Japan's controversial WWII heroes: How one kamikaze pilot escaped certain death
Summary
During the final months of World War II, Japan used kamikaze attacks, where young pilots crashed their planes into enemy ships to cause damage. One of the last living kamikaze pilots, Kunitake Toriya, survived because Japan surrendered before his mission, and he spent two years as a prisoner in the Soviet Union. The memory of kamikaze pilots remains controversial in Japan today, seen by some as heroes and by others as symbols of militarism.Key Facts
- Kamikaze attacks involved pilots crashing planes filled with explosives into Allied naval ships.
- These pilots were mostly around 21 years old.
- About 3,800 kamikaze pilots died, killing over 7,000 Allied naval personnel and damaging many ships.
- The word "kamikaze" means "divine wind" but became associated with these suicide missions during WWII.
- Kunitake Toriya was one of the last surviving kamikaze pilots; he never flew his attack because Japan surrendered first.
- After the war, Toriya was a Soviet prisoner for nearly two years before returning to Japan.
- Some Japanese view kamikaze pilots as heroes, while others see them as reminders of Japan’s aggressive military past.
- The use of kamikaze attacks reflected Japan’s desperate efforts to stop the advancing Allied forces near the war’s end.
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