made
through primary sources. Since the Kamikaze
     attacks were made from bases in
Kyushu, there are several museums there where
     information may be found. There, the
actual letters and diaries that the pilots had left
     behind are displayed. Also, fifteen
interviews with survivors of the attacks, relatives and
     other people related to the attacks
were made. Since the Kamikaze attacks were made
     only fifty years ago, a great quantity
of documents was available.
     The time period in concern is from
early 1944 to 1945, and the topic being the
     Kamikaze pilots, and the region of
research was within Japan, mainly Kyushu.
     The conclusion of this extended essay
was that the pilots were ordinary, average young
     men of the time who volunteered, and
that most felt that their dying in such a mission
     would improve the war situation for
the Japanese. However, exactly how the pilots felt
     could not be fully understood by a
student researching the topic fifty years after the
     actual attack.
          In blossom today, then scattered:
          Life is so like a delicate
flower.
          How can one expect the fragrance
          To last for ever?
          —Admiral Onishi Takijiro
     Introduction
     During World War II in the Pacific,
there were pilots of the Japanese Imperial Army
     and Navy who made suicide attacks,
driving their planes to deliberately crash into
     carriers and battle- ships of the
Allied forces. These were the pilots known as the
     Kamikaze pilots. This essay focuses on
how they felt about their suicide mission.
     Because right-wing organizations have
used the Kamikaze pilots as a symbol of a
     militaristic and extremely
nationalistic Japan, the current Japanese respond to the issue
     with ignorance and false stereotypes
and with generally negative and unsympathetic
     remarks. The aim of this essay is to
reveal the often unknown truth concerning the
     pilots, and above all to give a
clearer image as to who the pilots really were.
     The hypothesis behind the question,
«Who were the Kamikaze pilots and how did they
     feel towards their suicide
mission?» is that any pilot devoted to the country, who
     volunteered and was chosen felt
scared, yet took the responsibility to carry out his
     mission.
     Part One
     The death of Emperor Taisho may be the
point when Japan had started to become the
     fascist state that it was during the
Pacific War. Although the military had been active
     ever since the Jiji period (1867-1912)
in wars such as the Sino-Japanese War
     (1894-1895), and the Russo-Japanese
War (1904-1905), it became extremely active
     when Crown Prince Hirohito became
Emperor Showa. Coup d’etats became frequent,
     and several political figures were
assassinated. By Emperor Showa’s reign, the military
     had the real authority.[1] 
     According to those who have lived
through the early Showa period (1926-1945), the
     presence of Emperor Showa was like
that of a god and he was more of a religious
     figure than a political one.[2] In
many of the haiku that the Kamikaze pilots wrote, the
     Emperor is mentioned in the first
line.
     Systematic and organized education
made such efficient «brainwashing» possible. In
     public schools, students were taught
to die for the emperor. By late 1944, a slogan of
     Jusshi Reisho meaning «Sacrifice
life,» was taught.[3]
     Most of the pilots who volunteered for
the suicide attacks were those who were born
     late in the Taisho period (1912-1926)
or in the first two or three years of Showa.
     Therefore, they had gone through the
brainwashing education, and were products of
     the militaristic Japan.
     Censorship brought restrictions on the
Japanese people. The letters, diaries, and
     photographs of individual soldiers
were all censored. Nothing revealing where they
     were, or what they were doing
concerning the military, could be communicated.[4]
     Major restrictions were placed on the
press, radio and other media. The public was not
     to be informed of defeats or damage on
the Japanese side. Only victories and damage
     imposed on the Allies were to be
announced.[5]
     Another factor that created the
extreme atmosphere in Japan were the «Kenpeitai,» a
     part of the Imperial Army which
checked on the civilians to see if they were saying or
     doing anything against the Emperor or
the military.[6]
     Since the time of feudalism,
especially during the Tokugawa period, a warrior must
     follow the Bushido. This Code, and a
culture which viewed suicide and the death of
     young people as beautiful were factors
contributing to the mass suicides.[7] 
     Part Two
     Although it was only from 1944 that
the General Staff had considered mounting
     organized suicide attacks,[8]
«suicide attacks» had been made since the Japanese
     attack on Pearl Harbor.[9] Two types
of suicide attacks had been made. The first was
     an organized attack which would, in
90% of the cases, result in the death of the
     soldiers. However, if the plan had
worked on the battlefield as it did in theory, there
     was some possibility that the soldiers
would survive.[10] The other type of suicide
     attack that had been made was
completely voluntary, and the result of a sudden
     decision. This was usually done by
aircraft. The pilots, finding no efficient way to fight
     the American aircraft, deliberately
crashed into them, and caused an explosion,
     destroying the American aircraft as
well as killing themselves.[11]
     Because these voluntary suicide
attacks had shown that the young pilots had the spirit
     of dying rather than being defeated,
by February, 1944, the staff officers had started to
     believe that although they were way
below the Americans in the number of aircraft,
     battleships, skillful pilots and
soldiers, and in the amount of natural resources (oil, for
     example), they were above the
Americans in the number of young men who would fight
     to the death rather than be defeated.
