Japan’s Kamikaze Pilots: Desperation, Survival and a Contested Legacy

In the final months of World War II, as United States forces advanced across the Pacific, Japan adopted a desperate tactic: kamikaze attacks. Young pilots, averaging 21 years of age, were ordered to crash explosive-laden aircraft into Allied warships. The campaign resulted in the loss of almost 4,000 Japanese pilots and the deaths of more than 7,000 Allied naval personnel, while sinking several dozen ships and damaging many others, according to the France 24 report.

France 24

The term “kamikaze” (literally “divine wind”) had been revived in 1945 to describe these suicide missions. Government propaganda elevated the pilots to the status of war gods, presenting their sacrifices as heroic defense of the nation. By the spring of 1945, pilots such as Kunitake Toriya had completed training and awaited deployment when Japan surrendered, ending the program before many could act.

France 24

Kunitake Toriya, now 99 years old, is one of the last surviving kamikaze pilots. After receiving his mission order in spring 1945, he was captured by Soviet forces and spent nearly two years in captivity before returning to Japan.

France 24

The human toll of the kamikaze campaign is stark: roughly 4,000 Japanese pilots died, and over 7,000 Allied sailors were killed. Decades later, the legacy remains deeply divided. Some Japanese view the pilots as heroes who gave their lives for the country, while others see them as symbols of a militaristic past that should be repudiated.

France 24

More than 80 years after the war, the kamikaze pilots continue to spark controversy in Japanese society. Their memory is invoked in discussions about national identity, military policy, and historical remembrance, illustrating how a wartime strategy of desperation still influences contemporary cultural and political discourse.

France 24