Tsuji Masanobu
Encyclopedia
was a tactician of the Imperial Japanese Army
during the Second World War and later a politician. While he was never indicted for war crimes after World War II
, subsequent investigations have revealed that he was involved in war crimes throughout the Pacific war
including the massacre of Chinese civilians
in Singapore
, the executions of numerous surrendered prisoners of war during the Bataan Death March
, and other war crimes in China
.
in Japan. He received his secondary education at a military academy and then graduated from the War College.
Tsuji served as a staff officer in the Kwantung Army in 1937-1939. His aggressive and insubordinate attitude contributed to the Soviet-Japanese Border Wars
, particularly the Changkufeng Incident/Battle of Lake Khasan
and the Nomonhan Incident/Battle of Khalkhin Gol
.
During the Pacific war he served mainly in Malaya
, Burma, the Philippines
, and Guadalcanal
. He served as a staff officer under General Tomoyuki Yamashita
. At Guadalcanal, Tsuji planned and led the last two attempted assaults by the Japanese forces to expel the Americans from the island. Tsuji personally returned to Tokyo after these failures to urge the evacuation of the troops from Guadalcanal. He impressed the Emperor with his frankness.
In Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45, Max Hastings
wrote, "Col Masanobu Tsuji [was] a fanatic repeatedly wounded in action and repeatedly transferred by generals exasperated by his insubordination. Tsuji once burned down a geisha
house to highlight his disgust at the moral frailty of the officers inside it. His excesses were responsible for some of the worst Japanese blunders on Guadalcanal. He was directly responsible for brutalities to prisoners and civilians in every part of the Japanese empire in which he served. In northern Burma, he dined
on the liver
of a dead Allied pilot, castigating as cowards those who refused to share his meal: 'The more we eat, the brighter will burn the fire of our hatred for the enemy.'"
After Japan's surrender in September 1945, Tsuji went into hiding in Thailand
for fear of being tried on war crimes charges. When it was clear he would not be, he returned to Japan and wrote of his years in hiding in Senko Sanzenri (潜行三千里, lit. Lurking 3000 li
), which became a best seller. His memoirs made him famous and he later became a member of the Diet
. In April 1961, he traveled to Laos
and was never heard from again. Presumably a casualty of the Laotian Civil War, he was declared dead on July 20, 1968.
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
during the Second World War and later a politician. While he was never indicted for war crimes after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, subsequent investigations have revealed that he was involved in war crimes throughout the Pacific war
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
including the massacre of Chinese civilians
Sook Ching massacre
The Sook Ching massacre was a systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, after the British colony surrendered on 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. Sook Ching was later...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, the executions of numerous surrendered prisoners of war during the Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by...
, and other war crimes in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Biography
Masunobu Tsuji was born in the Ishikawa PrefectureIshikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...
in Japan. He received his secondary education at a military academy and then graduated from the War College.
Tsuji served as a staff officer in the Kwantung Army in 1937-1939. His aggressive and insubordinate attitude contributed to the Soviet-Japanese Border Wars
Soviet-Japanese Border Wars
The Soviet–Japanese Border Wars were a series of border conflicts between the Soviet Union and Japan between 1932 and 1939.Before Japanese occupation of Manchukuo, the Soviet Union had conflict with China on the border of Manchuria...
, particularly the Changkufeng Incident/Battle of Lake Khasan
Battle of Lake Khasan
The Battle of Lake Khasan and also known as the Changkufeng Incident in China and Japan, was an attempted military incursion of Manchukuo into the territory claimed by the Soviet Union...
and the Nomonhan Incident/Battle of Khalkhin Gol
Battle of Khalkhin Gol
The Battles of Khalkhyn Gol was the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese Border Wars fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield...
.
During the Pacific war he served mainly in Malaya
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, Burma, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
. He served as a staff officer under General Tomoyuki Yamashita
Tomoyuki Yamashita
General was a general of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the nickname "The Tiger of Malaya".- Biography :...
. At Guadalcanal, Tsuji planned and led the last two attempted assaults by the Japanese forces to expel the Americans from the island. Tsuji personally returned to Tokyo after these failures to urge the evacuation of the troops from Guadalcanal. He impressed the Emperor with his frankness.
In Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45, Max Hastings
Max Hastings
Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings, FRSL is a British journalist, editor, historian and author. He is the son of Macdonald Hastings, the noted British journalist and war correspondent and Anne Scott-James, sometime editor of Harper's Bazaar.-Life and career:Hastings was educated at Charterhouse...
wrote, "Col Masanobu Tsuji [was] a fanatic repeatedly wounded in action and repeatedly transferred by generals exasperated by his insubordination. Tsuji once burned down a geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
house to highlight his disgust at the moral frailty of the officers inside it. His excesses were responsible for some of the worst Japanese blunders on Guadalcanal. He was directly responsible for brutalities to prisoners and civilians in every part of the Japanese empire in which he served. In northern Burma, he dined
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
on the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
of a dead Allied pilot, castigating as cowards those who refused to share his meal: 'The more we eat, the brighter will burn the fire of our hatred for the enemy.'"
After Japan's surrender in September 1945, Tsuji went into hiding in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
for fear of being tried on war crimes charges. When it was clear he would not be, he returned to Japan and wrote of his years in hiding in Senko Sanzenri (潜行三千里, lit. Lurking 3000 li
Li (unit)
The li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which has varied considerably over time but now has a standardized length of 500 meters or half a kilometer...
), which became a best seller. His memoirs made him famous and he later became a member of the Diet
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
. In April 1961, he traveled to Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and was never heard from again. Presumably a casualty of the Laotian Civil War, he was declared dead on July 20, 1968.
Honors
- Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with RosetteOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
. - Order of the Sacred TreasureOrder of the Sacred TreasureThe is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
, 3rd Class. - Order of the Golden Kite, 4th Class and 5th Class.
- Decoration of ManchuriaManchuriaManchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, 4th Class and 5th Class. - Commemoration Medal of the Coronation of Emperor Showa.
- Commemoration Medal of the Census.
- Commemoration Medal of the Founding of Manchuria.
- Commemoration Medal of the 2,600th Year after the Accession of Emperor JimmuEmperor Jimmuwas the first Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He is also known as Kamuyamato Iwarebiko and personally as Wakamikenu no Mikoto or Sano no Mikoto....
. - Campaign Medal of the Chinese Incident.
- Campaign Medal of the Manchurian Incident.