Remembering Kamikaze Attack

Generally saying, the Japanese like anniversaries. Some newspapers reported that it was the seventieth anniversary from the first attempt of Kamikaze suicide attack, or Tokko, on Saturday. The view of the people on Tokko has long been simply a matter of craziness of military and political leaders in wartime Japan. However, with strange rise of conservatism, Tokko is getting described as beautiful sacrifice for a cause of nation. The nationalists seem to be turning the bitter memory of defeated war into glorious history of the Nation of God.

Conservative newspaper, Sankei raised a headline of “70^th Anniversary from Kamikaze Tokko Unit – What Did They Leave Us?” According to the article, the victim of Kamikaze attack amounted to 6,418. It introduced a memory of a Lieutenant of Imperial Navy, Yukio Seki, who commanded a unit of suicide attack with four other colleagues. The story revealed Seki’s comment before he had left a base in Philippine. “Reporters, it is the end of Japan, which kills an excellent pilot like me,” told Seki.

Sankei also reported decline of honor of those victims in post-war era, introducing a comment of fiancée of a victim, “What did they die for? Have the Japanese forgotten about them. It’s a pity of war, when I see current Japan.” Sankei looked like regretting current Japan.

The leftist paper, Asahi Shimbun, also ran a special story of Tokko. It was a story of a man, named Eifu Tani, whose elder brother died in Kamikaze attack. Tani told that his brother was called “Military God” after he attacked U.S. fleet in Philippine on October 25^th of 1944. A memorial statue of his brother was build in front of his house and a painter presented a portrait of his brother. “I didn’t know how my brother felt in his death. So, I and my parents needed to persuade ourselves that he finished his life as he hoped,” told Tani. Asahi showed its reflection by describing the paper’s adoration of suicide attack at the time.

There was another type of suicide attack, which was made by man-loaded torpedo. Such stories represented craziness of the Japanese, when they are pushed into a corner of few choices. Suicide attack is ultimate violation of human rights, which cannot be decided by whom possibly involved in that operation.

Direct translation of Tokko is Special Striking Unit. When Japanese leaders use “special,” it means devastating human rights of the people. Special High-class Police was a symbol of coercive exercise of police power on people’s life in wartime. Now Shinzo Abe administration passed a law called Special Secret Protection Law, which fundamentally undermine people’s right to access information of the government. Abe is also trying to make “morality” as a Special Subject of every school. He is specially violating democracy.