Kamikaze “divine wind" is a word of Japanese origin, which in English usually refers to the suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan, against Allied shipping, designed to destroy as many warships as possible in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Kamikazes were the most common and best-known form of Japanese suicide attack during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy, in particular, used or made plans for various suicide attacks, including midget submarines, human torpedoes, speedboats (some of which were also commissioned by the army) and divers. The tradition of death instead of defeat, capture, and perceived shame was deeply entrenched in Japanese military culture. It was one of the primary traditions in the samurai life and the Bushido code: loyalty and honor until death; or in the Western vernacular "death before dishonor!"