text: why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets? they are just going to die anyways!?   the truth is that japan has a horrible infestation of leather helmets- football helmets, motorcycle helmets, airplane helmets.  the government realized that the only way to handle the growing epidemic was to encourage unsafe behavior(really unsafe behavior) while at the same time wearing one of the dastardly items.  thus, the kamikaze pilot was born.  unnoticed in the annals of history, though, are the equally deadly "crazy motorcyclist" and the " mad footballer" -phenomenon.  so, while japan lost the "war" they in fact survived the real issue- they were able to decimate the leather helmet population, thus ensuring the safety of future generations to come.