The Invention of the Kamikaze: Dissent and Resistance in the Japanese Military

Previous scholarship has focused on why kamikaze pilots accepted their one-way missions, typically drawing on notions of an essentialized Japanese culture or modern state-nationalism. This article brings the invention of kamikaze tactics into the 1940s by excavating examples of dissent and resistance in the Japanese military. It argues that since many people articulated opposition by citing their own understandings of Japanese culture, kamikaze tactics cannot be explained as pre-determined by traditional culture or modern ideological indoctrination. This article emphasizes the viewpoints of working-class soldiers who comprised the majority of kamikaze squadrons, as well mid-ranking career officers representing an earlier Japanese military tradition.