Key Facts
• Human torpedo ‘Kaiten’ was a manned torpedo used for suicide attacks during WWII.
• The training base for ‘Kaiten’ was located on Otsushima Island, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
• Each torpedo carried 1.5 tons of explosives and targeted enemy ships at full speed.
• The ‘Kaiten’ operation lasted less than a year, claiming 106 lives with an average age of 20.9.
• Kenichi Tanaka, 87, witnessed training and departures as a child near the base.
• Tanaka later became a teacher and studied the role of education in wartime propaganda.
• A play titled “Ah, Otsushima’s Azure Sea” was recently rehearsed in Tokyo.
• The cast, none of whom experienced war, aims to convey the tragedy of ‘Kaiten.’
• Actor Shinya Hasegawa emphasized the importance of preventing such events from recurring.
• Producer Tetsuyuki Wakabayashi highlighted the role of younger generations in preserving war memories.
• The play was performed in Shunan City, depicting the emotions of young ‘Kaiten’ pilots.
• A high school student in the audience called the concept of manned torpedoes inhumane.
Summary
The human torpedo ‘Kaiten,’ a WWII suicide weapon, is being remembered through theater to convey the horrors of war to younger generations. Otsushima Island, once a training base, saw 106 young lives lost in less than a year. Kenichi Tanaka, who witnessed these events as a child, later studied the impact of wartime education. A Tokyo play, “Ah, Otsushima’s Azure Sea,” performed by actors with no war experience, aims to pass on these lessons. The production, staged in Shunan City, portrays the emotions of ‘Kaiten’ pilots and emphasizes the importance of preventing future conflicts. Audience members, including students, reflected on the inhumanity of such tactics, reinforcing the message that war must never be repeated.
