Yukio Seki (関 行男, Seki Yukio; August 29, 1921 – October 25, 1944) was a Japanese naval aviator of the Imperial Japanese…Yukio Seki (関 行男, Seki Yukio; August 29, 1921 – October 25, 1944) was a Japanese naval aviator of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As a kamikaze pilot, Lieutenant Seki led one of the three fighter groups of the second official kamikaze attack in World War II (the first official attack was an unsuccessful attempt led by Yoshiyasu Kunō on October 21, 1944). Seki's final action took place on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He led a unit of five bomb-armed Mitsubishi Zero fighters, crash-diving his plane deliberately into USS St. Lo's flight deck, being the first kamikazes to sink an enemy ship.
Lieutenant Chitoshi Isozaki (磯崎 千利, Isozaki Chitoshi; 12 January 1913–20 June 1993) was an officer and ace fighter…Lieutenant Chitoshi Isozaki (磯崎 千利, Isozaki Chitoshi; 12 January 1913–20 June 1993) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. In aerial combat over China, the Pacific, and Japan, he was officially credited with destroying twelve enemy aircraft. Isozaki survived World War II.
Sadamu Takahashi (高橋 定, Takahashi Sadamu; December 5, 1912 – December 25, 2015) was a dive bomber pilot officer in the…Sadamu Takahashi (高橋 定, Takahashi Sadamu; December 5, 1912 – December 25, 2015) was a dive bomber pilot officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He is best known for leading the Zuikaku's dive bomber squadron during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. He survived the war and later served in the Japan Self-Defense Forces retiring in 1970 with the rank of Vice Admiral.
Takeo Yoshikawa (吉川 猛夫, Yoshikawa Takeo; March 7, 1912 – February 20, 1993) was a Japanese spy in Hawaii before the…Takeo Yoshikawa (吉川 猛夫, Yoshikawa Takeo; March 7, 1912 – February 20, 1993) was a Japanese spy in Hawaii before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Asaichi Tamai (玉井 浅一; December 25, 1902 – December 10, 1964) was a captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World…Asaichi Tamai (玉井 浅一; December 25, 1902 – December 10, 1964) was a captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Yoshio Tachibana (立花 芳夫, Tachibana Yoshio; 24 February 1890 – 24 September 1947) was a lieutenant general in the…Yoshio Tachibana (立花 芳夫, Tachibana Yoshio; 24 February 1890 – 24 September 1947) was a lieutenant general in the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He was commander of the Japanese garrison in Chichijima, Ogasawara Islands, and was later tried and executed for the Chichijima incident, a war crime involving torture, extrajudicial execution and cannibalism of American prisoners of war.
Lieutenant General Sasaki Tōichi (佐々木 到一; 27 January 1886 – 30 May 1955) was a Japanese soldier who served in the…Lieutenant General Sasaki Tōichi (佐々木 到一; 27 January 1886 – 30 May 1955) was a Japanese soldier who served in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was known as an expert on Chinese affairs, had close relationships with leading figures in the Kuomintang (KMT)'s National Revolutionary Army during the 1920s, and expressed sympathy for their cause. A violent encounter with KMT forces during the 1928 Jinan incident, however, led him to abandon his pro-KMT stance, and adopt a pessimistic attitude toward China. He later served as chief military advisor to the Japanese puppet state Manchukuo, and during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was involved in perpetrating the Nanjing massacre. In the last days of the Second World War, Sasaki was captured by Soviet troops and handed over to the Chinese communists, who interned him at the Fushun War Criminals Management Centre, where he died in 1955. He was a prolific writer, and left detailed accounts of his experiences in China.
Yoshiyuki Kawashima (川島 義之, Kawashima Yoshiyuki; 25 May 1878 – 8 September 1945) was a general in the Imperial Japanese…Yoshiyuki Kawashima (川島 義之, Kawashima Yoshiyuki; 25 May 1878 – 8 September 1945) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and Army Minister in the 1930s.
Baron Yoshinori Shirakawa (白川 義則, Shirakawa Yoshinori; 24 January 1869 – 26 May 1932) was a general in the Imperial…Baron Yoshinori Shirakawa (白川 義則, Shirakawa Yoshinori; 24 January 1869 – 26 May 1932) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He died from injuries caused by a bomb set by Korean independence activist Yun Bong-gil in Shanghai.
Akiyama Saneyuki (秋山 真之; April 12, 1868 – February 4, 1918) was a Japanese navy officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy…Akiyama Saneyuki (秋山 真之; April 12, 1868 – February 4, 1918) was a Japanese navy officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Meiji era. He was a planner of Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War. General Akiyama Yoshifuru was his elder brother and politician Hisako Ōishi was his granddaughter.
Takeda Ayasaburō (武田 斐三郎; November 4, 1827 - January 28, 1880), was a Japanese Rangaku scholar, and the architect of…Takeda Ayasaburō (武田 斐三郎; November 4, 1827 - January 28, 1880), was a Japanese Rangaku scholar, and the architect of the fortress of Goryōkaku in Hokkaidō. Takeda was born in the Ōzu Domain (modern-day Ōzu, Ehime) in 1827. He studied medicine, Western sciences (rangaku), navigation, military architecture. He was a student of Ogata Kōan and Sakuma Shōzan. In 1854 he was ordered to the island of Hokkaidō to reinforce the military infrastructure. He built the fortresses of Goryōkaku and Benten Daiba between 1854 and 1866, using Dutch books on military architecture, and also established a school. He also practiced sailing with the Hakodate Maru, one of Japan's first Western-style sailing ship, together with his students. He sailed to Russia with the ship, and engaged in some exchanges.