Chikuhei Nakajima

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Chikuhei Nakajima
中島 知久平
Chikuhei Nakajima
Born(1884-01-01)January 1, 1884
DiedOctober 29, 1949(1949-10-29) (aged 65)[1][2]
NationalityJapanese
Occupation(s)Industrialist, Politician, Cabinet Minister

Chikuhei Nakajima (中島 知久平, Nakajima Chikuhei, January 1, 1884 – October 29, 1949), was a Japanese

naval officer, engineer, and politician, who is most notable for having founded Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917, a major supplier of airplanes in the Empire of Japan
. He also served as a cabinet minister.

Biography

Nakajima was born in

On his return to Japan, he designed an improved version of the Farman float plane for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Nakajima was dispatched as a military attaché to Europe in 1916, to observe first-hand the use of aircraft in combat. On his return to Japan in 1917, he resigned from the military as a Lieutenant,[2] and opened a company to produce aircraft in Japan in his hometown of Ōta in Gunma Prefecture. Nakajima received financial support from fellow engineer Seibei Kawanishi, and the company was called Nihon Hikoki Seisakusho KK (Japanese Aeroplane Manufacturing Work Co. Ltd). This company became the Nakajima Aircraft Company after the partners split in 1919, and the same year, the new company received its first order for 20 aircraft from the Japanese military.

Nakajima first ran for public office during the

Diet of Japan with the support of the Rikken Seiyūkai
political party. He turned control of Nakajima Aircraft over to his brother in 1931 in order to devote his efforts to politics full-time, and was subsequently re-elected four times from the Gunma No. 1 Electoral District.

From June 1937 through January 1939, Nakajima served as

Railway Minister under the Konoe administration. Nakajima also headed an influential political faction within the Rikken Seiyūkai. He was awarded with the Order of the Sacred Treasure
, 2nd class.

Nakajima was highly critical of the decision by Japan to declare war on the United States, and warned of the dangers posed by America’s industrial strength and production capabilities and growing air power. He was outraged by the decision of the Japanese military to abandon his project for a long-range bomber capable of striking at targets in North America. Although Nakajima was forced to join the

shogunate
.

After the

Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers and was held in Sugamo Prison for trial for war crimes. Nakajima was released on parole before his trial came to court in 1947. In 1949, while at his home in Mitaka, Tokyo, he died of an intracranial hemorrhage. His grave is at the Tama Cemetery in Fuchū, Tokyo.[4]

See also

References

  • Gunston, Bill. World encyclopaedia of aircraft manufacturers: from the pioneers to the present day. Naval Institute Press (1993)
  • Mikesh Robert C. Japanese aircraft 1910-1941. Putnam Aeronautical Books, University of Michigan (1990)
  • Nicolaou, Stephane. Flying Boats and Seaplanes: A History from 1905. MBI (1998)
  1. ^ Britannica International Encyclopedia 2016 (Britannica Japan Co., Ltd.)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Chikuhei Nakajima's Episodes" (in Japanese)
  3. OCLC 42578771
    .
  4. ^ Entry in Find-A-Grave

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Railway Minister
Jun 1937 - Jan 1939
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Munitions
Aug 1945 - Aug 1945
Succeeded by
position abolished
Preceded by Minister of Commerce and Industry
Aug 1945 - Oct 1945
Succeeded by