Kaname Harada (原田 要, 11 August 1916 – 3 May 2016) was a Japanese flying ace of World War II.

[3][4] While in China he witnessed Japanese military personnel indiscriminately killing Chinese civilians in the mistaken belief that they were soldiers in disguise.

[3] At the outbreak of the Pacific War, Harada was a Mitsubishi A6M Zero pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Sōryū, which formed part of the 1st Air Fleet.

[7] During the Indian Ocean raid, he was confirmed to have shot down three British fighters over Colombo on 5 April, and claimed another two as "probables".

Four days later, he downed two British Bristol Blenheim light bombers which were attempting to attack the Japanese fleet.

On 17 October, Harada formed part of the escort for a force of torpedo bombers which were attempting to attack targets on Guadalcanal.

After walking through the jungle for several days he reached a midget submarine base where he recovered from malaria and dengue fever in addition to his injuries.

As part of his travels Harada visited Santa Isabel Island, where he located the wreckage of his fighter and brought a section of it back to Japan.

[8] In 2015, The New York Times reported that Harada, aged 98, was a "highly sought-after public speaker", who was motivated by a desire to pass on his experiences as a warning to the current generations of Japanese who he believed were unaware of the nature of warfare.

[8] He opposed efforts by conservative members of the Japanese government to change the country's pacifist constitution, saying that "these politicians were born after the war, and so they don't understand it must be avoided at all costs.