20 Facts About Mitsuru Ushijima

Mitsuru Ushijima was a Japanese general who served during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.

Mitsuru Ushijima was the commanding general of the 32nd Army, which fought in the Battle of Okinawa during the final stages of the war.

Mitsuru Ushijima was born in Kagoshima city, where his father had been a samurai in the service of Satsuma Domain and later a career officer in the early Imperial Japanese Army.

Mitsuru Ushijima was the fourth son, and one of his elder brothers served as governor of Ibaraki Prefecture.

The family relocated to Tokyo, but when his father died shortly after Mitsuru Ushijima was born, his mother moved the family back to Kagoshima.

Mitsuru Ushijima graduated from school with honors and decided to follow in his father's footsteps for a military career.

Mitsuru Ushijima graduated from the 20th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1908 with honors, and was noted for his mastery of the Jigen-ryu school of Japanese swordsmanship.

Mitsuru Ushijima graduated from the 28th class of the Army Staff College in 1916, where his classmates included Tomoyuki Yamashita and Shizuichi Tanaka.

In 1928, Mitsuru Ushijima was promoted to lieutenant colonel and commander of the IJA 23rd Infantry Regiment.

Around this time, young officers were increasingly influenced by the ultra right-wing writings of Kita Ikki, often talked about politics, but Mitsuru Ushijima strongly instructed instructors and students to concentrate on military service and publicly denounced Kita Ikka.

From 1933 to 1936, Mitsuru Ushijima served in administrative postings within the Army Ministry.

Mitsuru Ushijima was ordered by General Hisao Tani of the IJA 6th Division to advance and destroy the three divisions of Chiang Kai-shek's elite Chinese 14th Army, which were threatening Japanese positions near Badaling.

Mitsuru Ushijima was noted for leading from the front lines, regardless of the personal risk.

Mitsuru Ushijima was removed from his position in April 1942 for fear that he would influence his students and subordinates with ideas contrary to official government policy.

However, Mitsuru Ushijima was reinstated instead as commandant of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, largely at the recommendation of Kenji Doihara and Otozo Yamada, who shared his misgivings about the Pacific War.

Mitsuru Ushijima felt that students at the Army Academy had become arrogant and "drunk with a sense of victory" after the fall of Singapore, and warned his students that the abundant natural resources and industrial capacity of the United States should not be underestimated.

Mitsuru Ushijima's warnings were prophetic, and despite his stated desire to remain an educator, he was ordered to take command of the newly formed 120,000 man 32nd Army, charged with the defense of the Ryukyu Islands against American invasion.

Nevertheless, Mitsuru Ushijima managed to evacuate 80,000 people from Okinawa and about 30,000 people from the Yaeyama Islands prior to the American invasion.

Mitsuru Ushijima led a skillful defense of the island based on a defense in depth as planned by his chief of staff, Colonel Hiromichi Yahara; however, he was constantly undermined by insubordination by his second in command, General Isamu Cho, who was pursuing a more aggressive policy encouraged by the Army General Staff in Tokyo for mass attacks against the invading American forces.

Mitsuru Ushijima was described as a humane man who discouraged his senior officers from striking his subordinates and who disliked displays of anger because he considered it a base emotion.