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Corporal Takamasa Senda before his departure had been singing many songs with children, and at times, sat quietly alone, burning old letters in an expression of deep thought. The last night, he looked up at the stars and said, "You are lucky, this will be the last time I see the stars...I wonder how my mother is doing...."[66] His singing with the children was probably to forget the coming mission, and his burning the letters was to forget the past. Saying that he wanted to be able to see the stars again is an indication that he wanted to live.

Whether patriotism was the answer to the way they felt can be doubted in the case of

Second Lieutenant Fumihiro Mitsuyama. His real name was Tak Kyong-
Hyong.[67]

He was Korean, but like other Japanese men, he too was sent to war, and was chosen as a Kamikaze pilot. The last evening before his mission, he went to the cafeteria appointed by the Army, which was run by a lady, Mrs. Tome Torihama, who was called "Okasan" (mother) by the young Kamikaze pilots of Chiran Air
Base. He went up to her and said, "I will sing you a song of my country," and sang
Ariran. By the second verse he was in tears.[68] Because he was a graduate of college, he had not volunteered willingly but was probably pressured to circle "desire earnestly" in the survey, especially being a Korean.

According to survivors, all say that they felt quite calm, and normal.
They were not scared of death but were happy that the day had finally come.[69] Mr.
Itatsu was a pilot who had departed for the mission but because his engine had stopped on the way, his plane fell into the sea, and he survived.[70] He says that he remembers being happy when he was chosen for the mission.[71] He said that the young people then who had gone into military schools did not have the ability to think logically, and therefore sent applications without much thought. He also says that these pilots were really innocent, and thought purely that they would be able to serve, and protect the country.[72] An author and a critic, Tadao Morimoto said in a T.V. program that he believes that it was not true that they were happy to die for the country.[73] Mr. Itatsu says that he disagrees with him because some young and innocent pilots died believing they could become happy dying that way.[74] Since Mr. Itatsu was one of the
Kamikaze pilots himself, his comments should be given more credibility than the comments made by

Tadao Morimoto who had been an officer in the Navy during the war, but was not involved with the Kamikaze attacks himself.

Kiichi Matsuura, the author of the book Showa wa Toku (Showa Far Away) wrote that he recalls the first planned date of the mission was like every other day, and no special conversation took place. When he found that his aircraft would not function properly, he suddenly felt the strong urge to live. His aircraft not functioning implied that he would not die. Realizing that, he could only think of living. On his second "chance" his plane was fine halfway. He was with two other pilots, and seeing one of them sink into the sea, realized a problem in all their engines. The two returned. He recalls that until the moment they decided to return, he was not at all scared, because they were flying toward death. However, returning was frightening. He had to protect his life from death.[75]

Finally, in an interview with a member of the Self Defense Force, Mr.
Matsunaga, a word which held the key to a better understanding was mentioned. The word was

"decision." To the question, "If something happened, would you not be afraid?" he answered that it was his decision to enter such a world, and that he would not escape if anything did occur.[76] Similarly, although it was with far more psychological pressure, all the Kamikaze pilots had made the decision.

Conclusion

The pilots were, as a matter of fact, not radical nor extremely patriotic, but were the average Japanese of the time. It was a dream for the young boys of late Taisho period and early Showa to serve in the military, especially in the Air Force, as a career. Not all pilots who wanted to become Kamikaze pilots could become one. Although this may sound strange, there were so many volunteers to make the suicidal and fatal attacks, that the military, to be fair, had to let the ones with the better grades go earlier. Because of the aura that had covered Japan, the young pilots of 18 and 19 were eager to go.

Those of the Special Flight Officer Probationary Cadets who had their own thoughts like Second lieutenants Suzuki, Uehara, and Anazawa were able to separate their personal life from what was required of them to do for the war. They felt the responsibility to go.

How exactly the pilots felt about the attacks could not be known but it seems that they were, in general, happy that they could serve the country, but had other thoughts towards death. Because the brainwashing done on the pilots trained in military schools was so effective, it changed the priority of 'life, then country,' the other way around.

Life was made, by the atmosphere and education of the time, to be not the first priority, but something that must be given up for the first priority, the
Emperor and the country.

If they believed that ever-lasting happiness would follow their mission, there was nothing for them to fear. Those who were not brainwashed (the college graduates) may have felt fear. If they were able to detach themselves totally from life, they might have felt better. Yet is detaching oneself from life really possible?

In any case, it seems that they were all optimistic. They volunteered, believing their death might save their family, the ones they loved, and Japan.
However, as a student investigating fifty years after the events, it was not possible for me to understand exactly how the pilots had felt towards their mission.

Appendix One

The Different Pilots' Training Schools in The Imperial Army Where the
Kamikaze Pilots

Were Trained

The Youth Pilot Training School

The students who had graduated from the Youth Pilot Training schools had the best flying skills of the Imperial Army. This schooling system had begun in 1933, and lasted until the end of the Pacific War. The age range that was accepted into this school was between 14 and 17. Originally, the time spent in the school was three years. One year of general education in Tokyo and two years of specialized education in various parts of Japan. However, by the end of the war, the students of the 15th term were trained in only a year and 8 months and were made into soldiers just in time for the Okinawa Tokko.

Candidates for Second Lieutenant

Non-commissioned officers whose excellence was recognized were educated in the Air Corps Academy. Because of their experience and career, their skill was of a high level.

Imperial Army Air Corps Academy

Students who had completed the four-year course of Middle School or the

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