真珠湾攻撃で戦死したゼロ戦パイロットが、日米友好の証しとなった。
飯田房太中佐
12月27日午前（日本時間28日朝）、真珠湾攻撃の犠牲者を慰霊した安倍首相は所感表明の中で、旧日本海軍の飯田房太中佐について触れた。前日、ホノルル市内のカネオヘ海兵隊基地を訪問して、飯田中佐の記念碑に献花し、黙祷を捧げたことを受けて次のように語った。
昨日私は、カネオへの海兵隊基地に、一人の日本帝国海軍士官の碑（いしぶみ）を訪れました。その人物とは、真珠湾攻撃中に被弾し、母艦に帰るのをあきらめ、引き返し戦死した戦闘機パイロット、飯田房太中佐です。彼の墜落地点に碑を建てたのは、日本人ではありません。攻撃を受けた側にいた米軍の人々です。
死者の勇気を称え、石碑を建ててくれた。碑には、祖国のため命を捧げた軍人への敬意を込め「日本帝国海軍大尉」と当時の階級を刻んであります。
The brave respect the brave.
「勇者は、勇者を敬う」
アンブローズ・ビアスの詩（うた）は言います。戦い合った敵であっても敬意を表する。憎しみ合った敵であっても、理解しようとする。そこにあるのは、アメリカ国民の寛容の心です。
飯田房太中佐は安倍首相と同じく山口県の出身。真珠湾に向かって空母「蒼龍」から出撃した零式艦上戦闘機（ゼロ戦）のパイロットだった。真珠湾攻撃後に被弾して燃料切れとなりながら、同基地に突入して戦死した。28歳の若さだった。
飯田中佐の勇敢さを讃えたアメリカ軍が、真珠湾攻撃から30年目の1971年にカネオヘ海兵隊基地内に記念碑を建立した。現在も米海兵隊により維持・管理され、1981年以降は毎年法要が行われている。産経WESTは以下のように報じている。
昭和１６年１２月８日、零式艦上戦闘機の搭乗員だった飯田中佐は、空母「蒼龍」から出撃し真珠湾攻撃に参加。米基地を攻撃中に燃料タンクに被弾し、帰投できないとして基地の格納庫めがけ突っ込み戦死した。享年２８。攻撃参加時は大尉だったが、戦死後に２階級特進し中佐となった。米海軍も軍人として最後まで向かってきた飯田中佐をたたえ、遺体を基地内に埋葬。４６年には記念碑を建立し、今も海兵隊が維持・管理している。
（産経WEST「零戦で戦死、飯田中佐の記念碑慰霊 『喜んでいる』遺族、感慨深く」2016/12/28 06:30）
■関連スライドショー（真珠湾攻撃）
真珠湾攻撃
真珠湾攻撃(01 of45)
（資料写真）１９４１年１２月７日（日本時間１２月８日）、ハワイ真珠湾軍港で日本海軍航空部隊の奇襲攻撃を浴びて炎上する米太平洋艦隊の戦艦群。手前はウェストバージニア。同艦は沈没・着底したが、その後浮揚・修理されて戦列に復帰。この攻撃で戦艦８隻が撃沈破されたが、ウェストバージニアを含む６隻は修理後いずれも戦列に復帰している（アメリカ・真珠湾） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(02 of45)
（資料写真）１９４０年、日本海軍連合艦隊司令長官時代の山本五十六海軍大将。１９４１年１２月７日（日本時間１２月８日）、太平洋戦争劈頭〔へきとう）のハワイ所在の米海軍真珠湾軍港奇襲攻撃を立案し、指揮下機動部隊を訓練してこれを実行させた（アメリカ・ワシントン） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(03 of45)
１９４０年、ハワイ真珠湾軍港から出航する米海軍戦艦アリゾナ。太平洋戦争劈頭（へきとう）１９４１年１２月７日（日本時間１２月８日）、同軍港で日本海軍航空部隊の奇襲攻撃によって撃沈され、浮揚・修理もされないまま、放棄された。戦後沈没艦体の上に記念館が作られ、公開されている（アメリカ・ホノルル） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(04 of45)
（資料写真）１９４１年１２月７日（日本時間１２月８日）、ハワイ真珠湾軍港で日本海軍航空部隊の奇襲攻撃を浴び、炎上する米太平洋艦隊の戦艦群。停泊中の戦艦８隻が撃沈破されたが、うち６隻は浮上・修理され、戦列に復帰した（アメリカ・真珠湾） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(05 of45)
（資料写真）１９４１年１２月７日（日本時間１２月８日）、日本海軍機動部隊から発進した航空部隊の奇襲攻撃を浴び、撃破されたホノルルの米陸軍ヒッカム飛行場のＢ１７重爆撃機（アメリカ・ホノルル） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(06 of45)
（米海軍史料センター提供）１９４１年１２月７日早朝（現地時間）、日本海軍航空部隊の奇襲攻撃による爆撃で前部火薬庫が爆発、沈没・着底して炎上する米太平洋艦隊戦艦アリゾナ。乗組員１１７７人が戦死した。戦後も大破したまま保存され、記念館が設けられた（アメリカ・真珠湾） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(07 of45)
日本海軍が行った航空攻撃で炎上するアメリカ海軍艦隊。日本時間1941年12月8日未明（ハワイ時間12月7日）ハワイオアフ島真珠湾[にあったアメリカの太平洋艦隊、基地を攻撃。これにより、アジア・太平洋を含む地球規模の戦争へと拡大した（アメリカ・ハワイ） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(08 of45)
日本軍による真珠湾奇襲攻撃を受け、炎上しながら沈没する米海軍戦艦「アリゾナ」（アメリカ・パールハーバー）＝米海軍提供＝ (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(09 of45)
本海軍機動部隊から発進した航空部隊の奇襲攻撃を受けつつある米ハワイ諸島オアフ島真珠湾内にあるフォード島基地。手前は水上機、飛行艇基地。爆発あるいは炎上しているのは艦船群（アメリカ・ハワイ） (credit:AFP＝時事)
真珠湾攻撃(10 of45)
１９４１年１２月７日、日本海軍航空部隊の奇襲攻撃を受け、ハワイ・オアフ島の真珠湾軍港で炎上する米戦艦群（アメリカ・オフ島）
真珠湾攻撃(11 of45)
circa 1937: Japanese rear admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884 - 1943), commander and architect of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor). (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) (credit:Central Press via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(12 of45)
388685 05: (FILE PHOTO) Japanese soldiers wave at a plane from under their flag December 7, 1941 just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. December 7, 2001 marks the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. (Photo by Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(13 of45)
真珠湾攻撃(14 of45)
379570 19: (FILE PHOTO) The USS Shaw explodes during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. December 7, 2001 marks the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. (Photo by National Archive/Getty Images) (credit:National Archives via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(15 of45)
circa 1942: The Alchi D3A2 (Val) fighter aircraft used by the Japanese navy in its attacks on Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) and in the sinking of HMS Hermes in the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(16 of45)
7th December 1941: The results of the Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) attack by the Japanese at Wheeler Field Barracks with artillery being pulled from the water. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images) (credit:Three Lions via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(17 of45)
circa 1942: Hickam Field aircraft hangar at Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor), Hawaii, destroyed by Japanese bombs during World War II. (Photo by Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images) (credit:Evans via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(18 of45)
