List of World War II aces from Japan

This is a list of fighter aces in World War II from Japan, as officially credited by the Imperial Japanese government. For other countries see List of World War II aces by country. IJN = Imperial Japanese Navy. IJA = Imperial Japanese Army. KIA = killed in action.

Contents :

• Top
• 0–9
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

A

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Kenichi Abe	10 (five jointly)		IJN; survived World War II.[1]
Takahide Aioi	10		IJN; Five of the victories came in the Second Sino-Japan War; survived World War II.[2]
Sadaaki Akamatsu	27		IJN; Eleven of the victories came in the Second Sino-Japan War; survived World War II[3]
Satoru Anabuki	39		IJA; survived World War II[4]
Katsumi Anma (安間 克巳)	27		IJA, KIA 8 April 1942
Yoshitugu Aramaki (荒蒔 義次)	5		IJA
Yoshisuke Arita (有田 義助)	5		IJN
Mitsuzo Asai	7		IJA
Jiro Asano (浅野 二郎)	10		IJA
Tomita Atake (阿武 富太)	10		IJN

B

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Takeo Banno (阪野 隆雄)	10		IJN, KIA 7 October 1943
Kisaji Beppu	5		IJA, KIA 7.2.1942

C

• Jirō Chōno

E

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Yuichi Ema (江馬 友一)	6		IJN, KIA 29 October 1944
Masuaki Endo (遠藤 桝秋)	14		IJN, KIA 7 June 1943
Sachio Endo (遠藤 幸男)	8		IJN, KIA 14 January 1945
Toyoki Eto (江藤 豊樹)	12 and 1 shared destroyed, 4 probably destroyed.		IJA

F

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Iyozo Fujita (藤田怡与蔵)	11 (42?)		IJN
Kihei Fujiwara (藤原 喜平)	5		IJN
Sumio Fukuda (福田 澄夫)	11		IJN, KIA 24 October 1944
Yoshio Fukui	11, 4 probable		IJN
Shigeo Fukumoto (福本 繁夫)	72		IJN
Yonesuke Fukuyama	7		IJA
Goro Furugori (古郡 吾郎)	25 +		IJA, KIA 3 November 1944
Haruyoshi Furukawa (古河 春義)	5 +		IJA

G

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Hiroshi Gomi	7		IJA
Kurakazu Goto	8		IJN, KIA 9 September 1943

H

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Matsuo Hagiri (羽切 松雄)	13		IJN
Tomio Hanada (花田 富男)	25		IJA
Watari Handa	7		IJN
Iwataro Hazawa (羽沢 岩太郎)	15		IJA, KIA 14 January 1945
Kaname Harada (原田要)[5]	9		IJN
Kichigoro Haraguchi (原口 吉五郎)	24		IJA
Yoshiro Hashiguchi (橋口 嘉郎)	10		IJN, KIA 25 October 1944
Kazuo Hattori (服部 一夫)	10		IJN, KIA 10 March 1944
Sakuji Hayashi (林 作次)	6		IJN, KIA 28 May 1945
Takeomi Hayashi (林 武臣)	7		IJA
Yoshishige Hayashi (林 喜重)	5		IJN, KIA 21 April 1945
Nobuji Negishi (根岸 延次)	6		IJA
Hatsuo Hidaka	6		IJN
Yoshimi Hidaka (日高 義巳)	20		KIA 7.6.1943 IJN
Ichiro Higashiyama (東山 市郎)	9		IJN
Yohei Hinoki (ja:檜與平)	12		Died 1991 IJA
Tomio Hirohata (広畑 富男)	14		IJA, 22 April 1945
Yoshio Hirose (広瀬 吉雄)	7		IJA, 22 December 1944
Minoru Honda (本田 稔)	17		IJN
Toshiaki Honda (本田 敏秋)	5 +		IJN, 13 May 1942
Mitsuo Hori (堀 光雄)	11		IJN
Isamu Hosono (細野 勇)	26		IJA, 6 October 1943