By organizing the «Tokkotai,» they thought it
     would also attack the Americans
psychologically, and make them lose their will to
     continue the war.[12] The person who
suggested the Kamikaze attack at first is
     unknown, but it is often thought to be
Admiral Takijiro Onishi. However, Onishi was in
     the position to command the first Shinpu
Tokubetsu Kogekitai rather than suggest
     it.[13]
     In October, 1944, the plans for the
organized suicide attacks became reality. Having
     received permission from the Minister
of the Navy, Admiral Onishi entered Clark Air
     Base prepared to command the first
organized suicide attacks.[14] Onishi had not
     thought the organized suicide attacks
to be an efficient tactic, but that they would be a
     powerful battle tactic, and he
believed that it would be the best and most beautiful
     place for the pilots to die. Onishi
once said, «if they (the young pilots) are on land, they
     would be bombed down, and if they are
in the air, they would be shot down. That’s
     sad…Too sad…To let the young men
die beautifully, that’s what Tokko is. To give
     beautiful death, that’s called
sympathy.»[15]
     This statement makes sense,
considering the relative skills of the pilots of the time. By
     1944, air raids were made all over
Japan, especially in the cities. Most of the best
     pilots of the Navy and the Army had
been lost in previous battles. Training time was
     greatly reduced to the minimum, or
even less than was necessary in order to train a
     pilot. By the time the organized
suicide attacks had started, the pilots only had the
     ability to fly, not to fight. Although
what happens to the pilot himself in doing the suicide
     attack is by no means anywhere near
beauty, to die in such a way, for the Emperor,
     and for the country, was (at the
time), honorable.
     One thing that was decided upon by the
General Staff was that the Kamikaze attacks
     were to be made only if it was in the
will of the pilot himself. It was too much of a task
     to be «commanded.»[16]
     The first organized suicide attack was
made on October 21, 1944 by a squadron
     called the Shinpu Tokubetsu
Kogekitai.[17] Tokubetsu Kogekitai was the name
     generally used in the Japanese
Imperial Navy and Army. The public had known them
     as the Tokkotai, the abbreviated form.
Tokkotai referred to all the organized suicide
     attacks. Shinpu is what is better
known as Kamikaze.[18] The captain of the first
     attack was to be Captain Yukio
Seki.[19]
     How was Captain Seki talked into such
a task? According to the subcommander of the
     First Air Fleet, Tamai, who brought
the issue up to Captain Seki, the Captain had in a
     short time replied «I understand.
Please let me do it.»[20] According to another source,
     the reply that Captain Seki gave was,
«Please let me think about it one night. I will
     accept the offer tomorrow
morning.»[21]
     The document which seems to have the
most credibility is the book, The Divine Wind
     by Captain Rikihei Inoguchi and
Commander Tadashi Nakajima. According to this
     account a graduate of the Naval
Academy, Naoshi Kanno, was originally nominated as
     the leader of this mission. However,
he was away from Mabalacat on a mission to
     mainland Japan. Therefore, to take
Kanno’s place Captain Seki was chosen, and was
     called to Commander Tamai’s room at
midnight. After hearing of the mission, it
     appears, Seki remained silent for a
while, then replied, «You must let me do it.»[22] 
     The reason this is the most credible
document is because it had been written by
     Captain Rikihei Inoguchi, who was
actually there with Tamai and Seki, and named the
     first unit, Shinpu. It is doubtful
that there was a flaw in his memory since the book was
     published in 1959, only 14 years after
the war.
