Kōji Sakai (酒井 鎬次, Sakai Kōji; 4 November 1885 – 2 March 1973) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army…Kōji Sakai (酒井 鎬次, Sakai Kōji; 4 November 1885 – 2 March 1973) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War
General Seishirō Itagaki (板垣 征四郎, Itagaki Seishirō; 21 January 1885 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer…General Seishirō Itagaki (板垣 征四郎, Itagaki Seishirō; 21 January 1885 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer and politician who served as a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and War Minister from 1938 to 1939. He was a disciple of Kanji Ishiwara and his ideas were strongly influenced by his apocalyptic Buddhist beliefs, being firmly convinced of the idea of a "Final War" in which Japan would unite the entire world into a single nation, resulting in an era of true peace, regeneration and harmony. Itagaki was a main conspirator behind the Mukden Incident and held prestigious chief of staff posts in the Kwantung Army and China Expeditionary Army during the early Second Sino–Japanese War. Itagaki became War Minister but fell from grace after Japanese defeat in the Soviet–Japanese border conflicts. Thereafter, he served as general for several field armies until surrendering Japanese forces in Southeast Asia in 1945. Itagaki was ultimately convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and executed in 1948.
Hideki Tojo (30 December 1884 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer and politician who served as Prime…Hideki Tojo (30 December 1884 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944 during World War II. His leadership was marked by widespread state violence and mass killings perpetrated in the name of Japanese nationalism. Born into a military family of samurai descent in Kōjimachi, Tokyo, Tojo followed in his father's footsteps by pursuing a military career, graduating from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1905. After serving as a military attaché in Germany, he rose to prominence in the 1930s as a member of the Tōseiha (lit. 'Control Faction') within the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). In 1937, as chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he led operations during the Japanese invasion of China. By 1940, he was appointed Minister of the Army, where he advocated a tripartite alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. In October 1941, he was appointed Prime Minister of Japan by Emperor Hirohito. Upon taking office as Prime Minister, Tojo prioritized the total mobilization of the Empire of Japan for "total war". He enforced strict censorship and utilized the Kempeitai (military police) to suppress dissent while promoting an ideology of absolute loyalty to the Emperor. His foreign policy was defined by the pursuit of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, a concept used to justify aggressive expansion into Southeast Asia and the Pacific in order to secure natural resources. On 7 December 1941, Tojo's cabinet oversaw the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which resulted in his country's entry into World War II on the side of the Axis powers. Despite achieving significant territorial gains in Asia and the Pacific during the opening months of the conflict, the tide decisively turned against Japan following its defeat at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. In the capacity of his nation's head of government throughout most of the war, Tojo presided over numerous war crimes, including the massacre and starvation of thousands of POWs and millions of civilians. As Allied forces closed in on the Japanese home islands, Tojo's hold on power steadily declined before he was ultimately forced to resign on 18 July 1944 upon the fall of Saipan. After his nation's surrender to the Allied powers in September 1945, he was arrested, convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in the Tokyo Trials, sentenced to death, and hanged on 23 December 1948. To this day, Tojo's complicity in the July 1937 invasion of China, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and numerous acts of mass murder have firmly intertwined his legacy with the Empire of Japan's warmongering brutality during the early Shōwa era.
Baron Yoshitoshi Tokugawa (徳川 好敏, Tokugawa Yoshitoshi; 24 July 1884 – 17 April 1963) was a lieutenant general in the…Baron Yoshitoshi Tokugawa (徳川 好敏, Tokugawa Yoshitoshi; 24 July 1884 – 17 April 1963) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army and one of the pioneers of military aviation in Japan. The first Japanese to obtain his pilot's licence from the Aéro-Club de France, he is credited with having made the first flight in a powered aircraft in Japan in 1910.
Daisaku Kōmoto (河本 大作, Kōmoto Daisaku; January 24, 1883 – August 25, 1955) was an officer in the Japanese Imperial…Daisaku Kōmoto (河本 大作, Kōmoto Daisaku; January 24, 1883 – August 25, 1955) was an officer in the Japanese Imperial Japanese Army active during the early Shōwa period. He held the rank of colonel. He is known as the mastermind of the assassination of Zhang Zuolin.