The horror of destruction at the US Naval Base of Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) which was attacked without warning by the Japanese airforce on the 7th December 1941. The attack took place whilst the Japanese were holding peace talks in Washington. More than 2000 servicemen were killed, and a large part of the US fleet destroyed. The attack caused the USA to join the war. This salvage crew is on the deck of the USS Oklahoma sunk on the night of the attack. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(19 of45)
December 1941: The horror of destruction at the US Naval Base of Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) which was attacked by the Japanese airforce on the 7th December 1941. The destroyer \'Shaw\' is a tangled mess of wreckage but she was back in use one year later. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) (credit:Fox Photos via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(20 of45)
7th December 1941: A general view of Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) after it had been attacked by the Japanese. Smoke pours from USS Shaw (right centre) whilst the minelayer USS Oglana lies capsized in the foreground. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(21 of45)
7th December 1941: Japanese pilots stride towards their bombers on the deck of a Japanese aircraft carrier. Their destination? Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor)! (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(22 of45)
7th December 1941: The USS California on fire in Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) after the Japanese attack. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) (credit:Fox Photos via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(23 of45)
7th December 1941: The newspaper tells of bombing in downtown Honolulu an hour and a half after the attack on Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) by the Japanese airforce. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images) (credit:Three Lions via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(24 of45)
Two Japanese aircraft carriers viewed through the mists of the Pacific Ocean as they prepare to launch their attack against Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor). Picture from a captured Japanese film of the attack (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(25 of45)
387458 01: The USS Arizona burns during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 in Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy/Newsmakers) (credit:U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(26 of45)
December 1941: The jumbled mass of wreckage in front of the battleship USS Pennsylvania constitutes the remains of the destroyers USS Downes and USS Cassin, bombed by the Japanese during the raid on Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor). The ships were in drydock. The torpedo-damaged cruiser USS Helena is in the right distance, beyond the crane. Visible in the centre distance is the capsized USS Oklahoma with USS Maryland alongside. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) (credit:Fox Photos via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(27 of45)
The USS Arizona burning furiously in Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) after the Japanese attack. To the left of her are USS Tennessee and the sunken USS West Virginia. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Hulton Archive via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(28 of45)
388685 06: (FILE PHOTO) Ford Island is seen in this aeriel view during the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor December 7, 1941 in Hawaii. The photo was taken from a Japanese plane. December 7, 2001 marks the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. (Photo by Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(29 of45)
7th December 1941: A picture taken from a Japanese bomber showing another Japanese plane and plumes of black smoke on the ground during the attack on Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(30 of45)
December 1941: The horror of destruction at the US Naval Base of Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) which without warning was attacked by the Japanese airforce on the 7th December 1941. The attack caused the USA to join the war. Seen here is the wreckage of a Japanese fighter bomber brought down during the attack. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(31 of45)
The American light cruiser USS Phoenix passing the burning USS West Virginia and USS Arizona, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7TH December 1941. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Hulton Archive via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(32 of45)