     In any case, Captain Seki agreed to
lead the first Kamikaze attack, and, on October
     25, 1944 during the battle off Samos,
made one of the first attacks, on the American
     aircraft carrier Saint Lo.[23]
Twenty-six fighter planes were prepared, of which half
     were to escort and the other half to
make the suicide mission. That half was divided
     into the Shikishima, Yamato, Asahi and
Yamazakura.[24]
     Part Three
     The youngest of the Kamikaze pilots of
the Imperial Army was 17 years old,[25] and
     the oldest, 35.[26] Most of them were
in their late teens, or early twenties. As the
     battle in Okinawa [April to June 1945]
worsened, the average age of the pilots got
     younger. Some had only completed the
equivalent of an elementary school and middle
     school combined. Some had been to
college. There was a tendency for them not to be
     first sons. The eldest sons usually
took over the family business. Most were therefore
     the younger sons who did not need to
worry about the family business.
     Most of those who had come from
college came in what is called the Gakuto
     Shutsujin. This was when the college
students’ exemption from being drafted into the
     military was lifted, and the
graduation of the seniors was shifted from April 1944 to
     September 1943.[27]
     Many of these students were from
prestigious colleges such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Keio,
     and Waseda Universities. These
students from college tended to have more liberal
     ideas, not having been educated in
military schools, and also were more aware of the
     world outside of Japan.
     Where were the pilots trained? All the
pilots involved in the «Okinawa Tokko» had
     been trained in/as one of the
following: The Youth Pilot Training School, Candidates for
     Second Lieutenant, The Imperial Army
Air Corps Academy, Pilot Trainee, Flight
     Officer Candidates, Special Flight
Officer Probationary Cadet, Pilot Training Schools,
     or Special Flight Officer
Candidate.[28] 
     Part Four
     Since the Kamikaze attacks were to be
made only if the pilots had volunteered, and
     could not be «commanded,»
there were two methods to collect volunteers. One was for
     all pilots in general, and another was
for the Special Flight Officer Probationary Cadet
     (College graduates) only. The former
was an application form, and the latter was a
     survey. The survey asked: «Do you
desire earnestly/wish/do not wish/to be involved in
     the Kamikaze attacks?» They had
to circle one of the three choices, or leave the paper
     blank. The important fact is that the
pilots were required to sign their names.[29] When
     the military had the absolute power,
and the whole atmosphere of Japan expected men
     to die for the country, there was great
psychological pressure to circle «earnestly
     desire« or »wish.» The
Army selected those who had circled «earnestly desire.» The
     reason that the Special Flight Officer
Probationary Cadet had to answer such a survey
     rather than send the applications at
their own will was probably because the military
     had known that the students who had
come from college had a wider vision, and would
     not easily apply for such a mission.
For the regular application, the Army was confident
     that there would be many young pilots
who would apply. They were correct. Every
     student of the 15th term of the Youth
Pilot Training School had applied. Because there
     were so many volunteers, the military
had decided to let the ones with better grades go
     first.[30]
     There are several factors which made
so many young pilots volunteer for such a
     mission. Extreme patriotism must have
been one factor for sure. Added to that, there
     was the reverence for the Emperor, a
god. Some say that it was generally believed that
     if one died for the emperor, and was
praised in Yasukuni Shrine, they would become
     happy forever.[31] 
     The effect of the brainwashing that
the military had done to the students is surprising.
     The pilots felt it was
«obvious» that they were to take part in the Kamikaze attacks.
     Most pilots mention in letters that
they were happy, and proud of being given such an
     honorable mission. It is true also
that they believed that if they took part in the mission,
     it might improve the war situation for
Japan.[32] 
     What the military education was like
was described in a diary kept by Corporal Yukio
     Araki, from the time he had entered
the Youth Pilot Training School, until the night
     before his original date of departure
for Okinawa.
     Since anything written was checked by
one of the military staff, nothing that would
     upset the military or contradict the
ideas of the Japanese government could be written.
     However, more importantly, because of
the lack of privacy, personal emotions could
     not be written. Therefore, in Corporal
Araki’s diary, very rarely can anything «personal»
     be found. The first several days in
the Training school, he simply lists the subjects that
     were studied that day, and what was
done for physical training. Later on he mentions
     what was done for training, the events
that took place, and other things he had done.
     However, most of what he wrote was
about the «warning» he received.[33] The
     following are some of the
«warnings» he had received:
          There is an attitude problem when
listening to the officers.[34] 
          Some students seem to smile or
laugh during training, and others are being
          lazy…In general there seems to
be a lack of spirit.[35]
          Straighten yourself. It reveals
your spirit.[36]
     The education emphasized the mind,
spirit and attitude. Neatness and cleanliness were
     also frequently mentioned. Usually, a
hard slap in the face accompanied these warnings.
