During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Japanese "kamikaze" aircraft had successfully sunk the escort carrier . In addition, "kamikaze" aircraft had caused heavy damage to 2 US Navy aircraft carriers during air battles off Kyushu. These incidents convinced the Imperial General Headquarters of the effectiveness of "kamikaze" attacks, and that they were an effective solution to turn the deteriorating war situation around; as a result, massive "kamikaze" attacks were planned against the US Navy.