What did Japanese ace Tetsuzo Iwamoto die of?

Short answer

Of sepsis arising from treatment for appendicitis. In 1953 he began suffering stomach pains, first diagnosed as enteritis and later identified as appendicitis. The sepsis followed a second operation in which doctors removed his ribs without anaesthesia. He died on 20 May 1955, aged 38.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What did Japanese ace Tetsuzo Iwamoto die of?

F4U at 2023 Oshkosh

A misdiagnosed pain in 1953

In 1953, Tetsuzo Iwamoto began suffering stomach pains that were initially diagnosed as enteritis and later identified as appendicitis. The second operation, in which doctors removed his ribs without anaesthesia, took place that same year, 1953.

Sepsis and death

Following surgical complications from the treatment of the appendicitis, Iwamoto developed sepsis as a result of that second operation. He died on 20 May 1955, aged just 38. During his illness he had said that, once he recovered, he wanted to fly again.

A disputed record

Iwamoto is credited with at least 80 aerial victories, 14 of them in China. One of those actions is dated 25 February 1938, over Nanchang, China. After his death his diary surfaced, in which he claimed 202 Allied aircraft destroyed. In 1971, researchers Izawa and Hata estimated his tally of aerial victories at around 80 or more than 87.