General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
was the founder of a
collateral branch of the
Japanese imperial family
The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...
and a general in the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
during the
Japanese invasion of China
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...
and the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Son-in-law of
Emperor Meiji
, also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
and uncle by marriage of Emperor
Hirohito
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress KÅjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
, Prince Asaka was commander of Japanese forces in the final assault on
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
, then the capital city of
Nationalist China, in December 1937. Japanese forces under his command committed the
Nanjing massacre
The Nanjing Massacre (, ja, å—京大è™æ®º, Nankin Daigyakusatsu) or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, immediately after the Ba ...
.
After the war, General
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
granted immunity to members of the Imperial family. As a result, Asaka was never tried for his involvement in the Nanking Massacre by
SCAP
SCAP may refer to:
* S.C.A.P., an early French manufacturer of cars and engines
* Security Content Automation Protocol
* ''The Shackled City Adventure Path'', a role-playing game
* SREBP cleavage activating protein
* Supervisory Capital Assessment ...
authorities. Asaka and his children lost their imperial status in 1947. Afterwards, he converted to Catholicism and died of natural causes at the age of 93.
Biography
Early years
Prince Yasuhiko came from
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''KyÅto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
, the eighth son of
Prince Kuni Asahiko
was a member of a collateral line of the Japanese imperial family who played a key role in the Meiji Restoration. Prince Asahiko was an adopted son of Emperor NinkÅ and later a close advisor to Emperor KÅmei and Emperor Meiji. He was the grea ...
and the court lady Tsunoda Sugako. Prince Kuni Asahiko was the youngest prince descended from the
Fushimi-no-miya
The is the oldest of the four shinnÅke, branches of the Imperial Family of Japan which were eligible to succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne in the event that the main line should die out.
The Fushimi-no-miya was founded by Prince Yoshihito, th ...
, one of the four branch houses of the imperial dynasty ''(
shinnÅke
was the collective name for the four cadet branches of the Imperial family of Japan, which were until 1947 entitled to provide a successor to the Chrysanthemum throne if the main line failed to produce an heir. The heads of these royal houses h ...
)'' entitled to provide a successor to the throne. In 1872, the Emperor Meiji granted him the title
Kuni-no-miya
The (princely house) was the second oldest collateral branch (''Åke'') of the Japanese Imperial Family created from the Fushimi-no-miya, the oldest of the four branches of the imperial dynasty allowed to provide a successor to the Chrysanthemu ...
and authorization to begin a new collateral branch of the imperial family. Prince Yasuhiko was a half-brother of
Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko
General was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945, a period of 54 days. An uncle-in-law of Emperor Hirohito twice over, Prince Hi ...
,
Prince Nashimoto Morimasa
was a member of the Japanese Imperial Family and a ''field marshal'' in the Imperial Japanese Army. An uncle-in-law of Emperor ShÅwa, an uncle of his consort, Empress KÅjun, and the father-in-law of Crown Prince Euimin of Korea, Prince Nashim ...
,
Prince Kaya Kuninori
(1 September 1867 – 8 December 1909) was a member of the Japanese imperial family and the founder of one of the nine ''Åke'' (or princely houses) in the Meiji period.
Early life
The prince was born in Kyoto, as the second of the nine son ...
, and
Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi
was a member of the Japanese imperial family and a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji and TaishÅ periods. He was the father of Empress KÅjun (who in turn was the consort of the Emperor ShÅwa), and therefore, the mate ...
, the father of the future
Empress KÅjun
, born , was a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the wife of Emperor ShÅwa (Hirohito) and the mother of Shigeko Higashikuni, Princess Sachiko Hisa-nomiya, Kazuko Takatsukasa, Atsuko Ikeda, the Emperor Emeritus Akihito, Prince Masahito ...
, the consort of
Emperor ShÅwa
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress KÅjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
(Hirohito).
Marriage and family
On 10 March 1906, the Emperor Meiji granted Prince Yasuhiko the title
Asaka-no-miya
The Asaka (æœé¦™) ''Åke'' (princely house) was the eighth oldest branch of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house.
Asaka-no-miya
The Asaka-no-miya house was formed by Prince Yasuhiko, eighth son of Pr ...
and authorization to begin a new branch of the imperial family. On 6 May 1909, Prince Asaka married
Nobuko, Princess Fumi (7 August 1891 – 3 November 1933), the eighth daughter of Emperor Meiji. Prince and Princess Asaka had four children:
# ; married in 1931 Marquis Nabeshima Naoyasu.
# ; married Todo Chikako, the fifth daughter of Count Todo Takatsugu. They had two daughters, Fukuko and Minoko and a son Tomohiko.
# , renounced membership in the imperial family and created Marquis Otowa, 1936.
Killed in action during the
Battle of Kwajalein
The Battle of Kwajalein was fought as part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It took place from 31 January – 3 February 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Employing the hard-learned lessons of the Battle of Tarawa, the Un ...
.
