18 Facts About Sadamu Shimomura

Sadamu Shimomura was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the final Minister of War of the Empire of Japan.

Sadamu Shimomura's classmates included Prince Asaka, Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko, Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa, Mitsuru Ushijima, Heitaro Kimura, Takashi Sakai, and Shojiro Iida.

Sadamu Shimomura subsequently graduated at the head of his class from the 28th class of the Army Staff College in 1916.

Sadamu Shimomura returned to the Strategy and Planning bureau of the General Staff in 1921 and was promoted to major in 1922.

Sadamu Shimomura was assigned as the Army observer to the Japanese delegation at the Geneva Naval Conference negotiations from 1928 to 1929, during which time he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Sadamu Shimomura returned to Geneva in April 1931 as part of the Japanese delegation to the League of Nations and was promoted to colonel in August.

From December 1933 Sadamu Shimomura was commander of the IJA 1st Heavy Field Artillery Regiment.

In March 1935, Sadamu Shimomura was assigned to the staff of the Kwantung Army, returning to Japan in December to serve as an instructor at the Army Staff College.

Sadamu Shimomura was promoted to major general in March 1936.

Sadamu Shimomura returned to the General Staff as Chief of the 4th Bureau from August 1936, and of the 1st Bureau from September 1937.

The 1st Bureau was in charge of operational planning, and Sadamu Shimomura was strong proponent of a more aggressive approach towards the Kuomintang government in the Shanghai area and his recommendations influenced the decision of the Japanese General Staff to authorize the landings of the Japanese Tenth Army at the start of the Battle of Shanghai.

Sadamu Shimomura was appointed commandant of the Artillery School in August 1940, and of the Army Staff College in September 1941.

Sadamu Shimomura was given a field command in October 1942 in the form of the Japanese Thirteenth Army, a garrison force based in Shanghai and surrounding provinces primarily to deter the possible landings of the Allies of World War II in the lower Yangtze River area of east central China.

In March 1944, Sadamu Shimomura was withdrawn to the Japanese home islands and became commander of the Western District Army, another force intended to defend against Allied landings.

In May 1945, Sadamu Shimomura was promoted to full general, and on 23 August, was appointed final Army Minister under the Shidehara cabinet.

In 1955, Sadamu Shimomura was asked to help create the post-war Japan Defense Agency.

Sadamu Shimomura ran again in the 1965 Japanese House of Councillors election, but was defeated.

Sadamu Shimomura died in a traffic accident on 25 March 1968.