With 2024 marking the 80th anniversary of the first mission of the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military's suicide attack units during World War II, a Tokyo-based group has begun posting information about the units on Instagram as a way for young people to learn more about them.
The public interest group was established in order to hold memorials for deceased members of the units and to pass down their stories to a new generation.
According to the group, Japan conducted the first proper organized suicide attack in the Philippines on Oct. 25, 1944, and such attacks continued until the end of the war on Aug. 15, 1945. The suicide attacks cost 2,225 soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and 4,146 troops of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The group initially used Facebook and X to share information about the suicide attack units, but it was not enough to reach young people and there was growing concern that the units might be forgotten.
The group then began posting on Instagram this year to reach more young people and raise their awareness of wartime history. Since launching its Instagram account in mid-January, it has gained about 160 followers, mainly men in their 30s to 50s, but also some young women.
On its Instagram account, the group posts photos of cenotaphs and memorial ceremonies across the country, explains the history of the suicide attack units, and shares poems left behind by young soldiers involved in suicide attacks.
"We hope to pass on what they thought and how they looked to future generations through social media," Sonoi Oho, 62, a senior official of the group, said.