Hisao Tani (谷 寿夫, Tani Hisao; 22 December 1882 – 26 April 1947) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army…Hisao Tani (谷 寿夫, Tani Hisao; 22 December 1882 – 26 April 1947) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War and a convicted war criminal, who was also convicted of crimes against humanity. Forces under his command committed the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. Tani was tried in the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal and executed.
Prince Tsunehisa Takeda (竹田宮恒久王, Takeda-no-miya Tsunehisa-ō; September 22, 1882 – April 23, 1919) was the founder of…Prince Tsunehisa Takeda (竹田宮恒久王, Takeda-no-miya Tsunehisa-ō; September 22, 1882 – April 23, 1919) was the founder of the Takeda-no-miya collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial Family.
Otozō Yamada (山田 乙三, Yamada Otozō; 6 November 1881 – 18 July 1965) was a career officer, convicted war criminal and…Otozō Yamada (山田 乙三, Yamada Otozō; 6 November 1881 – 18 July 1965) was a career officer, convicted war criminal and general in the Imperial Japanese Army, serving from the Russo-Japanese War to the end of World War II.
Toshizō Nishio (西尾 寿造, Nishio Toshizō; 31 October 1881 – 26 October 1960) was a Japanese general, considered to be one…Toshizō Nishio (西尾 寿造, Nishio Toshizō; 31 October 1881 – 26 October 1960) was a Japanese general, considered to be one of the Imperial Japanese Army's most successful and ablest strategists during the Second Sino-Japanese War, who commanded the Japanese Second Army during the first years after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.
Kōtarō Nakamura (中村 孝太郎, Nakamura Kōtarō; 28 August 1881 – 29 August 1947) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army…Kōtarō Nakamura (中村 孝太郎, Nakamura Kōtarō; 28 August 1881 – 29 August 1947) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and very briefly Army Minister in the 1930s.
Yoshitsugu Tatekawa (建川 美次, Tatekawa Yoshitsugu; 3 October 1880 – 9 September 1945) was a lieutenant-general in the…Yoshitsugu Tatekawa (建川 美次, Tatekawa Yoshitsugu; 3 October 1880 – 9 September 1945) was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He played an important role in the Mukden incident in 1931 and as Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union he negotiated the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in 1941.
Kuniaki Koiso (小磯 國昭, Koiso Kuniaki; 22 March 1880 – 3 November 1950) was a Japanese politician and general who served…Kuniaki Koiso (小磯 國昭, Koiso Kuniaki; 22 March 1880 – 3 November 1950) was a Japanese politician and general who served as prime minister of Japan from 1944 to 1945, during World War II. He previously served as minister of colonial affairs in 1939 and 1940, and as governor-general of Korea from 1942 to 1944. Koiso resigned as premier after the start of the Battle of Okinawa, and following Japan's surrender he was convicted as a Class A war criminal and sentenced to life imprisonment, dying in prison in 1950.
Hajime Sugiyama (杉山 元, Sugiyama Hajime / Sugiyama Gen; 1 January 1880 – 12 September 1945) was a Japanese field marshal…Hajime Sugiyama (杉山 元, Sugiyama Hajime / Sugiyama Gen; 1 January 1880 – 12 September 1945) was a Japanese field marshal and one of Japan's military leaders for most of the Second World War. As Army Minister, Sugiyama was a driving force behind Japan's 1937 invasion of China in retaliation for the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. After being named the Japanese Army's Chief of Staff in 1940, he became a leading advocate for expansion into Southeast Asia and preventive war against the United States. Upon the outbreak of hostilities in the Asia-Pacific theater of World War II, Sugiyama served as the army's commander-in-chief until his removal by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo in February 1944. Following Tojo's ouster in July 1944, he once again held the post of Army Minister in Kuniaki Koiso's cabinet until its dissolution in April 1945. Ten days after Japan's surrender on 2 September 1945, he committed suicide.
