Takuma Nishimura
Takuma Nishimura | |
---|---|
Lieutenant General | |
Commands held | Indochina Expeditionary Army, Imperial Guard Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Other work |
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Takuma Nishimura (西村 琢磨, Nishimura Takuma, 12 September 1889 – 11 June 1951) was a Japanese
Early military career
A native of
Nishimura served as presiding judge at the
From 1936 to 1938, Nishimura was commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment, and from 1938 to 1939 commanded the 1st Heavy Field Artillery Brigade. He became
World War II
During 1941, Nishimura commanded the 21st Independent Mixed Brigade, and then the
Following the
From June 1943 – February 1944, Nishimura was appointed governor of the
Trials for war crimes
After the end of the war, Nishimura was tried by a British
As he was being repatriated to Japan, Nishimura was forcibly removed from a ship at Hong Kong by Australian military police and brought before an Australian military tribunal on Manus Island, where he was investigated with events in connection to the Parit Sulong Massacre. Although Lt. Hackney who had survived the Parit Sulong Massacre was shown Nishimura's photo, Hackney could not determine that Nishimura was the culprit. Nowadays in Japan, Nishimura's photo as a war criminal is often insisted to be probably one of another person. Hiroshi Kato, a former Japanese journalist, claims that this error seems to have already occurred at the Manus Island camp.[3] It is unclear if this photo was the same one Hackney saw, but it is possible that Hackney saw a photo that was already wrong. After all, other evidence was discovered stating that Nishimura had ordered the shootings at Parit Sulong and the destruction of bodies. Nishimura was charged, found guilty and was executed by hanging on 11 June 1951.
In 1996, Australian journalist Ian Ward suggested that the
Extensive research conducted by Professor Gregory Hadley and James Oglethorpe and published in the Journal of Military History in 2007 subsequently showed that the evidence that purported to indict James Godwin was a later fabrication created to further political causes in the 1990s.[6]
Notes
- ^ Steen Ammenthorp, The Generals of World War II
- ^ Kent Budge, The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
- ^ 加藤, 裕 (2015). 大東亜戦争とマレー、昭南、英領ボルネオ虐殺の真相. 朱鳥社. pp. 180–181.
- ^ Ian Ward, Snaring the Other Tiger (Media Masters Publishers, Singapore, 1996)
- ^ Watt, Lawrence. "Godwin, James Gowing 1923–1995". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- S2CID 159847866.
Bibliography
- Fuller, Richard (1992). Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai. London: Arms and Armor. ISBN 1-85409-151-4.
- Ward, Ian (1996). Snaring the Other Tiger. Singapore: Media Masters Publishers.
External links
- Ammenthorp, Steen. "Nishimura, Takuma Lieutenant-General (1899–1951)". The Generals of World War II.
- Budge, Kent. "Nishimura Takuya". Pacific War Online Encyclopedia.