Masakazu Kawabe

Masakazu Kawabe
Masakazu Kawabe
	General
Commands held	12th Division; Third Army; Burma Area Army;
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War; World War II;

Masakazu Kawabe (河辺正三, Kawabe Masakazu, 5 December 1886 – 2 March 1965) was a general in the

Burma Campaign and defense of the Japanese homeland late in the war. He was also the elder brother of General Torashirō Kawabe

.

Toyama prefecture, Kawabe graduated from the 19th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1907 and the 27th class of the Army Staff College in 1915. From 1927 to 1929, he served as an instructor at the War College. He was then assigned as a military attaché to Switzerland from 1918 to 1921 and to Berlin, Germany from 1929 to 1932. Promoted to infantry colonel in 1932, he served in a number of staff assignments on his return to Japan, before being assigned command of the IJA 6th Infantry Regiment from 1932 to 1933.^[1]

Kawabe went on to be Commandant of the Infantry School from 1933 to 1934, and was Chief of 1st Section within the Inspectorate General of Military Training from 1934 to 1936. He was promoted to major general in 1936.

Second Sino-Japanese War

At the beginning of the

North China Area Army from 26 August 1937 until 14 April 1938 when he became Chief of Staff Central China Expeditionary Army

from 15 February 1938 to 31 January 1939.

Kawabe was promoted to

IJA 3rd Army in March 1941, he subsequently was Chief of Staff of the China Expeditionary Army

from 17 August 1942 to 18 March 1943.

Pacific War

In March 1943, Kawabe was transferred to the southern front as Commander in Chief of the

Hideki Tōjō on the understanding the operation would be a purely defensive one.^[2]

Mutaguchi's plan was a tremendous disaster for the Japanese army, resulting in the highest casualties of any operation in the entire war, and the loss of Burma. During the later stages of this offensive, Kawabe was bedridden with

amoebic dysentery. Kawabe was relieved by General Heitarō Kimura on 30 August 1944 and returned to Japan.^[3]

Kawabe served for a short time on the

Okinawa

, for the final defense of Japan against the anticipated Allied invasion.

After the

SCAP occupation authorities to assist with the demobilization of the Japanese military, replacing Kenji Doihara after the latter was arrested and tried for war crimes. Kawabe retired at the end of 1945 and died 20 years later.^[4]