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The Ki-74-II Otokai is a high-speed bomber for the Japanese Army, developed and manufactured by Tachikawa Aircraft at the end of the war using technology introduced by German submarines. It was being developed as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft for the Soviet Union, which was considered a de facto enemy, but its specifications were changed midway through to a high-speed bomber capable of strategic bombing.
This "Otsukai" demonstrated better performance than expected in test flights, and the Imperial Headquarters made a plan for a counter-landing on Allied-controlled Saipan in cooperation with a ground landing force. A total of 14 of these aircraft were actually manufactured and distributed to independent squadrons.
During the Saipan Reverse Landing Operation, the 2nd Independent Squadron acted as a lead bomber and caused extensive damage to parked B-29s and the runway, but despite being supported by sufficient escort aircraft, they returned home. There were only three aircraft.
The reason for this is unclear, as many officials have remained silent other than to state that it was not a problem with the aircraft, but there is a belief within the Graduate School of Military History that even if the new American bomb were to be used at the cost of lives, it would be completely unacceptable. It is said that this was probably due to the pilot's intention to confirm the destruction.
After the war, a number of documentaries were produced stating that without this aircraft and Kabuto Kai's role in the Saipan Reverse Landing Operation, ``Japan could have become the first country in human history to drop nuclear bombs on humans.'' However, most of the programs end with the conclusion that ``the United States would never have used nuclear weapons against humans in the end anyway.''