Akune: A World War II fighter aircraft of the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Navy was recovered last month, 81 years after sinking into the ocean off Akune, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

According to Philippines News Agency, a Kagoshima nonprofit organization leading the project to salvage the Shiden Kai aircraft wreck is working to establish a facility for a permanent exhibit of the aircraft, which was downed in the late stages of the war. "We hope that (the aircraft) will give those who experienced the war and those who did not an opportunity to think about peace based on their own values," an official of the NPO stated.

Developed as a state-of-the-art successor to the AM6 Zero fighter in the later stages of the war, the Shiden Kai was known for its high combat power and maneuverability, equipped with four 20mm machine guns. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force describes it as "the best fighter used in significant numbers" by Japan during the war and "a formidable opponent in the closing months of the war."

Despite its capabilities, the Shiden Kai was regarded in Japan as an "unfortunate" aircraft because its introduction came near the end of the war and was insufficient to alter Japan's fate. Approximately 400 units were manufactured, but most were destroyed by Allied forces after the war. Besides the recently salvaged unit, only one Shiden Kai is known to survive in Japan today, displayed at a facility in Ainan, a town in the western prefecture of Ehime.

The NPO, in collaboration with others, discovered that Yoshishige Hayashi, who belonged to a squadron based at an Imperial Navy air base in Matsuyama, piloted the recovered aircraft. On April 21, 1945, Hayashi's aircraft was hit while engaging a U.S. aircraft over northern Kagoshima, resulting in his death during combat.

Eisuke Himoto, the head of the NPO, learned a few years ago from a local antique dealer about the existence of the aircraft off the Wakimoto coast in Akune. Despite initial skepticism, his group conducted four underwater surveys, confirming the presence of two machine guns typical of the Shiden Kai on a wing of the submerged aircraft.

The group raised about 8 million yen in donations between 2024 and 2025, appealing to the public for funds to recover the sunken fighter and receiving support from bereaved families of squadron members. "I was encouraged, although I had doubts over whether we could (salvage the fighter)," Himoto said.

The primary challenge was the weight of the sunken Shiden Kai, about 9 tons due to approximately 5 tons of sand that had flowed into the aircraft while submerged. On April 8 this year, the group spent about six hours extracting the Shiden Kai from the water, with divers providing instructions to maintain the aircraft's balance. "I was so moved that I couldn't say anything," Himoto remarked. "It was as if the aircraft was flying through air (during the salvage process)."

The NPO plans to build a museum at the site of an Imperial Navy air base, from which around 200 people embarked on suicide attack missions during the war. The salvaged aircraft is set to be displayed at the facility by year-end. "I hope visitors will look at the aircraft and think about wars, humans, sacrifice and the love for family," Himoto expressed.