I

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Chuichi Ichikawa (市川 忠一)	10 +		KIFA September 1954 IJA
Matao Ichioka (市岡 又夫)	11		IJN
Fusata Iida (飯田 房太)	7		Crashed after being hit at Pearl Harbour IJN
Masao Iizuka (飯塚 雅夫)	8		IJN
Shigeo Iizuka ?
Tomesaku Igarashi (五十嵐 留作)	~20		KIA 17.6.1944 IJA
Fumisuke Ikuno (生野 文介)	6		IJA
Hideaki Inayama (稲山 英明)	5 +		IJA
Misao Inoue (井上 操)	16		KIFA 15.12.1944. IJA
Teigo Ishida (石田 真吾)	9		KIA 16.5.1945 IJN
Susumu Ishihara (石原 進)	16		IJN
Shizuo Ishii (石井 静夫)	29		IJN
Isamu Ishii (石井 勇)	10		IJN
Seiji Ishikawa (石川 清治)	5		IJN
Tadashi Ishikawa (石川 正)	5		IJA
Kanshi Ishikawa (石川 寛志)	19		IJA
Chitoshi Isozaki	12		IJA
Ishizuka Tokuyasu	15		IJA
Kiyoshi Ito (伊藤 清)	18 & 14 damaged		IJN
Fujitaro Ito (伊藤 藤太郎)	13 +		IJA
Naoyuki Ito (伊藤 直之)	8		Died 2010 IJA
Susumu Ito	5		IJN
Tsutomu Iwai (岩井 勉)	11		IJN
Yoshio Iwaki (岩城 芳雄)	8		IJN
Tetsuzo Iwamoto	80 +		IJN
Iwahashi Jozo	20+		KIA 23.4.1944
Hideo Izumi (和泉 秀雄)	9		KIA 30.5.1942, IJN

J

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Ryotaro Jobo (ja:上坊良太郎)	30		Died 2012

K

• Susumu Kajinami || 24 ||(KIA 7/08/44)
• Enji Kakimoto || 5 || POW 27.8.1942, Suicide 5.8.1944
• Morichiki Kamae || 32 ||
• Teizo Kanamaru || 8 || KIA 24.12.1942
• Keishu Kamihara
• Sumi Kamito || 40+ ||(KIA 4?02/45)
• Moritsugu Kanai
• Takeo Kanamaru || 12 || ||(KIA 29/11/44)
• Nobuo Kanazawa || 10 ||
• Masao Kanbara || 7 ||
• Saiji Kanda || 9 || KIA 19.6.1943
• Masashi Kaneko
• Tadashi Kaneko || 8 (3 in China) || || KIA 14.2.1942
• Naoshi Kanno (ja:菅野直)
• Saiji Kani || 9 || KIA 29.6.1939
• Naoshi Kano || 25 || || KIA 1.8.1945
• Saiji Kani || 9 || KIA 29.6.1939

probably Naoshi Kanno-->

• Tomkazu Kasai || 10 ||
• Isamu Kashiide || 7+2 in China ||"Bukusho B-Class" (Badge of Courage) (ja:樫出勇)
• Shirotaro Kashima || 9 || KIA 16.12.1944
• Kanichi Kashimura || 12 || Order of the Golden Kite 5th Class || KIA 6.3.1943
• Katsue Kato || 9 || KIA 16.4.1945
• Kenji Kato || 9 || KIA 5.12.1944
• Kunimichi Kato || 16 || || IJN
• Tateo Katō || 18 || Order of the Golden Kite (Posthumously) || KIA 22.5.1942 (加藤建夫)
• Kiyomi Katsuki || 16 ||
• Kosuke Kawahara || 8+1 shared || || KIA 25.3.1938
• Akira Kawakita || 5 || KIA 26.10.1944
• Koki Kawamoto || 8 || "Bukuchosho" (Badge of Military Merit)
• Masajiro Kawamoto
• Masajiro Kawato || 18 || ||
• Tetsuo Kikuchi || 12 || KIA 19.6.1944
• Takaji Kimura || 26 ||
• Sadamitsu Kimura || 8 || "Bukochosho" (Badge of Military Merit) || KIA 17.4.1945
• Katsuaki Kira || 13+9 in China
• Saburo Kitahata || 6+4 in China || || KIA 23.1.1943
• Teruhiko Kobayashi || 14 (or 5) || "Bukosho" || KIFA 4/6/1957
• Hohei Kobayashi || 10 || KIA 25.1.1944
• Yoshinao Kodaira || 9+2 in China || || Died in 2008
• Sada Koga || 31 ||
• Kiyoto Koga || 13 || KIFA 1938
• Fujikazu Koizumi || 11+3 in China || KIA 27.1.1944
• Shizuo Kojima || 6 ||
• Takeichi Kokubun || 11 || ||(KIA 28/06/44)
• Sadamu Komachi || 18 || Died 15.7.2012
• Masaichi Kondō || 13 ||
• Kensui Kono || 9 ||
• Kotaro Koyae || 15 ||
• Osamu Kudō || 7 ||
• Juzo Kuramoto || 5+4 in China || KIA 11.10.1942
• Shiro Kuratori || 6 ||
• Yasuhiko Kuroe (ja:黒江保彦) || 49+2 in China
• Toshio Kuroiwa || 13 ||
• Tameyoshi Kuroki || 16 ||
• Seiichi Kurosawa || 10 ||(KIA 9/06/45)
• Yoshiro Kuwabara || 13 || KIA 14.3.1944

