Pilots
The Special Attack Air Corps
The kamikaze pilots were part of a group called the “Special Attack Corps.” Typically, these pilots were 17 - 24 year-olds who spent their time in the air force training to die. While dying does not seem like an appealing proposition, when the kamikaze project was first announced, there were three times as many volunteers as planes. Experienced pilots, single children, and oldest children were usually turned down, but oftentimes, families appealed so their sons could participate.
“We saw the poor war situation and believed that the Special Attack was the best method. We volunteered and determined to sacrifice ourselves so that our country could win a victory.”
205th Air Group Survivors
All pilots had to take a Five-Point Oath:
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A soldier must make loyalty his obligation
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A soldier must make propriety his way of life
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A soldier must highly esteem military valor
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A soldier must have a high regard for righteousness
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A soldier must live a simple life
Before heading off into battle, they would write farewell letters and poems to loved ones and a special ceremony in which pilots would have their last drink was held.
Japanese Propaganda
The extreme willingness of these young men to die for their country was driven primarily by a devotion to the emperor (who at the time was considered by many as a living god), peer pressure, and honor for their family names. Sacrificing yourself for your country was a concept that dominated military thinking. Japanese code at the time did not allow for surrender, and even so, many Japanese soldiers would rather die than admit defeat. Men who died for the emperor were supposedly guaranteed a spot in Heaven.
The Japanese government also produced a huge amount of propaganda in support of the kamikaze fliers. From a young age, children were taught that ceremonial suicide was one of the greatest acts a man could do. The kamikaze themselves were treated as national heroes and hugely celebrated. Since the program was not as successful as many had hoped, many stories about the kamikaze were either hugely exaggerated or entirely made up.