7th December 1941: A general view of Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor) after it had been attacked by the Japanese. Smoke pours from USS Shaw (right centre) whilst the minelayer USS Oglana lies capsized in the foreground. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Keystone via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(33 of45)
PEARL HARBOR, HI - JUNE 29: In this handout image provided by the U.S. Navy, tugboats assist the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) to the pier during a port call June 29, 2004 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Stennis is visiting Pearl Harbor to take part in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2004. RIMPAC is the largest international maritime exercise in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands. This years exercise includes seven participating nations; Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. RIMPAC is intended to enhance the tactical proficiency of participating units in a wide array of combined operations at sea, while enhancing stability in the Pacific Rim region. (Photo by Randi Brown/U.S. Navy via Getty Images) (credit:U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(34 of45)
(credit:Legacy Archive Hawaiian via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(35 of45)
PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII - DECEMBER 7: Vice Admiral Michael Vitale pauses for a moment in the shrine room of the USS Arizona Memorial during a memorial service for the 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) (credit:Kent Nishimura via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(36 of45)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Patrick BAERT, US-JAPAN-HISTORY-ANNIVERSARY-WAR\nPeople visit the Pearl Harbor historical site and memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 9, 2011. On December 07, 2011, the US will mark the 70th anniversary of the attack conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand = MORE PHOTOS IN IMAGE FORUM = (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:EMMANUEL DUNAND via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(37 of45)
15th December 1941: USS Cassin, one of the three destroyers sunk at Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor), during the Japanese attack. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Hulton Archive via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(38 of45)
(credit:Adam Booth via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(39 of45)
(credit:Adam Booth via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(40 of45)
(credit:Adam Booth via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(41 of45)
(credit:Adam Booth via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(42 of45)
PEARL HARBOR, HI - DECEMBER 7: A flag flies at half mast on the USS Arizona Memorial on the 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) (credit:Kent Nishimura via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(43 of45)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 04: Former U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Henry \'Hank\' Kudzik observes a moment of slience in front of a wreath during a celebration of the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Midway victory June 4, 2014 at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. The battle was one of the most important victories during the World War II after the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor six months ago. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (credit:Alex Wong via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(44 of45)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 04: The Lone Sailor statue is seen during a celebration of the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Midway victory June 4, 2014 at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. The battle was one of the most important victories during the World War II after the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor six months ago. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (credit:Alex Wong via Getty Images)
真珠湾攻撃(45 of45)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 07: A wreath lies at a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 2013 in New York City. Four Pearl Harbor survivors from the New York area gathered with former crew members of the USS Intrepid to mark the Japanese surprise attack on December 7, 1941 which killed 2,402 Americans and brought the United States into WWII. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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