RE: BBC News-Remembering Japan's Kamikaze Pilots

[brad kaste]

Interesting interview with a very elderly Kamikaze pilot and 'farewell' letters written by other Kamikaze pilots. What I find interesting too how Japan is still in basic denial about the pain and atrocities they inflicted to other nations and they've now (somehow) become victims in reverse.


http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26256048

[CWOJackson]

It's difficult the understand the mindset in that era. My father was involved with interrogating Japanese prisoners in China. The greatest difficulty he was faced with was getting live prisoners. While most Japanese were loath to surrender, the Chinese weren't prone to taking prisoners.

The Japanese didn't have a code of conduct for prisoners of war; they were expected to not be taken alive. Since they had no training in that regard, and because they were so attuned to responding to military authority, they often only had to order prisoners to answer their questions.

I recall in one book about the Kamikaze, following the surrender a high ranking officer and many of his staff took off in fully loaded aircraft that had been hidden. Japanese authorities were worried that they intended to attack U.S. vessels but all they did was fly out and dive into empty ocean. They felt compelled to obey the Emperor but couldn't simply surrender.