was an

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

fighter pilot in the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

during World War II. Participating in many of the Pacific War battles and campaigns as a member of several units, Sasakibara was officially credited with destroying 12 enemy aircraft. He was seriously injured while supporting the '' Ke'' operation during the Guadalcanal Campaign, but survived after a lengthy stay in the hospital. He returned to Japan in June 1945 and survived the war.

References

* * 1921 births 2005 deaths Japanese naval aviators Japanese World War II flying aces Military personnel from Aomori Prefecture Imperial Japanese Navy officers {{World-War-II-bio-stub