was a
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
and
war criminal
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
in the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Early career
Adachi was born into an impoverished family, originally descended from samurai,
in
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...
in 1890 (the 23rd year of the reign of
Emperor Meiji
, posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...
, which is why his father, who had been a professional officer in the Japanese military,
chose the ''kanji'' for "23" to represent his given name "Hatazō"). Too poor to afford the military preparatory schools necessary for a career in the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
, as a youth he tested into the fiercely competitive Tokyo Cadet Academy, which enabled him to enter the
Imperial Japanese Army Academy, from which he graduated from the 22nd class in 1910.
Adachi served with the
1st Imperial Guards Division, and then graduated from the 34th class of the
Army War College in 1922. Unlike many Army officers of his day, Adachi avoided involvement in the political factions which plagued the Japanese Army in the 1930s. After serving in a number of staff and administrative positions within the
Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, Adachi was assigned to the Railway Guard unit of the
Kwantung Army
The Kwantung Army (Japanese language, Japanese: 関東軍, ''Kantō-gun'') was a Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army, general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1919 to 1945.
The Kwantung Army was formed in 1906 as a security force for th ...
, responsible for the security of the
South Manchuria Railway in 1933.
Career
Second Sino-Japanese War
Adachi was promoted to
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
in 1934, and was given command of the IJA 12th Infantry Regiment in 1936. During the
Shanghai Incident of July 1937, Adachi also gained a reputation of leading his troops from the front, where the fighting was the thickest. He was injured by a mortar barrage in September, which permanently damaged his right leg.
He was promoted to
major general in 1938, and promoted to commander of the IJA 26th Infantry Brigade. Adachi had a reputation as a "soldier's general", sharing the miserable living conditions of his troops and welcoming open discussion with his officer and staff.
Promoted to
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
in August 1940, he was commander of the
IJA 37th Division at the
Battle of South Shanxi. In 1940, he became a
Chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
of the
North China Area Army from 1941 to 1942, during the height of its
scorched earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...
campaigns against the Chinese forces.
Pacific War
On 9 November 1942, Adachi was appointed
commander in chief of the newly formed
18th Army on
Rabaul and the north coast of
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
from 1942 to 1945. The 18th Army contained the
IJA 20th Division and
IJA 41st Division, both of which arrived safely. However, the
IJA 51st Division, including Adachi and his senior staff, came under Allied air attack while en route from Rabaul to
Lae, in the
Battle of the Bismarck Sea. All eight transport ships and four destroyers were sunk with the loss of 3,664 men, and only 2,427 men of the division were rescued.
With the defeat of the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
in the
Solomon Islands campaign
The Solomon Islands campaign was a major military campaign, campaign of the Pacific War during World War II. The campaign began with the Empire of Japan, Japanese seizure of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, B ...
, and with landings of
US forces led by
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...
at
Aitape and
Hollandia from 22 to 27 April 1944, the vast majority of Adachi's forces became isolated. His forces, suffering from
malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
,
heat exhaustion and
malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...
were rendered ineffective for the remainder of the war, despite Adachi's efforts to achieve some form of self-sufficiency by planting crops and giving priority in rations to the sick. As ammunition began to run low, many of Adachi's commanders resorted to
banzai charges against the Allied beachhead at Aitape rather than surrender. By the end of the war in September 1945, most of his forces had been annihilated. Of Adachi's original 140,000 men, barely 13,000 were still alive when the war ended. He surrendered to the
Australian 6th Division at
Cape Wom, by
Wewak, New Guinea.
Postwar
At the end of the war, Adachi was taken into custody by the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n government and charged with
war crimes
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...
in connection with mistreatment and arbitrary execution of
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
. Although not personally involved in any of the atrocities mentioned, Adachi insisted on absorbing
command responsibility
In the practice of international law, command responsibility (also superior responsibility) is the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes, whereby a commanding officer (military) and a superior officer (civil) are legally r ...
for the actions of his subordinates during the
military tribunal. On 12 July 1947 he was sentenced to
imprisonment for life. On 10 September that year he killed himself in his quarters with a paring knife in the prisoners' compound at Rabaul, having first written a number of letters.
In one of these, addressed to those officers and men of the
Eighteenth Army who were then in the compound, he said:
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Lieutenant General Adachi Hatazo, Australia–Japan Research Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adachi, Hatazo
1890 births
1947 suicides
1947 deaths
Imperial Japanese Army generals of World War II
South Seas Mandate in World War II
Japanese military personnel who died by suicide
Japanese people convicted of war crimes
Japanese prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Seppuku from Meiji era to present
Suicides by sharp instrument in the Solomon Islands
People who died by suicide in prison custody
Japanese people who died in prison custody
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the Commonwealth of Australia
Prisoners who died in Commonwealth of Australia detention
Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun
Military personnel from Ishikawa Prefecture
Male suicides