Yamawaki Masataka (山脇 正隆, Yamawaki Masataka; 2 March 1886 – 21 April 1974) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army known for his work in Poland and his command of the Borneo Defence Army during World War II. Born in Kōchi Prefecture, he joined the Imperial Japanese Army and graduated at the top of his class from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1905 and the Army War College in 1914. While stationed overseas in Poland between 1919 and 1923, he aided the Polish independence movement and was decorated by the government of Poland. He was an important advocate of closer relations between Poland and Japan, and served in Poland again from 1934 to 1935. He was decommissioned in 1941. Following the outbreak of World War II, he was recalled to active duty and assigned to lead the Borneo Defence Army, which was occupying the parts of Borneo that were seized from the British at the beginning of the war. He served in this capacity from 1942 to 1944, during which time he was promoted to general. In 1947, he was charged with war crimes by the Australian government due to his involvement in the killing of Australian POWs, but was acquitted. He lived in Tokyo after the war and died in 1974.
Source: “Yamawaki Masataka”, English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), excerpt