Page 280 - Islam and Far Eastern Religions
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                 As the Japanese victories in Asia at the outset of the war continued, they
                carried out countless suicide attacks against American ships using the jet
                 planes they produced. They called these Kamikaze (Divine Wind). Very of-
                   ten, insufficient fuel was placed in the planes to allow them to return to
                base after attacking the enemy, and thus prevent their troops avoiding car-
                   rying out such suicide attacks. The 3913 kamikaze pilots who died were
                      young men aged 17-24."Kamikaze, Absolute Insanity - Origins of the
                             Kamikaze", (http://www.bridgewater.edu/~dhuffman/soc306/
               sp02grp1/origin.html) As in the example of the kamikaze pilots, Shinto belief
                           is capable of portraying suicide as a virtue and a sacred duty.



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