×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Friday
16
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 15°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Culture

Last letters from young kamikaze pilots provide rare insights into Japan’s feared special attack unit

these are some of the real faces of the kamikaze that line the walls of the Kanoya Air Base museum and the Chiran Peace Museum, both located on Japan’s Kyushu island

Newsroom January 16 12:04

Think of a kamikaze pilot and the image that comes to mind is probably a screaming face obscured by goggles embarking on a death plunge.

Or perhaps no face at all and just a fighter plane plowing into a warship.

It’s probably not a teenager weeping in a dank, half-underground bunker with his bedsheets pulled up over his head.

And surely not high schoolers cheerfully petting a puppy just hours before they were expected to turn themselves into ash while sinking a US aircraft carrier.

But these are some of the real faces of the kamikaze that line the walls of the Kanoya Air Base museum and the Chiran Peace Museum, both located on Japan’s Kyushu island.

See Also:

Trump on Second Term: “I’m not going to have time for retribution”

>Related articles

Ballistic missile strike hits pier in Ukraine

The ordeal of a 28-year-old Greek man in Australia: He went on holiday to visit relatives, was injured at a beach, and is at risk of quadriplegia

FBI searches the home of a Washington Post journalist who covered the Trump administration’s firing of federal employees

There are hundreds of them.

In many of the images, you can see their last words, often in letters to their mothers, apologizing for their youthful indiscretions and pledging to make them proud.

Continue here: CNN

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#culture#history#japan#kamikaze#world#WWII
> More Culture

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

The historic cafes of Athens: 12 legendary hangouts lost to time

January 16, 2026

Why seasonal flu is so “aggressive” this year: An infectious disease specialist from “Sotiria” explains the two main causes

January 16, 2026

Mitsotakis attends the inauguration of the renovated Emergency Department at Red Cross Hospital

January 16, 2026

Where insects go in winter

January 16, 2026

Zelensky: If an agreement is reached, we are ready to sign even next week

January 16, 2026

Actress Melpo Zarokosta dies at 93

January 16, 2026

11 Iconic meze dishes from Volos

January 16, 2026

Sports broadcasts: Where to watch the Conference League play-off draw, the derby in volleyball, and the EuroLeague

January 16, 2026
All News

> Greece

Why seasonal flu is so “aggressive” this year: An infectious disease specialist from “Sotiria” explains the two main causes

“Internationally, this year there is a relative severity in the flu epidemic, and far fewer people have been vaccinated,” says internist–infectious disease specialist Eleni Kakalou

January 16, 2026

Study in Greece: International students apply for a place in Greek universities through a single platform

January 16, 2026

Users on X respond to Rama’s comments on whether modern Greeks are descendants of the ancient Greeks

January 16, 2026

Cold wave from Ukraine to hit Greece: Temperatures drop to 10°C, Gale-Force winds in the Aegean and Ionian Seas

January 16, 2026

Mercosur agreement sparks concern over olive export tariffs: Greek and European producers face 12.6% duty

January 16, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα