Japan’s real kamikaze pilots: survivors debunk stereotype in stories of sacrifice

The National
  • A heart and a Zero fighter shaped pendants carved out of cockpit glass made by kamikaze Masao Kanai for the girl he was courting Toshi Negishi.
    A heart and a Zero fighter shaped pendants carved out of cockpit glass made by kamikaze Masao Kanai for the girl he was courting Toshi Negishi.
  • Yoshiomi Yanai looks at his last will and testament with his portrait photo. About one in every five kamikaze planes hit an enemy target.
    Yoshiomi Yanai looks at his last will and testament with his portrait photo. About one in every five kamikaze planes hit an enemy target.
  • Yoshiomi Yanai stands in front of Tsukuba Naval Air Group Base.
    Yoshiomi Yanai stands in front of Tsukuba Naval Air Group Base.
  • Hisashi Tezuka, a kamikaze who survived because the war ended, speaks about being a pilot. It is estimated that about 2,500 kamikazes died during the war.
    Hisashi Tezuka, a kamikaze who survived because the war ended, speaks about being a pilot. It is estimated that about 2,500 kamikazes died during the war.
  • Young visitors at Tsukuba Naval Air Group Base in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
    Young visitors at Tsukuba Naval Air Group Base in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
  • Kamikaze, or “the divine wind,” were ordered to fly their planes to certain death.
    Kamikaze, or “the divine wind,” were ordered to fly their planes to certain death.
  • Yoshiomi Yanai. Kamikaze were driven by nothing but self-sacrifice.
    Yoshiomi Yanai. Kamikaze were driven by nothing but self-sacrifice.