Shunroku Hata: Imperial Japanese Field Marshal, War Minister, and China Campaign Commander
Biography of Shunroku Hata, Imperial Japanese Field Marshal and 1939 War Minister who commanded land forces in China during WWII; later tried and convicted for wartime conduct, imprisoned and released in 1955.
Shunroku Hata (畑 俊六, Hata Shunroku; 26 July 1879 – 10 May 1962) was a senior officer of the Imperial Japanese Army. He rose to the highest ranks of the service and held several top commands during the period leading up to and during the Second World War.
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Military career
Hata served in a succession of staff and field posts over a long army career. In 1939 he was appointed Minister of War, a cabinet position that placed him at the centre of army administration. During the war in China he served as a senior commander and in 1941 was placed in charge of Japanese land forces operating there.
He eventually attained the rank of Field Marshal, becoming the last surviving Japanese officer to hold that title.
War crimes conviction and later life
After Japan's surrender, Hata was tried by a post‑war tribunal on charges related to conduct in China. He was convicted and sentenced to prison. Hata was released in 1955 and lived quietly until his death in 1962.
Death
Shunroku Hata died on 10 May 1962. His military career and post‑war conviction have made him a subject of historical study concerning Japan's military leadership in the first half of the 20th century.
Related articles
Author
AlegsaOnline.com Shunroku Hata: Imperial Japanese Field Marshal, War Minister, and China Campaign Commander Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/90105
Sources
- books.google.com : "Hata Shunroku"