     The way the 15-year- old boy responded
to the warning was: «I must try harder.»[37]
     One of the listed subjects in the
diary was a course called «Spiritual Moral Lecture,»
     nearly every other day. What exactly
was taught in the course is not mentioned.
     However it seemed that in some of
these courses, great military figures who died for
     Japan were mentioned.[38] It is a
certainty that this course was one factor in making
     the pilots feel «happy and
proud» to be involved in the Kamikaze attacks. 
     The military education was quickly
absorbed by these young pilots-to-be. It was in
     October 1943 that the young boy had
entered the Training School. By the next
     February, he had written a short poem
saying that a Japanese man should be praised
     when he dies as he should for the
Emperor.[39] 
     The amount of time students spent in
the Youth Pilot Training School was reduced from
     three years to less than two years for
the 15th term students. Therefore, the schedule
     was tight and tough.[40] There was
almost no holiday at all, and many of the planned
     holidays were canceled.[41] What
Corporal Araki called a «holiday» was very much
     different from what is normally
considered a holiday. An example of his holiday started
     with some sort of ceremony, followed
by listening and learning new songs (probably of
     war), and watching a movie. Something
related to the military was taught even on days
     called «holidays.»[42]
Therefore, they were given no time to «think.» There was
     something to do almost every minute
that they were awake, and they were taught what
     the right spirit was. By not giving
them time to think, they had no time to evaluate what
     they were being taught. They just
absorbed it, and as a result, by the time they
     graduated, they were brainwashed.
     Corporal Araki had an older brother
and three younger brothers. In his will to his
     parents, he mentioned that he wished
two of his younger brothers to also enter the
     military; one should enter the Navy
and become an officer, the other to enter the Army
     and also become an officer. He also
mentions that he wishes that his brothers follow his
     path (and be involved in the Kamikaze
attacks).[43]
     Mr. S. Araki, Corporal Araki’s older
brother, mentioned that his brother had greatly
     changed after entering the military
school. He remembers that his brother’s attitude
     towards him was not casual, and it was
not like he was talking to a brother. He felt that
     he had really grown up since he had
seen him last, both physically and
     psychologically.[44]
     There are three references in which
Corporal Araki’s thoughts towards the mission may
     be found: his will, last letters, and
his diary. In his will to his parents, and to his brother,
     he mentions that he has no nostalgic
sentiments. In his will addressed to his brother, he
     mentions that he would like him to
consider the mission as piety. In a postcard sent on
     the day of his mission, he calls the
mission, «an honorable mission,» and that he is
     looking forward to see them again at
Yasukuni Shrine.[45] It was in the end of March
     1945, that Corporal Araki«s unit»s
mission was ordered to take place.[46] From just
     before then, Corporal Araki had not
written in his diary. After an entry on March 16,
     there were no entries for two months.
He wrote, because he was busy, there was no
     time to write.[47] Could that be true?
Indeed, his squadron was on a tight schedule for
     March. From the 25th, they returned
from P’yongyang to Gifu prefecture.[48]
     However, Sergeant Kazuo Arai had been
able to keep a diary at the time.[49] It may
     be because of strong personal emotions
he just could not keep the diary. Or, it may be
     that he could care no longer about
keeping a diary. In either case the fact that he had
     not written an entry on the day that
the mission was officially ordered, when he had
     written every other special event
down, reveals that he was no longer in the state of
     mind that he had been.
     The planned date of the mission of the
72nd Shinbu squadron (which was the squadron
     to which Corporal Araki belonged) was
initially, May 21, 1945. However, because of
     rainy weather, it was postponed to May
27, 1945. In his last diary entry on May 20,
     1945, he wrote:[50]
          …at ** o’clock I received the
thankful command to depart tomorrow. I
          am deeply emotional, and just
hope to sink one (American battleship).
          Already, hundreds of visitors had
visited us. Cheerfully singing the last
          season of farewell.[51]
     and is cut off there. His handwriting
however was very stable, and was not as if he was
     losing control. If for some reason he
had to leave the diary for a while, why did he not
     go back to it? Was it that he had
become extremely emotional that he could no longer
     write? In any case, he never returned
to his diary.
     Part Five
     In reading the last letters of the
Kamikaze pilots, there are generally two types. One,
     the «Typical» letters and
the other, the «Unique» letters. Most of the typical letters were
     written by graduates of military
schools such as the Youth Pilot Training School. The
     «Unique» ones were written
by the Special Flight Officer Probationary Cadets—the
     graduates from college. The first two
of the following five pilots have written a typical
     letter, and the other three have
written unique letters.
