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Jiro MinamiJapanese military and public figure
Date of Birth: 10.08.1874
Country:  Japan |
Content:
- Jiro Minami: A Prominent Japanese Military Leader
- Early Life and Education
- Military Service
- High Command Positions
- Governor-General of Korea
- Post-War and Death
Jiro Minami: A Prominent Japanese Military Leader
Jiro Minami was a renowned Japanese military figure and public servant who played a significant role in Japan's military and political landscape.
Early Life and Education
Jiro Minami was born on August 10, 1874, in Hiji, Oita Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu, Japan. He hailed from a former samurai family and received a rigorous education, eventually enrolling in the Imperial Japanese Army Academy (Rikugun Shikan Gakko). In 1895, he graduated as a Second Lieutenant in cavalry.
Military Service
During the Russo-Japanese War, Minami served with the 1st Cavalry Regiment and participated in the Siege of Port Arthur, the war's longest battle. He rose through the ranks, becoming a Major in 1905 and commanding the 13th Cavalry Regiment from 1914 to 1917. From 1917 to 1919, he headed the Ministry of the Army's Cavalry Department.
As a Major General, Minami commanded the 3rd Cavalry Brigade from 1921 to 1923. He also served as Commandant of the Cavalry School from 1922 to 1923 and of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy from 1923 to 1924.
High Command Positions
Promoted to Lieutenant General in 1926, Minami commanded the 16th Division and later served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff until 1929. He subsequently commanded the Korean Garrison Army from 1929 to 1930, receiving the rank of full General.
In 1931, Minami returned to Japan and was appointed Minister of the Army in the cabinet of Prime Minister Reijiro Wakatsuki. During his tenure, he sent Ambassador Yoshitsugu Tatekawa to Manchuria to rein in the militarist leadership of the Kwantung Army, but Tatekawa failed to prevent the Mukden Incident and the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
From 1934 to 1936, Minami commanded the Kwantung Army and served as Japan's ambassador to the puppet state of Manchukuo. After the February 26, 1936, military coup, Minami was briefly placed in reserve.
Governor-General of Korea
Later in 1936, Minami was appointed Governor-General of Korea, a position he held until 1942. He pursued a policy of assimilation and Japanization, issuing decrees on surname changes and conscripting Koreans into the Imperial Japanese Army.
Post-War and Death
After World War II, Minami was arrested by the American occupation forces and tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Found guilty of planning and launching aggressive war against China, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, he was pardoned in 1954 due to ill health. Jiro Minami passed away in Tokyo on December 5, 1955.
