Diary left by Japan aviator killed in WWII reveals his true self to sister 81 years later

An 81-year-old woman from Oita, Japan, discovered through a museum exhibition that her deceased brother, Chushi Kikukawa, was a young army aviator who fought in World War II before her birth. Kikukawa joined the Tokyo Army Aviation School in 1939 and was assigned to an air unit in Northeastern China in 1942. He participated in combat against U.S. air units during the war, which turned after Japan's defeat at the Battle of Midway in June 1942.

Kikukawa kept a detailed diary for 407 days until his death on February 11, 1944. In his writings, he revealed his tense state of mind and admitted he was not afraid to die. Among Kikukawa's belongings was a newspaper clipping about the Kikusui banner emblem, which he painted on the tail of his aircraft. The exhibition, titled "Oita: Memories of War -- Voices from the Battlefield Conveyed by Diaries and Letters," displayed Kikukawa's diaries and notebooks, providing insight into his personal life and emotions.

Kikukawa's sister, Chiyuki Tozawa, an 81-year-old resident of Beppu, Oita Prefecture, attended the exhibition and recognized her deceased brother from a photograph displayed at the museum. She learned that her mother had once told her that Kikukawa had been reborn as a girl to avoid going to war. The exhibition offered Tozawa a chance to learn about her brother's youthful side, including his feelings of romance and the opportunity to admire the moon at night.