Why was the word renaissance used to describe this historical time?

The term 'Renaissance' is derived from the French word meaning 'rebirth'. It is used to describe this phase of European history because many of the changes experienced between the 14th and 16th centuries were inspired by a revival of the classical art and intellect of Ancient Greece and Rome.

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.