Count Hisaichi Terauchi (寺内 寿一, Terauchi Hisaichi; 8 August 1879 – 12 June 1946) was a Gensui (or field marshal) in the…Count Hisaichi Terauchi (寺内 寿一, Terauchi Hisaichi; 8 August 1879 – 12 June 1946) was a Gensui (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II.
Shunroku Hata (畑 俊六, Hata Shunroku; July 26, 1879 – May 10, 1962) was a field marshal (gensui) in the Imperial Japanese…Shunroku Hata (畑 俊六, Hata Shunroku; July 26, 1879 – May 10, 1962) was a field marshal (gensui) in the Imperial Japanese Army who served as Minister of the Army from 1939 to 1940. He was the last surviving Japanese military officer with a marshal's rank. In the aftermath of World War II Hata was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1948, but was paroled in 1955.
Kisaburō Andō (安藤 紀三郎, Andō Kisaburō; 11 February 1874 – 10 May 1954) was a career officer and lieutenant general in…Kisaburō Andō (安藤 紀三郎, Andō Kisaburō; 11 February 1874 – 10 May 1954) was a career officer and lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army, who served as a politician and cabinet minister in the government of the Empire of Japan during World War II.
Iwane Matsui (松井 石根, Matsui Iwane; July 27, 1878 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese…Iwane Matsui (松井 石根, Matsui Iwane; July 27, 1878 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary force sent to China in 1937. He was convicted of war crimes and executed by the Allies for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre. Born in Nagoya, Matsui chose a military career and served in combat during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). He volunteered for an overseas assignment there shortly after graduating from the Army War College in 1906. As Matsui rose through the ranks, he earned a reputation as the Japanese Army's foremost expert on China, and he was an ardent advocate of pan-Asianism. He played a key role in founding the influential Greater Asia Association. Matsui retired from active duty in 1935 but was called back into service in August 1937 at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War to lead the Japanese forces engaged in the Battle of Shanghai. After winning the battle Matsui succeeded in convincing Japan's high command to advance on the Chinese capital city of Nanjing. The troops under his command who captured Nanjing on December 13 were responsible for the notorious Nanjing Massacre. Matsui finally retired from the army in 1938. Following Japan's defeat in World War II he was convicted of war crimes at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) and executed by hanging. He and other convicted war criminals were enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine in 1978, an act that has stirred controversy.
Baron Sadao Araki (荒木 貞夫, Araki Sadao; 26 May 1877 – 2 November 1966) was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese…Baron Sadao Araki (荒木 貞夫, Araki Sadao; 26 May 1877 – 2 November 1966) was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was regarded as the leader of the Kodoha, a political faction within the Imperial Japanese Army and served as Minister of the Army under Prime Ministers Inukai and Saitō. He was forced from active service in the aftermath of the February 26 incident. He later served as Minister of Education under Prime Ministers Konoe and Hiranuma. After World War II, he was convicted of war crimes and given a life sentence but was released in 1955.
General Baron Shigeru Honjō (本庄 繁, Honjō Shigeru; 10 May 1876 – 30 November 1945) was a general in the Imperial…General Baron Shigeru Honjō (本庄 繁, Honjō Shigeru; 10 May 1876 – 30 November 1945) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army who commanded the Kwantung Army during the invasion of Manchuria. He later served as chief aide-de-camp to the Emperor, but was dismissed due to his apparent sympathy for the rebels in the February 26 incident.
General Nobuyuki Abe (阿部 信行, Abe Nobuyuki; 24 November 1875 – 7 September 1953) was a general in the Imperial Japanese…General Nobuyuki Abe (阿部 信行, Abe Nobuyuki; 24 November 1875 – 7 September 1953) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Prime Minister of Japan, and the last Governor-General of Korea.
