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Ohka squadron waiting to sortie.
Betty bomber in background has
ohka suspended underneath.
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Message Boards
Several large Japanese web sites on special attack forces sponsor message
boards that have many thoughtful comments on a wide variety of topics. The
message boards have the most activity around August 15, the anniversary of
Japan's surrender. Also, postings increased sharply after the 9/11 terrorist
attacks in 2001, as many people gave their opinions about those suicide attacks
in comparison with the suicide attacks made by Japan's special attack forces in
World War II.
The following three Japanese message boards have the most postings:
Only the first message board has English postings, which make up about 10% of
the total. Outside of Japan there are no kamikaze-related message boards and
almost no kamikaze-related postings on other message boards.
Many types of people post messages on the three message boards listed above.
These include students doing research, persons with relatives who served in the
military during World War II, and recent visitors to kamikaze-related museums.
The coordinators of the above message boards actively participate in the
postings by answering questions and providing opinions. Book authors and former
special attack force members also regularly post messages.
Postings cover a wide range of topics. Since the four message boards are
connected with web sites, many comments relate to site contents. Message writers
frequently mention how the letters or stories on the sites moved them to tears.
Person who write opinions about kamikaze pilots generally regard them as
courageous young men who died to defend their homeland and families. Many
postings comment on broader topics related to World War II, such as views
regarding the Nanking Massacre. The two museums most frequently mentioned in
postings are the Yasukuni Jinja Yushukan and the Chiran Peace Museum for
Kamikaze Pilots. The author most frequently mentioned is Yoshinori Kobayashi, a
right-wing nationalist who has written several popular manga books such as three
volumes of Sensouron (On War).
The message board named Tokkou (Special
Attack Forces), sponsored by Tokkotai Commemoration Peace Memorial Association,
used to have many postings. However, due to hate postings and spam postings, the
organization discontinued the original message board and does not publish the
prior postings. There are still a few postings at the new URL for the message
board.
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