Jiro Minami

Born	10 Aug 1874
Died	5 Dec 1955
Country	Japan
Category	Ground

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

Jiro Minami was born in Hiji, Oita Prefecture, Japan to a samurai. Upon graduating the Imperial Army Academy, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the cavalry in 1895. He served in the Russo-Japanese War as a member of the headquarters staff and was a company commander in the 1st Cavalry Regiment, where he participated in the siege of Port Arthur. He was promoted to major in 1905. By 1919, he reached the rank of major general. In 1923, he was the commandant of the Imperial Army Academy. Between 1926 and 1927, with the rank of lieutenant general, he commanded the Japanese 16th Division. Between 1929 and 1930, he was the head of the Japanese Chosun Army in Korea, and was promoted to the rank of full general during his tenure there. He was the Minister of War in 1931; in that role he dispatched Major General Yoshitsugu Tatekawa to Manchuria specifically to curb the militarist behaviors of the Kwantung Army, but the Mukden Incident took place to worsen Sino-Japanese relations before Tatekawa could act. Minami was a member of the Supreme War Council from 1931 to 1934, then took over the Kwantung Army until 1936 with a dual-role of being the Japanese ambassador to the puppet state Manchukuo. Between 1936 and 1942, he was the Governor-General of Korea, and between 1942 to 1945 Privy Councilor to Emperor Showa. After the war ended, he was arrested and tried before the International Military Tribunal as a Class A war criminal, citing his role in waging an unprovoked war and a war of aggression against China, the United States, British Commonwealth, and the Netherlands. He was defended by American William J. McCormack. He was found guilty for the charges against China only, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was paroled in 1954 due to poor health. He passed away a year later.

Source: Wikipedia.

Jiro Minami Timeline

10 Aug 1874	Jiro Minami was born.
1 Aug 1929	General Jiro Minami was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea, relieving Hanzo Kanaya. Minami named Lieutenant General Kotaro Nakamura as his chief of staff.
10 Dec 1934	General Jiro Minami succeeded General Takashi Hishikari as the Governor-General of Kwantung Leased Territory and the commanding officer of the Japanese Kwantung Army in northeastern China.
6 Mar 1936	General Jiro Minami stepped down as the Governor-General of Kwantung Leased Territory and the commanding officer of the Japanese Kwantung Army in northeastern China; he was succeeded by General Kenkichi Ueda.
5 Dec 1955	Jiro Minami passed away.

Photographs

The defendants at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Ichigaya Court, Tokyo, Japan, May-Jun 1946

Share this article with your friends:
	Facebook	Reddit
	Twitter	Digg
	StumbleUpon	Delicious
Stay updated with WW2DB:
	RSS Feeds

Advertisement Close

Advertise on ww2db.com

Search WW2DB & Partner Sites

Your Name
Your Email
	Your email will not be published
Your Comments
Security Code