was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Participating in many of the Pacific War battles and campaigns as a member of several units, including the fighter units of the aircraft carriers Shōkaku and Chiyoda, Kodaira was officially credited with destroying 13 enemy aircraft. After the war, he served with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. In 2008, Tsubasa-kai ("Wings Association"), the veterans' organization of the JASDF, reported his death on its website. References 1918 births 2008 deaths Japan Air Self-Defense Force personnel Japanese naval aviators Japanese World War II flying aces People from Nagano Prefecture Imperial Japanese Navy officers