Hikosuke Fukuda (福田 彦助, Fukuda Hikosuke; 5 November 1875 – 30 July 1959) was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial…Hikosuke Fukuda (福田 彦助, Fukuda Hikosuke; 5 November 1875 – 30 July 1959) was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He is best known for his involvement in the Jinan Incident.
Kenkichi Ueda (植田 謙吉, Ueda Kenkichi; 8 March 1875 – 11 September 1962) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army…Kenkichi Ueda (植田 謙吉, Ueda Kenkichi; 8 March 1875 – 11 September 1962) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He played an active role in the Soviet-Japanese Border Wars of the late 1930s.
Jirō Minami (南 次郎, Minami Jirō; 10 August 1874 – 5 December 1955) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and…Jirō Minami (南 次郎, Minami Jirō; 10 August 1874 – 5 December 1955) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and Governor-General of Korea between 1936 and 1942. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Morimasa, Prince Nashimoto (梨本宮守正王, Nashimoto no miya Morimasa ō; 9 March 1874 – 2 January 1951) was a member of the…Morimasa, Prince Nashimoto (梨本宮守正王, Nashimoto no miya Morimasa ō; 9 March 1874 – 2 January 1951) was a member of the Japanese Imperial Family and a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army. An uncle-in-law of Hirohito (Emperor Shōwa), an uncle of his consort, Empress Kōjun, and the father-in-law of Crown Prince Euimin of Korea, Prince Nashimoto was the only member of the Imperial Family arrested for war crimes during the Allied occupation of Japan following defeat in the Second World War.
Kuniyoshi, Prince Kuni (久邇宮邦彦王, Kuni-no-miya Kuniyoshi ō; 23 July 1873 – 27 January 1929) was a member of the Japanese…Kuniyoshi, Prince Kuni (久邇宮邦彦王, Kuni-no-miya Kuniyoshi ō; 23 July 1873 – 27 January 1929) was a member of the Japanese imperial family and a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji and Taishō periods. He was the father of Empress Kōjun (who in turn was the consort of the Emperor Shōwa), and therefore, the maternal grandfather of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and great-grandfather of Emperor Naruhito.
Takashi Hishikari (菱刈 隆, Hishikari Takashi; 27 December 1871 – 31 July 1952) was a general in the Imperial Japanese…Takashi Hishikari (菱刈 隆, Hishikari Takashi; 27 December 1871 – 31 July 1952) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Ugaki Kazushige (宇垣 一成; 9 August 1868 – 30 April 1956) was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and cabinet…Ugaki Kazushige (宇垣 一成; 9 August 1868 – 30 April 1956) was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and cabinet minister before World War II, the 5th principal of Takushoku University, and twice Governor-General of Korea. Nicknamed Ugaki Issei, he served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Konoe cabinet in 1938.
Cai E (simplified Chinese: 蔡锷; traditional Chinese: 蔡鍔; pinyin: Cài È; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai4 O4; 18 December 1882 – 8…Cai E (simplified Chinese: 蔡锷; traditional Chinese: 蔡鍔; pinyin: Cài È; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai4 O4; 18 December 1882 – 8 November 1916), also romanised as Tsai Ao, born Cai Genyin (Chinese: 蔡艮寅; pinyin: Cài Gěnyín), courtesy name Songpo (Chinese: 松坡; pinyin: Sōngpō), was a Chinese revolutionary leader and general. He led the National Protection War against Yuan Shikai's attempt to restore the monarchy.
Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda (竹田宮恒徳王, Takeda-no-miya Tsuneyoshi-ō; 4 March 1909 – 11 May 1992) was the second and last heir…Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda (竹田宮恒徳王, Takeda-no-miya Tsuneyoshi-ō; 4 March 1909 – 11 May 1992) was the second and last heir of the Takeda-no-miya collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial Family.
Masao Maruyama (丸山 政男, Maruyama Masao; 13 September 1889 – 11 November 1957), was a lieutenant general and commander in…Masao Maruyama (丸山 政男, Maruyama Masao; 13 September 1889 – 11 November 1957), was a lieutenant general and commander in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
