There the young petty officer, 1st class became one of the so-called "Clean-up Trio" of Japanese aces, along with his squadron mates Saburo Sakai and Hiroyoshi Nishizawa.
Tu sa mladý poddôstojník 1. triedy stal jedným z tzv. „Upratovacieho tria“ japonských es spolu so svojimi kamarátmi Saburó Sakaiom a Hirojoši Nišizawom.