Why did the Japanese use kamikazes despite the tragic waste of human life?
They didn’t see it as a tragic waste of human life. It’s a different culture. They were conditioned to believe the emperor is a living god and you must sacrifice yourself for him. Similarly, civilians in Okinawa were given grenades and told to blow themselves up rather than be captured. Okinawans don’t worship the emperor but were brainwashed nonetheless how brutal the Americans would be if captured, plus if you’re found alive the Japanese soldiers would probably kill you anyway since you couldn’t do it yourself. Kamikazes weren’t until the end of WW2 during desperate times and desperate times call for desperate measures. Self sacrifice in this way fit the existing culture so it was exploited.
