Masafumi Arima

Masafumi Arima
Captain Arima Masafumi (1937-43)
Native name	有馬 正文
Born	September 25, 1895 Hioki, Kagoshima, Japan
Died	October 15, 1944(1944-10-15) (aged 49)[1] between Taiwan and the Philippines
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service / branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Years of service	1915–1944
Rank	Vice Admiral (posthumous)
Commands	Kamikawa Maru, Sasebo Naval Air Group, Kisarazu Naval Air Group, Yokohama Naval Air Group, Shōkaku, 26th Air Flotilla
Battles / wars	World War II Pacific War Guadalcanal campaign Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa †

Masafumi Arima (有馬 正文, Arima Masafumi, 25 September 1895 – 15 October 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. An experienced aviator, he is sometimes credited with being the first to use the kamikaze attack, although official accounts may have been invented for propaganda purposes. Arima personally led an air attack against United States Navy Task Force 38 in the Formosa Air Battle and was killed in action.