Saburo Sakai

In this Japanese name, the family name is Sakai.

Saburo Sakai (Japanese: 坂井三郎, Sakai Saburō, August 25, 1916 – September 22, 2000) was a Japanese naval pilot and fighter ace ("Gekitsui-O") of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was the 4th best Japanese pilot by number of enemy aircraft he shot down. He survived the war, and became a famous figure for his criticism of the War and the government of the Japanese Empire. He became a pacifist and a Buddhist and promised that he would never again kill another living thing, even a mosquito. Only months before his death, Sakai told reporters that he still prayed for the souls of the Chinese, American, Australian and Dutch pilots he had killed. He also helped Microsoft design the popular computer game Combat Flight Simulator 2.

Sakai claims he shot down 64 enemy airplanes. He shot down a B-32 Dominator on the last day of the war.

Other websites

• The Last Samurai Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
• "Saburo Sakai passed away September 22, 2000" Archived May 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
• Memorial To Saburo Sakai Archived 2006-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
• Copy of Sakai's New York Times Obituary Archived 2006-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
• Excerpt from Samurai Archived 2008-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
• WarbirdForum: An afternoon with Saburo Sakai
• Sakai's Mercy over Java Archived 2006-07-15 at the Wayback Machine
• Interview with Sakai during the production of "Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2"
• "A new-found friend, the man who killed my father" Archived 2013-05-30 at the Wayback Machine
• PBS: Secrets of the Dead Archived 2013-03-30 at the Wayback Machine