# ; married Count Ogyu Yoshiatsu.
Military career
Like the other imperial princes of the
Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
, it was expected that Prince Yasuhiko would pursue a career in the military. He received his early education at the
Gakushūin
The or Peers School (Gakushūin School Corporation), initially known as Gakushūjo, is a Japanese educational institution in Tokyo, originally established to educate the children of Japan's nobility. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2002)"Gakushū-i ...
Peers' School and the Central Military Preparatory School, before graduating from the
Imperial Japanese Army Academy
The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...
on 27 May 1908. Commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry on 25 December, Prince Asaka was promoted to lieutenant in December 1910, captain in August 1913, major in July 1918, and lieutenant-colonel in August 1922.
![Colonel Prince Asaka 1920s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Colonel_Prince_Asaka_1920s.jpg)
Between 1920 and 1923, Prince Asaka studied
military tactics
Military tactics encompasses the art of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield. They involve the application of four battlefield functions which are closely related – kinetic or firepower, Mobility (military), mobil ...
at the
École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, along with his half-brother
Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni
General was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945, a period of 54 days. An uncle-in-law of Emperor Hirohito twice over, Prince H ...
and his cousin
Prince Naruhisa Kitashirakawa
, was the 3rd head of a collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial Family.
Early life
Prince Naruhisa was the son of Prince Yoshihisa Kitashirakawa and Princess Tomiko.Takenobu, Yoshitaro. (1906). Prince Naruhisa succeeded as head of the hous ...
(1887–1923). However, on 1 April 1923, he was seriously injured in an automobile accident in
Perriers-la-Campagne
Perriers-la-Campagne () is a former commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Nassandres sur Risle.Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
) that killed Prince Kitashirakawa; the accident left Prince Asaka with a limp for the rest of his life.
Princess Asaka traveled to France to nurse her husband. Prince and Princess Asaka also visited the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1925. During that period, Prince and Princess Asaka became enthralled with the
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
movement. Upon returning to Japan that same year, The Prince and Princess began arranging for a new mansion to be built in the Art Deco style in Tokyo's
Shirokanedai
is a highly affluent district of Minato, Tokyo. The district today is made up of 5 ''chome''. As of November 1, 2007, the population of Shirokanedai is 10,001.
The former neighborhood of Shirokanedai (Shirokanedaimachi, 白金å°ç”º) consisted o ...
neighborhood. The house, currently the
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, was completed in May 1933, but Princess Asaka died a few months later.
While these events were occurring, Prince Asaka had risen through the ranks of the military. After being promoted to the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge of ...
in August 1925, in December 1929, he rose to the rank of
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
and was subsequently appointed an instructor at the
Army Staff College
Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For exa ...
in 1930. On 1 August 1933, he was promoted to
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...
and assumed command of the
First Imperial Guards Division. In December 1935, he was appointed a member of the
Supreme War Council
The Supreme War Council was a central command based in Versailles that coordinated the military strategy of the principal Allies of World War I: Britain, France, Italy, the US and Japan. It was founded in 1917 after the Russian revolution and w ...
, which gave him a very influential position with Emperor Hirohito.
However, during the abortive
February 26 Incident in 1936, Prince Asaka pressed the Emperor to appoint a new government that would be acceptable to the rebels, especially by replacing
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Keisuke Okada
was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, politician and Prime Minister of Japan from 1934 to 1936.
Biography
Early life
Okada was born on 20 January 1868, in Fukui Prefecture, the son of a samurai of the Fukui Domain. He attended the 15th ...
with
KÅki Hirota
was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1936 to 1937. Originally his name was . He was executed for war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War at the Tokyo Trials.
Early life
Hirota was ...
. The Prince's pro-
Imperial Way Faction
The ''KÅdÅha'' or was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army active in the 1920s and 1930s. The ''KÅdÅha'' sought to establish a military government that promoted totalitarian, militaristic and aggressive expansionistic ideals, ...
political sentiments, as well as his connections to other right-wing army cliques, caused a rift between himself and the Emperor. It was perhaps due to this rift that Prince Asaka was transferred to the
Japanese Central China Area Army
Field armies of Japan, C
Military units and formations established in 1937
Military units and formations disestablished in 1938
Nanjing Massacre perpetrators ...
(under the aging General
Iwane Matsui
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary force sent to China in 1937. He was convicted of war crimes and executed by the Allies for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre.
Born in Nagoya, Matsui chose ...
) in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 1937.
Role in the Nanking Massacre
![Memorial Ceremony Hasegawa Matsui Asaka Yanagawa Nanking 18-Dec-1937](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Memorial_Ceremony_Hasegawa_Matsui_Asaka_Yanagawa_Nanking_18-Dec-1937.png)
In November 1937, Prince Asaka became temporary commander of the Japanese forces outside Nanking (now
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
), then capital of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, because General Matsui was ill. As temporary commander of the final assault on Nanking between 2 and 6 December 1937, he issued the order to "kill all captives", thus providing official sanction for what became known as the "
Nanking Massacre
The Nanjing Massacre (, ja, å—京大è™æ®º, Nankin Daigyakusatsu) or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, immediately after the Ba ...
