WWII aircraft bunkers in west Japan city once hated by locals now ‘a fortress of peace’ – The Mainichi

"The shelters were nothing but objects of hatred," Fujimoto recalled thinking. To build the airfield, 263 houses and about 1,500 villagers were forced to relocate, and Mishima Village disappeared. "Shiragiku" training aircraft belonging to the Kochi naval air corps were incorporated into the kamikaze suicide attack units, and 52 youngsters lost their lives.

"When we, the generation who knows the war, are gone, these shelters will have to speak for us. I want them to be preserved for future generations as a fortress of peace," Fujimoto said.