was a

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 ...

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 ...

. He commanded the First Imperial Guards Division at the very end of

World War II 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 opposing ...

, and was killed by Major

Kenji Hatanaka (28 March 1912 – 15 August 1945) was a Japanese military officer and one of the chief conspirators in the Kyūjō incident, a plot to seize the Imperial Palace and to prevent the broadcast of Emperor Hirohito's surrender speech to mark th ...

during the

Kyūjō Incident The was an attempted military coup d'état in the Empire of Japan at the end of the Second World War. It happened on the night of 14–15 August 1945, just before the announcement of Japan's surrender to the Allies. The coup was attempted by th ...

Biography

A native of

Kōchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 757,914 (1 December 2011) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and ...

, Mori graduated from the 28th class of 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 ...

in 1916, specializing in cavalry. After serving in a number of administrative roles within the

Imperial Japanese Army General Staff The , also called the Army General Staff, was one of the two principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army. Role The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Affairs ...

he returned to 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 ...

, graduating from the 39th class in 1927. He subsequently served as commander of the 13th Cavalry Regiment before returning to desk duty within the General Staff. Mori taught at the Army Staff College from 1935 to 1937 and from 1938 to 1941. He was promoted to

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 ...

in 1941. With the start of the

Second Sino-Japanese War 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 Th ...

in July 1937, Mori was assigned as a staff officer to the

Japanese First Army The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was raised and demobilized on three occasions. History The Japanese 1st Army was initially raised during the First Sino-Japanese War from 1 September 1894 – 28 May 1895 under the command of ...

in China from 1937 to 1938. He returned to the Asian mainland in 1941 as Vice Chief of Staff of the 6th Army in Manchukuo, and was promoted to Chief of Staff in 1942. From 1943 to 1944 he served as Deputy Commander of the

Kempeitai The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...

, and from 1944 to 1945 as Chief of Staff of the 19th Army. Mori was promoted to the rank of

in 1945, and on 7 April, Mori became commander of the 1st Imperial Guards Division, the prestigious division assigned direct responsibility for protection of the

Imperial Family of Japan 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 ...

. After Japan's decision to surrender, during a meeting with his brother-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel Michinori Shiraishi, Mori received a visit just after midnight on 15 August 1945 from Major

, Lieutenant Colonels Masataka Ida and Jiro Shiizaki, and Captain Shigetaro Uehara, who attempted to secure his aid in their plot to isolate the Imperial Palace and to prevent the announcement of Japan's surrender. At around 1:30, Ida and Shiizaki left the room, and after repeated refusals on Mori's part, Hatanaka shot and killed Mori while Uehara killed Shiraishi with a sword. His seal was then placed on a false set of orders.Brooks, Behind Japan’s Surrender

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mori, Takeshi 1894 births 1945 deaths People from Kōchi Prefecture Japanese generals Kyūjō incident Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II Japanese murder victims People murdered in Japan Deaths by firearm in Japan Japanese military personnel killed in World War II

Biography

See also

References

Bibliography

External links