" or the "Rape of Nanking" (12 December 1937 – 10 February 1938).
[Chen, World War II Database]
While Prince Asaka's responsibility for the
Nanking Massacre
The Nanjing Massacre (, ja, å—京大è™æ®º, Nankin Daigyakusatsu) or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, immediately after the Ba ...
remains a matter of debate, the sanction for the massacre and the crimes committed during the invasion of China might ultimately be found in the ratification, made on 5 August 1937 by Emperor
Hirohito
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress KÅjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
, of the proposition of the Japanese army to remove the constraints of
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
on the treatment of Chinese prisoners.
In February 1938, both Prince Asaka and General Matsui were recalled to Japan. Matsui went into virtual retirement, but Prince Asaka remained on the Supreme War Council until the end of the war in August 1945. He was promoted to the rank of
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
in August 1939 but held no further military commands. In 1944, he colluded with Prince Higashikuni, his nephew
Prince Takamatsu
was the third son of Emperor TaishÅ (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako) and a younger brother of Emperor ShÅwa (Hirohito). He became heir to the Takamatsu-no-miya (formerly Arisugawa-no-miya), one of the four ''shinnÅke'' or branches of ...
, and former Prime Minister
Fumimaro Konoe
Prince was a Japanese politician and prime minister. During his tenure, he presided over the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and the breakdown in relations with the United States, which ultimately culminated in Japan's entry into World W ...
(1895–1945) to oust the
Hideki Tojo
Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...
cabinet.
Immunity from prosecution
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milita ...
(SCAP) officials interrogated Prince Asaka about his involvement in the Nanking Massacre on 1 May 1946, but did not bring him before the
International Military Tribunal for the Far East
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo Trial or the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, was a military trial convened on April 29, 1946 to try leaders of the Empire of Japan for crimes against peace, conven ...
for prosecution. Indeed, for politico-strategic and geopolitical reasons, General
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
decided to support the Imperial family and to grant immunity to all its members. Matsui, on the other hand, was tried, convicted, and executed for failing to prevent the massacre.
Postwar life as a commoner
On 14 October 1947, Asaka Yasuhiko and his children lost their imperial status and privileges and became ordinary citizens, as part of the
American Occupation's abolition of the collateral branches of the
Japanese Imperial family
The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...
. He and his son were
purge
In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another organization, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertak ...
d from holding any political or public office because they had been officers in the Imperial Japanese Army. His
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
mansion in
Shirokanedai
is a highly affluent district of Minato, Tokyo. The district today is made up of 5 ''chome''. As of November 1, 2007, the population of Shirokanedai is 10,001.
The former neighborhood of Shirokanedai (Shirokanedaimachi, 白金å°ç”º) consisted o ...
was seized by the government and now houses the
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.
The former prince, Asaka Yasuhiko, moved to
Atami
is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 36,865 in 21,593 households and a population density of 600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Atami is located in the far ea ...
, on the
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The peninsul ...
south of Tokyo. Asaka converted to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
on 18 December 1951, and he was the first Imperial clansman to do so. He spent most of his time playing
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
. He also took an active interest in
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
development and in the 1950s was the architect of the Plateau Golf Course at the Dai-
Hakone
is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 11,293 and a population density of 122 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs and views of ...
Country Club. Asaka Yasuhiko died of natural causes on 12 April 1981 at his home in
Atami, Shizuoka
is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 36,865 in 21,593 households and a population density of 600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Atami is located in the far ea ...
prefecture. He was 93 years old.
Honours
* Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Chrysanthemum
is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the Collar of the Order was added on 4 January 1888. Unlike its European counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously.
Apart f ...
(31 October 1917)
*
Order of the Golden Kite
The was an order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1890 by Emperor Meiji "in commemoration of Jimmu TennÅ, the Romulus of Japan". It was officially abolished 1947 by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) during th ...
, 1st Class (4 April 1942)
Foreign honours
* : Grand Cordon
Order of Leopold (29 April 1925)
[Royal Decree of 1925/-Mémorial du centenaire de l'Ordre de Léopold. 1832–1932. Bruxelles, J. Rozez, 1933.]
Gallery
Image:HIH Asaka Nobuko.jpg, Princess Asaka Nobuko, consort
Image:HIH Princess Asaka Kikuko.jpg, Princess Asaka Kikuko, eldest daughter
Image:HIH Prince Asaka Takahiko.jpg, Prince Asaka Takahiko, son and heir
Image:HIH Princess Asaka Kiyoko.jpg, Princess Asaka Kiyoko, younger daughter
References
Books
*
*
*
External links
Profile of Asaka*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asaka Yasuhiko, Prince
1887 births
1981 deaths
People from Kyoto
Japanese princes
Asaka-no-miya
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni
Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite
Japanese generals
Imperial Japanese Army generals of World War II
Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II
Japanese Roman Catholics
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Shinto
Nanjing Massacre perpetrators