Shizuichi Tanaka

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Shizuichi Tanaka
田中 静壱
Emperor Hirohito
Preceded byMasaharu Homma
Succeeded byShigenori Kuroda
Personal details
Born(1887-10-01)1 October 1887
Twelfth Area Army
Battles/warsSecond Sino-Japanese War
World War II

Shizuichi Tanaka (田中 静壱, Tanaka Shizuichi, 1 October 1887 – 24 August 1945) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Military Governor of the Philippines during World War II.

Biography

Early life and military service

Tanaka was born in Issai village,

Imperial Japanese Army General Staff
. Promoted to colonel in August 1930, he was assigned command of the IJA 2nd Infantry Regiment until May 1932.

Oxford University
, 1920

Tanaka was subsequently posted as a

Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He remained in the United States until May 1934. As a result of his long service in the United States and United Kingdom, and his openly pro-western sentiments, he was passed over for promotions as Japan militarized. From August 1934 to August 1935, Tanaka was Chief of Staff of the Osaka-based IJA 4th Division.[1] He was promoted to major general in August 1935 and was assigned command of the IJA 5th Infantry Brigade, which as a garrison force based in Manchukuo. A year later, he became director of the General Affairs department of the Kempeitai, and year after that, in August 1937, became commander of the Kempeitai in the Kwantung Leased Territory
. He was promoted to lieutenant general in July 1938 and commander of the Kemptai the following month.

World War II

In August 1939, Tanaka was assigned as commander of the IJA 13th Division, and spent the following year in combat on the front lines during the Second Sino-Japanese War, especially the Battle of Wuhan and the Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang. In 1940, he was awarded both the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. He returned to Japan to resume his post as commandant of the Kempeitai in September 1940.

After the start of the

Eastern District Army
.

Tanaka was sent to the

Honshū
.

Shizuichi Tanaka as a full general

As acting commander of the

announcement of Japan's surrender from being broadcast. When Tanaka was asked to join the rebellion, he refused, and later mobilized the Eastern District Army against the coup. After making a number of phone calls, and ordering troops to relieve the Palace, he drove there himself and berated Hatanaka and the other conspirators.[3]

Despite being called 'the hero of the August 15 incident', and being almost single-handedly responsible for bringing an end to the attempted coup d'état, Tanaka felt responsible for the damage done to Tokyo (his jurisdiction) by

Allied bombing. Since his assignment on 19 March, he had attempted to resign three times, after he failed to prevent damage to Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace, and other important sites, but his resignations were refused. At the surrender of Japan
, Tanaka told his subordinates to destroy their unit colors, but not to commit suicide; as burning the regiment's banners would be enough, and that he intended to take full responsibility himself, on behalf of all his men.

On 24 August, at his office in Tokyo's

Emperor Meiji and a scroll bearing Emperor Hirohito's words to him following the August 15th incident.[4]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shizuichi Tanaka.

Notes

  1. ^ Budge, The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
  2. ^ Ammenthorp, The Generals of World War II
  3. ^ Brooks, Behind Japan's Surrender
  4. ^ Chen, WW2 Data Base
Government offices
Preceded by Governor-General of the Philippines
June 1942–May 1943 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Commander of 13th Division
August 1939-September 1940 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of
Fourteenth Army

August 1942-May 1943 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Acting Commander of Imperial Guard Division
August 1945-August 1945 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of
Eastern District Army

March 1945–August 1945 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of
Twelfth Area Army

March 1945–August 1945 		Succeeded by
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