Eternal Zero Thesis

At 91 years of age Mr. Yutaka Kanbe is one of the lucky few Japanese kamikaze pilots to have survived the horrors of World War II. He could have died following the fortune of thousands of fellow kamikase pilots on suicide tasks in the dying moments of WWII. But his turn never came. He was saved by the August 15, 1945 unconditional surrender of Japan.

Asked about governmental affairs, he’s unhappy over some political events now happening under PM Shinzo Abe, and he called it a crazy idea to bestow praises and sing hosannas to suicide missions as has been shown in a new film titled The Eternal Zero. According to Mr. Kanbe, this is a very strong indication that generations of young Japanese today have lost track of what had happened to their country during the second world war.

Mr. Kanbe speaks a
resounding no support to glorification of kamikaze missions that orders young Japanese pilots to crash their planes on allied warships.

With the likes of Abe, Japan can go to war once more, but being old he'll soon pass away and he’s worried of the future of Japan, the former Navy pilot said.
Occupying the front pages of wartime Japanese newspapers were the exploits of kamikaze missions, extolling them as heroes for and in behalf of Japan’s sacred emperor.

Organized in a vain effort to thwart the allied forces from winning the war, about 4,000 squadrons perished on missions that command fear and respect from enemy warriors. But, sad to say, most were gunned down before arriving their destinations.

Little is said about Kamikaze now, but the film The Eternal Zero has reignited back the memories of the deadly Kamikaze into the public minds.

The film was a hit and a Tokyo student said about it: "I respect Kamikaze pilots - they sacrificed their lives for their families and the country. Kamikaze pilots are cool. It's wrong to criticise the mission."

Another surviving Kamikaze pilot shows but little interest in the student’s remarks. Kozo Kagawa, 89, doesn’t want to say something about their wartime mission. Memories of comrades dying in vain still haunts him. His life was likewise spared during the
war.

China and South Korea who were recipients of Tokyo’s militaristic excesses before and after WWII, were angered and opposed the move of a Japanese city to post Kamikaze pilots’ farewell letters on a UN register.

Brotherhood has been additionally marred by Abe’s plan in July to change his country’s peaceful post-war image by expanding the use of its military arsenal. The public opinion strongly opposed this move, hinting it could lead the country into trouble, not to mention brewing territorial conflicts with its neighbours.

Kagawa opined Kamikaze missions should never be repeated, but peace always comes with costs. We can’t have peace without flexing a muscle in defence, he said.

The Yasukuni War Shrine houses about 2M war casualties, including Kamikaze pilots, was visited by relatives and government officials during the war’s 69th anniversary. However, the inclusion in the burial grounds of government heads proven guilty of war crimes, is frowned upon by China and South Korea.

Abe distance himself visiting the site in 2013, however his December stay at the shrine brought neighboring relations to a negative low rating. Even Washington warned it was an “inflammatory gesture.”

The 85-year old Akinori Asano decided to be home by himself on August 15, as he prayed and mourned for his fellow unfortunate suicide pilots. He was a member of Cherry Blossom force which directs bombers right at their targets. The Allies tagged them “stupid bombers.”

There was no sense in asking why orders were followed and why precious lives were to be given up. There was no space for answering “no,” Asano said.

World War II wasn’t a movie. Young Japanese can’t fathom what it was like, all I can do for the moment is pray for peace, Asano added.

CREDIT: Video, Youtube.com/bmyq2OJOVDw