We were treated as 'war expendables' by Imperial Japan

Mita also mentioned other tactics, including crashing aircraft or ships into the enemy's warships. "Nobody intended to return alive. More than 70 percent of those apprentices who were one or two years older than me all died in the battlefield."

People were required to offer themselves "courageously to the state," and the ultimate offering was to give up one's life. Even today Mita could not agree with this kind of belief. "It's easy for those high-ranking military officers to talk about death in the abstract, because they themselves did not know the taste of death at all. But for us, the fear of death is real."

In 1978, the Yasukuni Shrine enshrined 14 Class-A war criminals along with other deceased veterans. As for this move, Mita expressed his strong opposition. "Those Class-A war criminals are the culprits for the numerous deaths and the country's destruction. However, they are now enshrined in the same place with innocent souls, that's ridiculous."

After Japan's surrender, Mita experienced a tough time. He used to sell old books, repair electric appliances and even polish shoes for the U.S. soldiers. "Though hard, I was happy because there's hope. During the war period, I felt every sound of the clock ticking away towards my death."

Mita firmly believed that Japan's defeat was a good thing. " Without the total defeat, the free and pacifist era would never arrive."

Looking into the future, Mita said the incumbent government should learn a lesson from history and never allow the historical tragedy to be repeated especially as this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.

"Japan's militarism and authoritarianism is reviving under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration in recent years," Mita said. "People with different opinions are regarded as traitors, which is similar to the pre-war period."

Mita believed that it is dangerous and may drive the country mad in the future. "We must maintain keen vigilance at all time to prevent Japan from becoming involved in war again."