World War II Zero Fighter Flies Over Japan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KANOYA, Japan — One of Mitsubishi's legendary World War II fighter planes took to the skies over Japan on Wednesday.

The restored "Zero" fighter made a brief flight to and from a naval base in southern Japan. Decorated former U.S. Air Force pilot Skip Holm flew the aircraft.

Zero fighters were considered one of the most capable fighter planes in World War II, rivaling the British Spitfire. Their long range allowed them to play a prominent role in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Only a few are still in operating condition.

While rented Zeroes have flown in Japan on occasion in the past, this was the first for the widely used Model 22 of Mitsubishi's A6M fighter with its round wingtips.

This particular plane was found decaying in Papua New Guinea in the 1970s. It was owned by an American until Japanese businessman Masahiro Ishizuka purchased it and brought it to Japan last September.

"I wanted for the people of Japan and especially young people to know about this Zero airplane, as well as those who are old who remember the past," Ishizuka said. "Each of them should have different thoughts and perspectives on this, but I just want people to know how Japan has developed its technology."

Japanese see the aircraft both as a symbol of their country's technological advance and a reminder of the harrowing history of the war. In the last phase of the fighting, they were used for "kamikaze" attacks.

Kamikaze pilots took off from the same airfield as Wednesday's flight, Kanoya Naval Air Base on the island of Kyushu.

Under its previous American owner, the plane made an appearance in the Hollywood movie "Pearl Harbor" and at various events in the United States.

軍國夢未滅？日「神風」戰機復活

日本海上自衛隊27日在九州鹿屋基地進行「零式」戰機復原機體的試飛，由於「零式」戰機是二次大戰時，日本海軍的主力戰機，因「神風特攻隊」的自殺攻擊而惡名昭彰。日本「產經新聞」認為，此次試飛可能招致「美化戰爭」的批評；也有分析指，此舉顯示安倍政府中的極右派仍對希望日本成為「軍事大國」。

美聯社報導，這是二戰後「零式」戰機首次試飛，飛行任務由美國前空軍飛行員霍爾（Skip Holm）執行，在航空基地上空盤旋約十分鐘。「零式」戰機1939年由三菱重工生產，當時是日本紀年2600年，因而稱為「零式」，曾參與侵華戰爭，被稱為「殺人魔機」。當年戰機也是在鹿屋基地起飛，執行自殺攻擊任務。

曾在電影「珍珠港」露面

報導說，這架戰機1970年代在巴布亞紐幾內亞被發現，原為一名美國人所有，還曾出現在好萊塢電影「珍珠港」。現居紐西蘭的日本商人石塚政秀2008年買下這架戰機，2010年在網路上發起「零式返鄉」募資，去年9月帶回日本修復。原本試飛計畫在去年適逢二戰70年時舉行，但由於當時日本國內反對「安保法」聲浪高漲，憂成為抗議箭靶，於是延後進行。

此次試飛行動由總部設在東京的「Zero Enterprise Japan」主辦，並經過日本政府批准。主辦者稱，零式戰機再度起飛旨在「讓人們回顧歷史和思考日本的未來」。石塚則說，在這個時間點舉辦，是想在中國及南韓強烈反對以前，以「零式回歸」振奮人心，並完成自己的夢想，同時也讓年輕人認識日本的航空技術發展。

對日本人來說，「零式」戰機彰顯日本在科技發展上的成就，但也背負著日本在二戰中的惡名。有媒體評論指，安倍政府不斷追捧此類承載著罪惡戰爭記憶的「殺人神器」，在「零式復活」前，還有日本「出雲」、「加賀」號直升機航母下水，這兩艘航空母鑑都是以日本二戰主力的航母命名。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/01/27/world/asia/ap-as-japan-zero-fighter.html

2016-01-29 世界日報 編譯中心