M

• Hideo Maeda || 13 || KIA 17.2.1944
• Koichi Magara || 8 || KIA 14.9.1942
• Akio Matsuba || 16+2 in China ||
• Jiro Matsuda || 7+2 in China
• Masao Masuyama |||| 17 ||
• Morio Matsui || 21 || || (KIA 18/05/44)
• Susumu Matsuki || 6, 2 probable, 3 shared ||
• Momoto Matsumura || 13 || || KIA 25.8.1944
• Hidenori Matsunaga || 16 || KIA 23.4.1945
• Eitoku Matsunaga || 16 ||
• Hidenori Matsunaga (KIA 23/4/45)
• Kagemitsu Matsuo || 10 || KIA 23.12.1943
• Toshio Matsuura || 5+10 in China || KIA 2.12.1943
• Yoshimi Minami || 6+9 in China || KIA in Kamikaze attack 25.11.1944
• Yoshijiro Minegishi || 6+3 in China || KIA 6.2.1944
• Masoa Miyamaru ?
• Goro Miyamoto || 26 ||
• Zenjiro Miyano || 16 || KIA 16.6.1943
• Masahiro Mitsuda || 16 ||
• Kazunori Miyabe || 6 || KIA 3.11.1943
• Hideo Miyabe || 12 ||
• Isamu Miyazaki || 13 || Died 2012
• Gitaro Miyazaki || 11+2 in China || KIA 1.6.1942
• Isamu Mochizuki || 7 || KIA Feb 1944 in ground actions
• Mitsugu Mori || 5+4 in China || Died 1960
• Hideo Morinio || 8+1 in China
• Yutaka Morioka || 5 ||
• Toyoo Moriura || 8 || KIA 25.10.1942
• Noboru Mune || 14 || (KIA 19.11.1944)
• Kazuo Muranaka || 7+1 in China
• Kaneyoshi "Kinsuke" Muto || 23+5 in China ||(ja:武藤金義)

N

• Kiichi Nagano || 19 || KIA 6.11.1944
• Yoshimitsu Naka || 5 ||(KIA 419/08/44)
• Yoshihiko Nakada || 45 || KIA 9.11.1943
• Kenji Nakagawa || 8 ||
• Tadashi Nakajima (75)
• Bunkichi Nakajima || 16 || KIA 6.10.1943
• Kunimori Nakakariya || 16 ||
• Wataru Nakamichi || 15 ||
• Saburo Nakamura || 20 || (KIA 6/10/44)
• Yoshio Nakamura || 9 ||
• Matsumi Nakano || 5 || "Bukuchosho" (Badge for Military Merit)
• Katsujiro Nakano || 7 || KIA 4.5.1945
• Tomoji Nakano || 7 ||
• Masayuki Nakase || 18+9 in China || (KIA 1/01/45)
• Yoshiichi Nakaya || 16 ||
• Shigeru Nakazaki || 16 || KIA 23.1.1943
• Kiyoshi Namai || 16 ||
• Mochifumi Nangō || 8 || KIA 18/7/1938
• Shigeo Nango || 15 || KIA 25/1/1944
• Yashiro Nashiguchi || 11 ||
• Nobuji Negishi 6+7 damaged (all B-29) || (KIA 22/04/45)
• ? Nishikyo || 5 ||
• Hannoshin Nishio || 5 ||
• Shigetsune Nishioka || 8 || KIA 28/10/1944
• Masaharu Nishiwaki || 5 || (KIA 8/12/44)
• Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (西沢広義) 36, 2 damaged, 49 shared || (Deliberately crashed on USS Suwanee 26/10/44)
• Yoshinori Noguchi || 6 || KIA 25/10/1944
• Takeshi Noguchi || 14 ||
• Akiyoshi Nomura || 10 ||

