Hajime Matsushita (松下 元, Matsushita Hajime; August 10, 1884 – December 1, 1953) was a Japanese naval officer and…Hajime Matsushita (松下 元, Matsushita Hajime; August 10, 1884 – December 1, 1953) was a Japanese naval officer and educator.
Isoroku Yamamoto (山本 五十六, Yamamoto Isoroku; April 4, 1884 – April 18, 1943) was an admiral of the Imperial Japanese…Isoroku Yamamoto (山本 五十六, Yamamoto Isoroku; April 4, 1884 – April 18, 1943) was an admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander of the Combined Fleet during World War II. He commanded the fleet from 1939 until his death in 1943, overseeing the start of the Pacific War in 1941 and Japan's initial successes and defeats before his plane was shot down by U.S. fighter aircraft over New Guinea. Yamamoto graduated from the Imperial Naval Academy in 1904 and served in the Russo-Japanese War, where he lost two fingers at the Battle of Tsushima. He later studied at Harvard University in the United States and was appointed naval attaché to the Japanese embassy in Washington. His experiences convinced him that naval power depended on access to oil and industrial capacity, and that Japan thus had little hope to defeat the U.S. in a war. He was one of the first naval leaders to conclude that naval aviation and aircraft carriers would play a decisive role in any future conflict. In 1936, Yamamoto was appointed navy vice minister, and opposed Japan's alliance with Germany and Italy in the Tripartite Pact of 1940. In 1939, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, and was tasked with creating a strategy for war with the United States; Yamamoto favored a surprise attack, which was carried out at the start of the war with an attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In the early months of the war, the Japanese fleet scored a series of decisive naval victories. These gains were halted at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, in which four Japanese carriers were sunk. Yamamoto committed to the defense of the Solomon Islands in the Guadalcanal campaign, but was unable to prevent their capture. In April 1943, Yamamoto was killed after American code breakers intercepted his flight plans, enabling the United States Army Air Forces to shoot down his aircraft.
Shigetarō Shimada (嶋田 繁太郎, Shimada Shigetarō; 24 September 1883 – 7 June 1976) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese…Shigetarō Shimada (嶋田 繁太郎, Shimada Shigetarō; 24 September 1883 – 7 June 1976) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He also served as Minister of the Navy. He was convicted of waging aggressive war and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Teikichi Hori (堀 悌吉, Hori Teikichi; August 16, 1883 – May 12, 1959) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during…Teikichi Hori (堀 悌吉, Hori Teikichi; August 16, 1883 – May 12, 1959) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the early twentieth century. During the interwar period, Hori was a prominent member of the Treaty Faction of the Navy, and opposed war against the United States and the United Kingdom. Hori and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto were close lifelong friends.
Kōichi Shiozawa (塩沢 幸一, Shiozawa Kōichi; March 5, 1883 – November 17, 1943) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese…Kōichi Shiozawa (塩沢 幸一, Shiozawa Kōichi; March 5, 1883 – November 17, 1943) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The literary critic Rinsen Nakazawa was his older brother.
Koshirō Oikawa (及川 古志郎, Oikawa Koshirō; 16 February 1883 – 9 May 1958) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and…Koshirō Oikawa (及川 古志郎, Oikawa Koshirō; 16 February 1883 – 9 May 1958) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and Naval Minister during World War II.
Osami Nagano (永野 修身, Nagano Osami; 15 June 1880 – 5 January 1947) was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy…Osami Nagano (永野 修身, Nagano Osami; 15 June 1880 – 5 January 1947) was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of the leaders of Japan's military during most of the Second World War. In April 1941, he became Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff. In this capacity, he emerged as a leading advocate for preventive war against the United States and served as the navy's commander-in-chief in the Asia-Pacific theater of World War II until February 1944. After the war, he was arrested by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East but died of natural causes in prison during the trial.
Mitsumasa Yonai (米内 光政, Yonai Mitsumasa; 2 March 1880 – 20 April 1948) was a Japanese navy officer and politician. He…Mitsumasa Yonai (米内 光政, Yonai Mitsumasa; 2 March 1880 – 20 April 1948) was a Japanese navy officer and politician. He served as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy, and Prime Minister of Japan in 1940.
Tsutomu Sakuma (佐久間 勉, Sakuma Tsutomu; September 13, 1879 – April 15, 1910) was a career naval officer in the Imperial…Tsutomu Sakuma (佐久間 勉, Sakuma Tsutomu; September 13, 1879 – April 15, 1910) was a career naval officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and a pioneer submarine commander, known primarily as the commanding officer during the sinking of Submarine No.6.
Shinjiro Yamamoto (山本信次郎; 22 December 1877 – 28 February 1942) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He is…Shinjiro Yamamoto (山本信次郎; 22 December 1877 – 28 February 1942) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He is known for being one of the highest ranking Catholic officials in the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, and for his missionary work in the Japanese-controlled South Seas Mandate, now Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. He was also made a Knight of Malta in 1936.
Admiral Seizō Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 躋造, Hepburn: Kobayashi Seizō; 1 October 1877 – 4 July 1962) was a Japanese naval…Admiral Seizō Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 躋造, Hepburn: Kobayashi Seizō; 1 October 1877 – 4 July 1962) was a Japanese naval commander, commander of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1931–1933) and the 17th Governor-General of Taiwan (1936–1940).
Katō Hiroharu, alternatively named Katō Kanji (23 December 1870 – 9 February 1939), was a Japanese naval officer during…Katō Hiroharu, alternatively named Katō Kanji (23 December 1870 – 9 February 1939), was a Japanese naval officer during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. The given name reading 'Kanji' was used in his later life after he became famous, perhaps just before he was promoted to rear-admiral. He served as the Chief of Navy General Staff from 22 January 1929 to 11 June 1930.
Yoshida Masujirō (吉田増次郎; July 29, 1867 – March 14, 1942) was a Japanese admiral who was Commander of the Interim…Yoshida Masujirō (吉田増次郎; July 29, 1867 – March 14, 1942) was a Japanese admiral who was Commander of the Interim Southern Islands Defense Unit from 1916 to 1917.
Marshal-Admiral Baron Shimamura Hayao (島村 速雄; September 21, 1858 – January 8, 1923) was a Japanese admiral during the…Marshal-Admiral Baron Shimamura Hayao (島村 速雄; September 21, 1858 – January 8, 1923) was a Japanese admiral during the First Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars as well as one of the first prominent staff officers and naval strategists of the early Imperial Japanese Navy. He was an excellent tactician, but unlike many military men, he did not seek honor. He would defer credit to his colleagues, refrain from boasting, and openly share his failures with others. His character garnered him much respect. He remained a lifelong friend of his classmate from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, Katō Tomosaburō.