     Corporal Masato Hisanaga of the 72nd
Shinbu Squadron was twenty years old. In his
     letter, he thanked his parents for the
years that he was alive, and reported to them how
     he had been doing, and informed them
of the kindness of the people where he had
     been. After asking his parents to say
«Hi» to various people, he says that he will take
     revenge for his older brother (who, as
it appears, must have been killed in the war) by
     sinking the enemy’s battleship and
killing its soldiers. He too asks that his younger
     brothers follow their brother
(himself). «All of the (Japanese) population is the
     tokkotai.» He too mentioned,
«I have no nostalgic sentiments.»[52]
     Corporal Shinji Ozeki, 19 years old
wrote a will to his mother saying:[53]
          As a man I will courageously go.
Now, I have no special nostalgic
          sentiments. However, I will go
regretting that although being born a man, I
          have not had filial piety.
          To give this young self for the
protection of the imperial nation, I believe is
          piety.
          I hope that you will forgive my
sin of being undutiful and that you will live
          in happiness.[54]
     This is similar to what Corporal Araki
and Hisanaga had mentioned. All reveal their
     thoughts towards their parents. They
believed their dying was piety, which shows that
     they were doing it for their family.
All had mentioned having no nostalgic sentiments
     possibly to make their parents feel
easier. Because these are «Typical» letters, many
     others had written just as they had.
     The unique ones written by the college
graduates included more personal feelings. For
     example, Second Lieutenant Shigeyuki
Suzuki wrote:[55]
          People say that our feeling is of
resignation, but that does not know at all
          how we feel, and think of us as a
fish about to be cooked.
          Young blood does flow in us.
          There are persons we love, we
think of, and many unforgettable
          memories. However, with those, we
cannot win the war.
          To let this beautiful Japan keep
growing, to be released from the wicked
          hands of the Americans and
British, and to build a «freed Asia» was our
          goal from the Gakuto Shutsujin
year before last; yet nothing has changed.
          The great day that we can
directly be in contact with the battle is our day
          of happiness and at the same
time, the memorial of our death…[56]
     Second Lieutenant Ryoji Uehara, a
graduate of Keio University was 22 years old. His
     ideas were «radical» for the
time, and if known by the Kenpeitai, he would not have
     been left alone.[57] In a note, he
wrote to a journalist just before his mission that he
     was greatly honored to be chosen as a
Kamikaze pilot.[58 ]Yet he also wrote, thinking
     logically with the skills he had
gained in college. He believed in democracy. He believed
     that the victory of democracy was
obvious, and although fascism would make the
     country appear to be prosperous
temporarily, only decline would wait for it. He
     mentioned the fact that Fascist Italy
and Nazi Germany had been defeated, and that the
     power of «Freedom» will
appear in history. He says that if his ideas were correct, it
     would be a tragedy for the nation but
that he would be happy. In the end of the note he
     wrote:
          Tomorrow, one believer in
democracy will leave this world. He may look
          lonely, but his heart is filled
with satisfaction.
     Second Lieutenant Uehara believed that
he would not go to Yasukuni Shrine, but go to
     heaven where he would be able to meet
his brother and the girl he loved, who died
     earlier.[59]
     Second Lieutenant Toshio Anazawa was
engaged. Yet being chosen for such a mission
     that [engagement] was to be canceled.
He wrote in his last letter to her all the
     thankfulness he felt for her and her
family. He tells her that he does not want her to
     reflect on the time they had spent
together.[60] He wrote:
          As an engaged man, as a man to
go, I would like to say a little to you, a
          lady before I go.
          I only wish your happiness.
          Do not mind the past. You are not
to live in the past. 
          Have the courage and forget the
past. You are to create a new future.
          You are to live from moment to
moment in the reality. Anazawa no longer
          exists in the reality.[61]
     Unlike the first two letters, which
contained the words, «I have no nostalgic emotions,»
     he wrote: «It’s too late now, but
I would like to say some of my wishes.»
     He then listed the books he wanted to
read, what he wanted to see, what he wanted to
     listen to, and that he was eager to
see her, and to talk to her.[62]
     The last three writings probably spoke
for themselves and require no further
     explanation. They just made clearer
the different ways of thought the college students
     had from the others who attended
military school.
     Not only in writing had the thoughts
of the pilots appeared. In actions, and in speeches
     too were the emotions visible.
