Teruhiko Kobayashi was born on 17 November 1920, in Tokyo Prefecture and would receive his education at Kokushikan Junior High School.

During this battle as part of the 45th Sentai, he would pilot an obsolete Kawasaki Ki-32 "Mary" light bomber attacking British military installations and ships.

As commander of this unit, Kobayashi would pilot the Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hien" fighter, by October 1944, the 244th had around 40 Ki-61s and had spent a large amount of time training to intercept B-29 bombers that would inevitably come bomb the capital.

In that same month his unit would receive a letter of commendation from the Army High Command and his actions would be recognized when he was awarded the Second-class Bukōshō medal as well as a promotion to major.

Ignoring this order, they then proceeded to engage the Hellcats that were attacking Yokaichi Air Field in an aerial dogfight that took place almost at hangar-top height.

[6] Major Kobayashi survived the war and would go working in the civilian sector for some nine years until joining the recently created Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 1954.

After working at Matsushima and Tsuiki bases, he studied abroad in the United States for about half a year from November 1955, and received training on the operation of F-86 fighters.

On 4 June 1957 Kobayashi was flying a T-33 Shooting Star on a training sortie from Hamamatsu when a technical problem occurred just shortly after takeoff.