Japan's controversial WWII heroes: How one kamikaze pilot escaped certain death
France 24
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France 24
Original Source
At 99, Kunitake Toriya is among the last surviving kamikaze pilots, barely escaping a suicide mission when Japan surrendered in 1945. More than eight decades later, the legacy of the nearly 4,000 pilots who died in these attacks remains deeply controversial, with some viewing them as national heroes and others as symbols of Japan's militaristic past.
Kamikaze literally means "divine wind". But since 1945, the word has come to represent the Japanese pilots who laid down their lives to defend Japan at the end of World War II. The conflict was coming to an end, and with the advance of US troops and the exhaustion of Japanese forces, it was a radical, desperate strategy.
Thousands of young pilots, with an average age of 21, were told to deliberately crash their explosive-laden planes into enemy warships. It's estimated that almost 4,000 pilots sacrificed their lives and killed over 7,000 allied naval personnel, as well as sinking several dozen warships and damaging many more.
Read moreJapan marks Nagasaki bombing anniversary as PM Takaichi rattles pacifists with nuclear debate
At the time, the pilots were elevated by propaganda to the status of gods of war. But some survivors describe a much more complex reality.
Kunitake Toriya is one of the last surviving kamikaze pilots. In the spring of 1945, he too received his mission order and trained for several months for a suicide attack. But just as his deployment was approaching, Japan surrendered. Taken prisoner by the Soviets, he spent nearly two years in captivity before returning to Japan.
Now 99 years old, he remembers exactly how his comrades felt during the war. "Nobody wanted to die. Ninety-nine percent of them took off because it was an order. They had no other choice."
More than 80 years on, the legacy of the kamikaze pilots is deeply controversial. For some, they remain heroes who died for their country. For others, they are unwelcome symbols of Japan's militaristic past.
Thousands of young pilots, with an average age of 21, were told to deliberately crash their explosive-laden planes into enemy warships. It's estimated that almost 4,000 pilots sacrificed their lives and killed over 7,000 allied naval personnel, as well as sinking several dozen warships and damaging many more.
Read moreJapan marks Nagasaki bombing anniversary as PM Takaichi rattles pacifists with nuclear debate
At the time, the pilots were elevated by propaganda to the status of gods of war. But some survivors describe a much more complex reality.
Kunitake Toriya is one of the last surviving kamikaze pilots. In the spring of 1945, he too received his mission order and trained for several months for a suicide attack. But just as his deployment was approaching, Japan surrendered. Taken prisoner by the Soviets, he spent nearly two years in captivity before returning to Japan.
Now 99 years old, he remembers exactly how his comrades felt during the war. "Nobody wanted to die. Ninety-nine percent of them took off because it was an order. They had no other choice."
More than 80 years on, the legacy of the kamikaze pilots is deeply controversial. For some, they remain heroes who died for their country. For others, they are unwelcome symbols of Japan's militaristic past.
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Tags:#كاميكازي#الحرب العالمية الثانية#اليابان#التاريخ العسكري#الطيارون الانتحاريون#الجدل التاريخي
Source: France 24
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