Corporal Mineyoshi Takahashi, according to Mr. Yasuo
     Takahashi, his older brother, had
changed since entering military school, and his
     attitude in talking with Mr. Takahashi
was not as it used to be.[63] (The way Mr. Y.
     Takahashi explained the differences
before and after Mineyoshi joined the military was
     similar to the way Mr. S. Araki had
explained Yukio’s changes.) He remembers that
     the last time they met, he took
Corporal Takahashi into the ship he was working in.
     Suddenly, Corporal Takahashi had asked
his brother: «Which part of the ship is the
     weakest?» Mr. Takahashi remembers
that he was extremely surprised, but pointed to
     the place which he knew was the
weakest.[64]
     This reveals that Corporal Takahashi
was thinking of his mission rather calmly. He had
     asked the question, probably thinking
of which part of the ship he should drive his plane
     into.[65]
     Corporal Takamasa Senda before his
departure had been singing many songs with
     children, and at times, sat quietly
alone, burning old letters in an expression of deep
     thought. The last night, he looked up
at the stars and said, «You are lucky, this will be
     the last time I see the stars…I
wonder how my mother is doing….»[66] His singing with
     the children was probably to forget
the coming mission, and his burning the letters was
     to forget the past. Saying that he
wanted to be able to see the stars again is an
     indication that he wanted to live.
     Whether patriotism was the answer to
the way they felt can be doubted in the case of
     Second Lieutenant Fumihiro Mitsuyama.
His real name was Tak Kyong-Hyong.[67]
     He was Korean, but like other Japanese
men, he too was sent to war, and was chosen
     as a Kamikaze pilot. The last evening
before his mission, he went to the cafeteria
     appointed by the Army, which was run
by a lady, Mrs. Tome Torihama, who was
     called «Okasan» (mother) by
the young Kamikaze pilots of Chiran Air Base. He went
     up to her and said, «I will sing
you a song of my country,» and sang Ariran. By the
     second verse he was in tears.[68]
Because he was a graduate of college, he had not
     volunteered willingly but was probably
pressured to circle «desire earnestly» in the
     survey, especially being a Korean.
     According to survivors, all say that
they felt quite calm, and normal. They were not
     scared of death but were happy that
the day had finally come.[69] Mr. Itatsu was a
     pilot who had departed for the mission
but because his engine had stopped on the way,
     his plane fell into the sea, and he
survived.[70] He says that he remembers being happy
     when he was chosen for the
mission.[71] He said that the young people then who had
     gone into military schools did not
have the ability to think logically, and therefore sent
     applications without much thought. He
also says that these pilots were really innocent,
     and thought purely that they would be
able to serve, and protect the country.[72] An
     author and a critic, Tadao Morimoto
said in a T.V. program that he believes that it was
     not true that they were happy to die
for the country.[73] Mr. Itatsu says that he
     disagrees with him because some young
and innocent pilots died believing they could
     become happy dying that way.[74] Since
Mr. Itatsu was one of the Kamikaze pilots
     himself, his comments should be given
more credibility than the comments made by
     Tadao Morimoto who had been an officer
in the Navy during the war, but was not
     involved with the Kamikaze attacks
himself.
     Kiichi Matsuura, the author of the
book Showa wa Toku (Showa Far Away) wrote
     that he recalls the first planned date
of the mission was like every other day, and no
     special conversation took place. When
he found that his aircraft would not function
     properly, he suddenly felt the strong
urge to live. His aircraft not functioning implied that
     he would not die. Realizing that, he
could only think of living. On his second «chance»
     his plane was fine halfway. He was
with two other pilots, and seeing one of them sink
     into the sea, realized a problem in
all their engines. The two returned. He recalls that
     until the moment they decided to
return, he was not at all scared, because they were
     flying toward death. However,
returning was frightening. He had to protect his life from
     death.[75]
     Finally, in an interview with a member
of the Self Defense Force, Mr. Matsunaga, a
     word which held the key to a better
understanding was mentioned. The word was
     «decision.» To the question,
«If something happened, would you not be afraid?» he
     answered that it was his decision to
enter such a world, and that he would not escape if
     anything did occur.[76] Similarly,
although it was with far more psychological pressure,
     all the Kamikaze pilots had made the
decision.
     Conclusion
     The pilots were, as a matter of fact,
not radical nor extremely patriotic, but were the
     average Japanese of the time. It was a
dream for the young boys of late Taisho period
     and early Showa to serve in the
military, especially in the Air Force, as a career. Not all
     pilots who wanted to become Kamikaze
pilots could become one. Although this may
     sound strange, there were so many
volunteers to make the suicidal and fatal attacks,
     that the military, to be fair, had to
let the ones with the better grades go earlier. Because
     of the aura that had covered Japan,
the young pilots of 18 and 19 were eager to go.