O

• Tsutae Obara || 8 || KIA 25/7/1945
• Kiichi (Ki-ichi) Oda || 5+4 in China || KIA 10/12/1944
• Noritsura Odaka || 12 ||
• Yojiro Ofusa || 19 ||
• Koichi Ogata || 7 || (KIA 8/08/44)
• Naoyuki Ogata || 5 || "Bukochosho" (Badge for Military Merit)
• Makoto Ogawa || 9 (7 x B-29s) || "Bukuchosho"
• Nobuo Ogiya (ja:荻谷信男) || 24 || KIA 13/2/1944
• Mitsuo Ogura || 16 ||
• Ryoji Ohara || 16 (48?) ||
• Hideo Oishi || 6 ||
• Yoshio Oishi || 15 || (KIA 12/12/44)
• Kenji Okabe || 15 || KIA September 1943
• Takashi Okamoto || 6 ||
• Juzo Okamoto || 5+4 in China || KIA 11/10/1942
• Hiroshi Okano || 19 ||
• Yoshio Oki || 13+4 in China || (16/06/43)
• Misao Okubu || 8 ||
• Takeo Okumura || 50+4 in China || "Ceremonial Sword" || KIA 22/9/1943
• Shokichi Omori || 9 ||
• Shigetaka Ōmori || 13 || KIA 25/10/1942
• Hiroshi Onazaki || 14 ||(6/09/45)
• Akira Onozaki || 28 ||
• Megumu Ono || 15 || KIFA 1/2/1940
• Satoru Ono|| 5+3 in China || Died 2001
• Takeyoshi Ono || 8 || KIA 30/6/1943
• Takashi Oshibuchi || 6 ||
• Toshio Ota (Devil of Rabaul) || 34 || KIA 21/10/1942 (太田敏夫)
• Kyushiro Otake || 15 || DOW in 1951
• Nakakazu Ozaki (ja:尾崎中和) || 19, 12-14 damaged || KIA 27/12/1943
• Yukiharu Ozeki || 14+ || KIA 24/10/1944

R

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Shinobu Terada	8

S

• Shogo Saito || 26 || (KIA 2/07/44)
• Chiyoshi Saito || 7 || KIA 2/7/1943
• Saburo Saito || 18 ||
• Toshio Sakagawa || 49 || KIFA 19/12/1944
• Saburō Sakai (ja:坂井三郎) || 28 or 62+2 in China || Died 22/9/2000
• Iori Sakai || 9 ||
• Takao Sakano || 10 ||
• Junichi Sasai (ja:笹井醇一) || 27 or 54? || KIA 26/8/1942 "Richthofen of Rabaul"
• Tomokazu Sasai || 10 ||
• Yoshiichi Sasaki || 6 ||
• Isamu Sasaki || 38 || "Buchukosho"
• Masao Sasakibara || 12 ||
• Hitoshi Sato || 8 || KIA 11/11/1943
• Gonnoshin Sato ||5 ||(KIA 11/04/45)
• Mitsugu Sawada || 12, 1 shared || KIA 5/3/1943
• Eiji Seino || 15 ||
• Hiroshi Sekiguchi || 7+1 shared ||
• Kiyoshi Sekiya || 11 || (KIA 24/06/44)
• Hiroshi Shibagaki || 13 || KIA 22/1/1944
• |Rikio (Rikia) Shibata || 13+14 in China || 18/12/1944
• Sekizen Shibayama || 13 ||
• Shigeru Shibukawa || 15 ||
• Yoshio Shiga || 6 ||
• Masami Shiga || 6 ||
• Yasuhiro Shigematsu || 10 || KIA 8/7/1944
• |Katsuma Shigemi || 8 || KIA 4/2/1943
• Kenji Shimada || 27 || MIA 15/9/1939
• Masaaki Shimakawa || 8, 12 shared || Died 25/9/1997
• Kiyoshi Shimizu || 12 ||(KIA 26/01/45)
• Kazuo Shimizu || 18 ||
• Takeshi Shimizu || 9 ||
• Yukio Shimokawa || 19 ||
• Hiromichi Shinohara (ja:篠原弘道) || 58 || KIA 27/8/1939
• Toshio Shiozura || 20 ||
• Yoshijiro Shirahama || 11 ||
• Nagao Shirai || 13 (including 11 x B-29) ||
• Toshihisa Shirakawa || 9 || KIA 22/9/1943
• Ayao Shirane
• Naoharu Shiromoto
• Hironojo Shishimoto
• Tadashi Shono
• Tokuya Sudo
• Toshiyuki Sueda
• Kazuo Sugino (ja:杉野計雄)
• Shigeo Sugio
• Shoichi Sugita (ja:杉田庄一)
• Teruo Sugiyama
• Motonari Suho
• Tadao Sumi
• Goichi Sumino
• Minoru Suzuki
• Hiroshi Suzuki
• Kiyonobu Suzuki

