Pioneering Female Pilots in Japan: Kiku Nishizaki and Choko Mabuchi

During World War II, Japan was primarily associated with its male pilots, but it is important to acknowledge the contributions of its pioneering female aviators, Kiku Nishizaki and Choko Mabuchi. Though their roles were not as extensive as their male counterparts, they played significant parts in paving the way for women in aviation.

Introduction to pioneers

Japan did not have formal pilot units for women prior to the 1937 Sino-Japanese War, but it did have a couple of female pilots who were early pioneers in the field. Notable figures include Kiku Nishizaki and Choko Mabuchi, whose achievements in aviation are remembered and celebrated.

Kiku Nishizaki

Kiku Nishizaki, born Kiku Matsumoto on November 2, 1912, in Kamisato, Saitama, became one of the first Japanese women to receive a seaplane license. On October 14, 1933, she flew a Yokosuka K1Y2 seaplane, a single-engine double-seater double-wing training aircraft adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy, back to her hometown. These planes were manufactured by several companies, including the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal, Nakajima Aircraft Company, Kawanishi Aircraft Company, and Watanabe Steel Foundry.

Choko Mabuchi

Choko Mabuchi, born on June 5, 1911, in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, achieved her pilot license in March 1934 as the 13th or 18th female pilot to do so. In a unique aviation training session, she flew solo to Kurotake on the Izu Peninsula in April 1934 to pay personal respects to her senior pilot, Park Kyung-won. Together with Kiku Nishizaki, Mabuchi founded the Japan Women Aviators Club (Nihon Joshi Hikoshi Kurabu) in July 1934.

International Flights as Ambassadors

The achievements of Kiku Nishizaki and Choko Mabuchi did not stop there. They were selected as pilots in command to visit Manchukuo as goodwill ambassadors. Two Salmanson 2A type land-based aircraft were prepared, each named after the aviators' first names: Chrysanthemum for Kiku, "Shiragiku," and Butterfly for Choko, "Kichō."

Motivated by the increasing speed of news dissemination, especially relevant after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, both Asahi Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun competed intensely to deliver news faster. The flight across the Sea of Japan demonstrated the transformative impact of air travel on the dissemination of information. Kiku Nishizaki and Choko Mabuchi departed for Manchukuo on October 22, 1934, and landed at Hsinking (now Changchun) airport on November 4 and 5, respectively.

Challenges and Aftermath

In 1937, a second plan was announced to fly a woman aviator on a long-distance mission, this time to commemorate the municipal administration of then-Toyohara, Karafuto Prefecture (presently Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia). However, Kiku Nishizaki's flight was fraught with challenges, including a failed attempt due to an emergency sea landing at Tsugaru Strait, rescued by a cargo ship.

Her career as a pilot was significantly impacted by the Second Sino-Japanese War. Choko Mabuchi's flight plan to Germany was canceled in 1937, marking the end of the official recognition of women in the skies during this period. Despite these challenges, the efforts of Kiku Nishizaki and Choko Mabuchi paved the way for more women to pursue careers in aviation in Japan and beyond.