     Those of the Special Flight Officer
Probationary Cadets who had their own thoughts
     like Second lieutenants Suzuki,
Uehara, and Anazawa were able to separate their
     personal life from what was required
of them to do for the war. They felt the
     responsibility to go.
     How exactly the pilots felt about the
attacks could not be known but it seems that they
     were, in general, happy that they
could serve the country, but had other thoughts
     towards death. Because the
brainwashing done on the pilots trained in military schools
     was so effective, it changed the
priority of «life, then country,» the other way around.
     Life was made, by the atmosphere and
education of the time, to be not the first priority,
     but something that must be given up
for the first priority, the Emperor and the country.
     If they believed that ever-lasting
happiness would follow their mission, there was
     nothing for them to fear. Those who
were not brainwashed (the college graduates) may
     have felt fear. If they were able to
detach themselves totally from life, they might have
     felt better. Yet is detaching oneself
from life really possible?
     In any case, it seems that they were
all optimistic. They volunteered, believing their
     death might save their family, the
ones they loved, and Japan. However, as a student
     investigating fifty years after the
events, it was not possible for me to understand exactly
     how the pilots had felt towards their
mission.
     Appendix One
     The Different Pilots’ Training Schools
in The Imperial Army Where the Kamikaze Pilots
     Were Trained
     The Youth Pilot Training School 
          The students who had graduated
from the Youth Pilot Training schools had the
          best flying skills of the
Imperial Army. This schooling system had begun in 1933,
          and lasted until the end of the
Pacific War. The age range that was accepted into
          this school was between 14 and
17. Originally, the time spent in the school was
          three years. One year of general
education in Tokyo and two years of
          specialized education in various
parts of Japan. However, by the end of the war,
          the students of the 15th term
were trained in only a year and 8 months and were
          made into soldiers just in time
for the Okinawa Tokko.
     Candidates for Second Lieutenant 
          Non-commissioned officers whose
excellence was recognized were educated in
          the Air Corps Academy. Because of
their experience and career, their skill was
          of a high level.
     Imperial Army Air Corps Academy 
          Students who had completed the
four-year course of Middle School or the
          Higher Elementary School took an
examination to enter. They became civil
          servants who had decided to work
in the Army. Graduates of the 56th and 57th
          term were involved in the Okinawa
Tokko.
     Pilot Trainee 
          The pilot trainees had to have a
pilot’s license, and had to be an Officer
          Candidate. After one month in a
squadron, they received six months of flight
          training in the Imperial Army Air
Corps Academy of Kumagaya, and after six
          months as probationary Officer,
became Second Lieutenants. Among the
          students of the Ninth term, there
were graduates of the Higher Pilot training
          schools.
     Flight Officer Candidates 
          Officer candidates consisted of
drafted men with at least Middle School
          education. After four months of
preliminary education, a test was taken. If they
          passed the test, they received
the required education for officers, and if found fit
          for the position were ranked as
Higher Officer Candidates. After serving as
          probationary officers, they were
ranked as Second Lieutenants. If they were not
          found fit as an officer, they
became the Lower Officer Candidates and became
          non-commissioned officers. Those
who had the interest in flying received training
          with the Special Flight Officer
Probationary Cadet in the Imperial Air Corps
          Academy. The students of the 7th,
8th, and 9th term were involved in the
          Okinawa Tokko.
     Special Flight Officer Probationary
Cadets 
          This was for the college students
drafted into the war by the Gakuto Shutsujin
          who were interested in the Air
Corps. The 1st term entered in October 1943,
          the 2nd in December 1943, and the
3rd in June 1944. They were made into
          Second Lieutenants in one year,
half a year earlier than planned. One sixth of the
          entire Okinawa Tokko of the Army
was made up of these 312 cadets.
     Pilot Training Schools 
          This was not an institution
belonging to the Army, but belonged to the Ministry of
          Communications. However, the
content was almost the same. There were
          twelve of these schools and the
students were separated into the regular course
          and flight training course.
Students of fourteen to fifteen years old entered the
          regular course. After three years
of regular education, the students received one
          year of flight training which the
students of the flight training course had
          completed. To enter the flight
training school from the beginning, an educational
          background of more than Middle
School graduation was required. 108 of the
          graduates died in the Okinawa
Tokko.
