Saga: Kunitake Toriya was preparing to embark on a kamikaze suicide attack mission against Allied forces during the Battle of Okinawa when the fighting ended in June 1945, just weeks before Japan's surrender in World War II. Spared from having to make the desperate attack, Toriya, then a corporal in the Imperial Japanese Army, was later detained in Siberia after the war.

According to Philippines News Agency, Toriya, now 98 and residing in Saga, Japan, reflects on the heavy toll of war and his survival. He recalled sharing honest thoughts with fellow pilots who had received suicide attack orders, admitting, "We don't want to die." At 16, he joined the Tachiarai army flight school and underwent rigorous training in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria, now northeastern China. By spring 1945, as the Battle of Okinawa raged, he was stationed in Siping, Manchuria, assigned to a unit designated for suicide attacks.

Despite his flying confidence, Toriya regretted enlisting, knowing the danger of carrying explosives would make him vulnerable. Forced to write a farewell letter to his parents, he submitted a blank sheet with hair and nail clippings, unable to express his true feelings due to censorship. "It's true that some men volunteered," Toriya said, "but for most, the honest feeling was that we didn't want to go, we didn't want to die."

When the Battle of Okinawa ended, his mission was canceled. Though relieved, he remembered a comrade who had already departed, calling back, "Don't come." His unit later moved to southern Manchuria, learning of the war's end. Detained in Siberia, soldiers faced harsh conditions, with many dying from malnutrition and extreme cold.

Returning to Japan in 1947, Toriya witnessed scenes that brought tears of relief but also remembered those who perished before returning home. Refusing his military pension, he distanced himself from the conflict but began sharing his experiences after a comrade's death 10 years ago. Despite an injury affecting his hearing, Toriya continues to demonstrate flight procedures and shares his story to ensure the war's realities are not forgotten.