After several losses in the Pacific, such as the loss of the Solomon Islands(Dec 1943) and the loss of the Battle of Leyte Gulf (Oct 1944), I think Japan realised that it was fighting a losing battle. Kamikaze literally means 'divine wind' and was seen as a very honourable death. The Japanese were very resilient and by the end of the war kamikaze bombers had sunk 34 US ships and damaged 288 more. Not a very good answer to your question but hope it helps.
