Kiyoshi Ogawa - Service in World War II

Service in World War II

After Graduation from Waseda, Kiyoshi Ogawa departed as a gakuto (student-soldier, a college student who became a soldier or officer during his academic years) and received his training as a 14th graduate of Aviation Reserve Student. Special Flight Officer Probationary Cadets (the graduates from college) tended to have more liberal ideas, not having been educated in military schools, and also were more aware of the world outside Japan. Although some officers were kind to student soldiers during training, many acted harshly toward them; once on the base, many Reserve Students were subjected to harsh corporal punishment on a daily basis, as any minor action that irritated a superior could be a cause for severe corporal punishment.

Kiyoshi Ogawa graduated from Aviation Reserve Student flight training, appointed an Ensign, he was assigned to the 306th Fighter Squadron of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 721st Kokutai at Kanoya.

Ogawa then volunteered for Imperial Japanese Navy Kamikaze Special Attack Force (tokubetsu kōgeki tai) Dai 7 Showa-tai (No. 7 Showa-tai Force).

Since the Kamikaze attacks were to be made only if the pilots had volunteered, and could not be commanded, there were two methods to collect volunteers. One was an application for all pilots in general, and another was a survey for the Special Flight Officer Probationary Cadets (College graduates like Kiyoshi Ogawa) only. The survey asked: "Do you desire earnestly/wish/do not wish to be involved in the Kamikaze attacks?" Kiyoshi Ogawa had to circle one of the three choices, or leave the paper blank. The reason that the Special Flight Officer Probationary Cadet had to answer such a survey rather than send the applications at their own will was because the military had known that the students who had come from college had a wider vision, and would not easily apply for such a mission. Some college graduates, who did not volunteer willingly, were pressured to circle "desire earnestly" in the survey.

Many former students from Japan's elite colleges such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Keio and Waseda volunteered as kamikaze pilots in World War II.