was an officer and

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, including the fighter units of the aircraft carriers ''Shōkaku'' and ''Chiyoda'', Kodaira was officially credited with destroying 13 enemy aircraft. After the war, he served with the

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warf ...

. In 2008, Tsubasa-kai ("Wings Association"), the veterans' organization of the JASDF, reported his death on its website.

References

* * 1918 births 2008 deaths Japan Air Self-Defense Force personnel Japanese naval aviators Japanese World War II flying aces Military personnel from Nagano Prefecture Imperial Japanese Navy officers {{Japan-mil-bio-stub