T

• Shigeru Takahashi
• Kenichi Takahashi
• Katsutaro Takahashi
• Takeo Takahashi
• Kaoru Takaiwa
• Keiji Takamiya (KIA 5/08/44)
• Toraichi Takatsuka
• Shogo Takeuchi
• Hiroshi Takiguchi (KIA 8/09/44)
• Kuniyoshi Tanaka
• Minpo Tanaka
• Jiro Tanaka
• Shinsaku Tanaka
• Masao Taniguchi
• Takeo Tanimizu (谷水竹雄)
• Mitsuyoshi Tarui(KIA 6/02/45)
• Tadao Tashiro
• Nobuo Tokushige
• Yoshihisa Tokuji
• Kosuke Tsubone
• Ko Tsuchiya
• Kazuo Tsunoda

U

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Minoru UCHIDA	10
Sadao UEHARA	13
Kazushi 'Popo' UTO (ja:羽藤一志)	19		KIA 13 September 1942

W

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Yoshio WAJIMA	11		KIA 23 February 1944
Yukiyoshi WAKAMATSU (ja:若松幸禧)	20		KIA 18 December 1944
Hideo WATANABE	16
WATANABE	6

Y

Name	Kills	Awards	Notes
Bunichi YAMAGUCHI	19
Sadao YAMAGUCHI	12		KIA 4 July 1944
Fumikazu YAMAGUSHI	19
Akira Yamamoto	12		KIA 24 November 1944
Ichirō Yamamoto	11		KIA 19 January 1944
Tomezo YAMAMOTO	11		KIA 24 June 1944
Tadao YAMANAKA	9
Koshiro YAMASHITA	11+ 1 shared+ 1 probable	KIA 30/3/1944
Sahei YAMASHITA	13		KIA 9 February 1943
Mitsuo YAMATO	8
Ichirobei YAMAZAKI	14		KIA 4 July 1943
Kenji YANAGIYA	8
Shigeru YANO	8		KIA 17 April 1942
Kozaburo YASUI	11		KIA 19 June 1944
Tamotsu YOKOYAMA (横山保)	5
Shokichi YONEKAWA
Tadayoshi YONEKAWA	6		KIFA
Katsuyoshi YOSHIDA	10
Mototsuna YOSHIDA	14		KIA 7 August 1942
Yoshio Yoshida	7
Hiroji YOSHIHARA	8
Keisaku YOSHIMURA	10		KIA 25 October 1942
Satoshi YOSHINO	15		KIA 9 June 1942
Yoshitaro YOSHIOKA	6
Tokushige YOSHIZAWA	9		KIA 6 January 1945
Yoshito YASUDA
Kozaburo YASUI

Abbreviations

• "KIA" in Notes means Killed in action (dates are included where possible).
• "KIFA" in Notes means Killed in Flying Accident.
• "MIA" in Notes means Missing in action.
• "WIA" in Notes means Wounded in action leading to death which, in some cases, may have occurred months later.
• "POW" in Notes means Prisoner of War.

Notes

1. Hata, p. 331
2. Hata, p. 339
3. Hata, p. 252; Sakaida, pp. 176–178.
4. Sakaida, pp. 34–35.
5. Kakesako, Gregg, K., "Zero Ace Recalls Missions Over Midway, Pearl Harbor", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 5, 2010.

References

• Hata, Ikuhiko; Yasuho Izawa (1975 (original) 1989 (translation)). Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II. Translated by Don Cyril Gorham. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-315-6. Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Sakaida, Henry (2002). Aces of the Rising Sun, 1937–1945. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-618-6.
• King, Dan (2012). The Last Zero Fighter, Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Fighter Pilots. California: Pacific Press. ISBN 978-1468178807.