Tadaichi Wakamatsu (若松 只一, Wakamatsu Tadaichi, 8 March 1893 – 19 November 1959), also known as Tadakazu Wakamatsu, was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

Tadaichi Wakamatsu
Native name
若松 只一
Born(1893-03-08)8 March 1893
Fukushima prefecture, Japan
Died19 November 1959(1959-11-19) (aged 66)
Allegiance Empire of Japan
Service/branch Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service1914–1945
RankLieutenant General
Battles/warsWorld War II
Second Sino-Japanese War

In 1935, Wakamatsu was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army General Staff. Under orders from Prince Kan'in Kotohito, Wakamatsu was sent to Berlin, where he was involved in the forging of the Anti-Comintern Pact.[1]

As a general, Wakamatsu served in various army and army group level staff officer positions until he was appointed as the Vice Minister of War in April 1945, during the last months of the Pacific War. In August 1945 he was involved in the Kyūjō incident and played a role in ensuring that the army followed Hirohito's orders to surrender.[2]

After the war Wakamatsu testified as a witness at the Tokyo Trials.[3]

In July 1948, he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the mistreatment of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) on hell ships. After being tried as a Class B war criminal, he was found guilty and sentenced to prison.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Boyd, Carl (28 November 2008). "The Berlin–Tokyo Axis and Japanese Military Initiative". Modern Asian Studies. 15 (2): 311–338. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00007095. ISSN 1469-8099.
  2. ^ Frank 1999, p. 317.
  3. ^ Shanghai Jiaotong University Press. "检方证人若松只一出庭作证". tokyotrial.cn. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  4. ^ The Asahi Shimbun (July 28, 1953). "地獄船でB級公判". The Asahi Shimbun. p. 2.

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