     Appendix Two
     The 72nd Shinbu Squadron
     Many of the Kamikaze pilots mentioned
in the Essay were pilots of the 72nd Shinbu-tai
     of the Imperial Army. The following
are pilots of the squadron:
          Title            
Name                    Age at Departure
          Captain:  
          First Lieutenant  Mutsuo
Sato             24
          Sergeant          Nobuyoshi
Nishikawa 
          Sergeant          Kazuo
Arai              21
          Corporal          Yukio
Araki             17
          Corporal          Tsutomu
Hayakawa        19
          Corporal          Kairyu
Kanamoto           
          Corporal          Atsunobu
Sasaki           
          Corporal          Kaname
Takahashi        18
          Corporal          Mineyoshi
Takahashi     17
          Corporal          Masato
Hisanaga         20
          Corporal          Toshio
Chizaki          19
          Corporal          Takamasa
Senda          19
     This squadron was formed on January
30, 1945 as the 113 Educational Flight Corps,
     then was transformed to the 23rd
Rensei Flight Corps. On March 30, 1945, the same
     unit was renamed the 72nd Shinbu Squadron.
(Shinbu refers to the squadrons of the
     Imperial Army which made the suicide
attacks by aircraft.) They were stationed in
     Heijo, what is now P’yongyan of North
Korea. From March 25, 1944, they were in
     Kagamihara, Gifu prefecture for about
one month. Before the mission in May, the unit
     returned to Kyushu, and stayed in
Metabaru, for a few days, and flew over to Bansei
     Air Base. Their attack was first
planned to be made on May 20, 1945, however it was
     postponed to May 27, 1945 due to rainy
weather.
     Of the twelve pilots, three did not
depart for the suicide attack. Corporal Atsunobu
     Sasaki was killed by an American P — 51
on May 2, 1945 in China. On the same day,
     Sergeant Nobuyoshi Nishikawa was
injured, and could not take part in the mission.
     The aircraft of Kairyu Kanamoto
malfunctioned on the day of their mission, and could
     not take off. The remaining nine made
their mission from Bansei Air Base at 6:00 a.m.,
     May 27, 1945.
     Appendix Three
     The Research Method
     The first time I learned of this topic
was in August, 1992.  It was the time when I went
     with my parents to Japan and visited
manmuseums and talked to many people whose 
     age varied from12 to 60 and they have
told me many stories about war.
     There, a great number of primary
sources and photographs were displayed, which
     made me even more interested in the
topic.
     Since the summer of 1992, the
collection of information started, with no academic
     purpose. In 1993, the book Rikugun
Saigo no Tokko Kichi by Shichiro Naemura
     was published. This book was about the
Kamikaze pilots who departed from Bansei
     Air Base. 
     That summer of 1993 was crucial to my
interest in the Kamikaze pilots. First, I visited
     Chiran Tokko Heiwa Kaikan again on
August 21, and looked in more detail at the
     letters, diaries and photographs of
the pilots. The photographs were extremely inspiring
     in a sense, since in none of them were
the pilots showing an expression of fatigue, or
     regret. Most of them were smiling. 
     On the same night, I decided to spend
the evening at «Tomiya Ryokan» which is what
     used to be the small restaurant Ms.
Tome Torihama ran during the war, and which the
     Kamikaze pilots used frequently. There
were several photographs of the Kamikaze
     pilots remaining there. Mr. Yoshikiyo
Torihama, the grandson of Ms. Tome Torihama,
     talked to me about many episodes
concerning the last evening the pilots visited the
     restaurant.
     Since May 1993 I thought it would be a
wonderful opportunity to organize my thoughts
     and information on this topic.
    This essay was extremely interesting
and, above all, meaningful for me. The
     members of the older generation who I
interviewed encouraged and supported me
     tremendously.
     Appendix Four
     The following are those who have
supported and encouraged my research for the
     Extended Essay: (in alphabetical
order)
          Mr. Seiichi Araki
          Mr. Tadamasa Itatsu
          Ms. Itsuko Kai
          Mrs. Masako Kai
          Mr. Kyoichi Kamei
          Mrs. Fusako Manabe
          Mr. Ryo Matsunaga
          Mr. Shiniro Nagao
          Mr. Tadashi Nakajima
          Mr. Glenn Scoggins
          Mr. Tohshio Senda
          Mr. Yasuo Takahashi
          Mr. Yoshikiyo Torihama
          Mr. Akira Yamami