, was a Japanese

naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, who is most notable for having founded

Nakajima Aircraft Company The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru. History The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufactur ...

in 1917, a major supplier of airplanes in the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

. He also served as a cabinet minister.

Biography

Nakajima was born in

Nitta District, Gunma Historic Map of Nitta District:1. Ōta, 2. Kuai, 3.Sawano, 4. Ojima, 5. Serada, 6. Kizaki, 7. Hosen, 8. Torinogo, 9. Godo, 10. Izushina, 11.Watauchi 12. Yabuzukahonmachi, 12.Kasakake was formerly a rural district located in Gunma Prefecture, Ja ...

, (currently part of Ōta city), where his father was a farmer. Nakajima attended the Imperial Japanese Naval Engineering School, graduating from the 15th class in 1907"Chikuhei Nakajima's Episodes" (in Japanese)
/ref> and was promoted to

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1908. On October 27, 1911, he piloted Japan’s first

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

. He was also commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

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, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

in 1911. After graduating from the Naval Staff College in 1912, he was sent for further studies to 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 territori ...

, where he became the 3rd Japanese to receive a pilot’s license upon graduation from a flight school established by

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

. In 1915, he drafted the first paper advocating for the bombing of civilians to crush a nation's resistance/morale, this is also known as

terror bombing Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...

. On his return to Japan, he designed an improved version of the Farman float plane for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Nakajima was dispatched as a military attaché to Europe in 1916, to observe first-hand the use of aircraft in combat. On his return to Japan in 1917, he resigned from the military as a Lieutenant, and opened a company to produce aircraft in Japan in his hometown of Ōta in

Gunma Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 Square kilometre, km2 (2,456 Square mile, sq mi). Gunma P ...

. Nakajima received financial support from fellow engineer Seibei Kawanishi, and the company was called ''Nihon Hikoki Seisakusho KK'' (Japanese Aeroplane Manufacturing Work Co. Ltd). This company became the

after the partners split in 1919, and the same year, the new company received its first order for 20 aircraft from the Japanese military. Nakajima first ran for public office during the 1930 General Election, when he was elected to the Lower House of the Diet of Japan with the support of the '' Rikken Seiyūkai'' political party. He turned control of Nakajima Aircraft over to his brother in 1931 in order to devote his efforts to politics full-time, and was subsequently re-elected four times from the Gunma No. 1 Electoral District. From June 1937 through January 1939, Nakajima served as

Railway Minister A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructure. ...

under the Konoe administration. Nakajima also headed an influential political faction within the ''Rikken Seiyūkai''. He was awarded with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class. Nakajima was highly critical of the decision by Japan to declare war on the United States, and warned of the dangers posed by America’s industrial strength and production capabilities and growing air power. He was outraged by the decision of the Japanese military to abandon his project for a long-range bomber capable of striking at targets in North America. Although Nakajima was forced to join the ''

Taisei Yokusankai The , or Imperial Aid Association, was the Empire of Japan's ruling organization during much of World War II. It was created by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 12 October 1940, to promote the goals of his ("New Order") movement. It evolved i ...

'', he was vocally critical of the new political organization. While recognizing the advantages of a

one-party system A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...

, he accused it of being unconstitutional and of attempting to create a new shogunate. After the surrender of Japan,

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 i ...

Higashikuni asked Nakajima to accept the cabinet posts of

Minister of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

(which he held for a week until it was abolished) and Minister of Commerce and Industry (which he held for just over a month). Afterwards, he was arrested along with all other members of the former Japanese government by the

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 "milit ...

and was held in Sugamo Prison for trial for war crimes. Nakajima was released on parole before his trial came to court in 1947. In 1949, while at his home in

Mitaka, Tokyo 260px, Inokashira Park in Mitaka is a city in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 190,403, and a population density of 12,000 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Mi ...

, he died of an

intracranial hemorrhage Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), also known as intracranial bleed, is hemorrhage, bleeding internal bleeding, within the Human skull, skull. Subtypes are intracerebral bleeds (intraventricular bleeds and intraparenchymal bleeds), subarachnoid bleed ...

. His grave is at the

Tama Cemetery in Tokyo is the largest municipal cemetery in Japan. It is split between the cities of Fuchu and Koganei within the Tokyo Metropolis. First established in April 1923 as , it was redesignated Tama Cemetery in 1935. It is one of the largest green ...

Fuchū, Tokyo 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in central Tokyo. The city hosts large scale manufacturing facilities for Toshiba, NEC ...

.Entry in Find-A-Grave
/ref>

References

*Gunston, Bill. ''World encyclopaedia of aircraft manufacturers: from the pioneers to the present day''. Naval Institute Press (1993) *Mikesh Robert C. ''Japanese aircraft 1910-1941''. Putnam Aeronautical Books, University of Michigan (1990) * Nicolaou, Stephane. ''Flying Boats and Seaplanes: A History from 1905''. MBI (1998)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakajima, Chikuhei 1884 births 1949 deaths People from Gunma Prefecture Imperial Japanese Navy officers Government ministers of Japan Japanese founders of automobile manufacturers Members of the House of Representatives (Empire of Japan) Rikken Seiyūkai politicians Imperial Rule Assistance Association politicians Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure

Biography

See also

References

External links