10 Facts About Sanji Iwabuchi

Sanji Iwabuchi was a war criminal and rear admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Pacific War of World War II.

Sanji Iwabuchi committed suicide after facing imminent defeat during the Battle of Manila.

Sanji Iwabuchi graduated from the 43rd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in December 1915 ranked 13th out of 96 cadets, and on graduation continued on to naval artillery school to become a specialist in that field.

Sanji Iwabuchi served as a midshipman on the cruiser Iwate, which made a long-distance navigational training voyage to Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the South Seas Mandate in 1915.

Sanji Iwabuchi was promoted to captain in November 1937, and was given command of the seaplane tender Kamoi in 1938.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Sanji Iwabuchi was captain of the seaplane tender Akitsushima.

Sanji Iwabuchi was reassigned to the staff of the Combined Fleet on 25 March 1942, and was given command of the battleship Kirishima on 20 April 1942.

Sanji Iwabuchi commanded Kirishima in the Battle of Midway in June 1942, but Kirishima was sunk by the American battleship USS Washington in the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 15 November of the same year.

Sanji Iwabuchi returned to the Yokosuka Naval District on 10 February 1943, and was promoted to rear admiral on 1 May On 5 May, he was assigned to the Personnel and Recruiting Department at Maizuru Naval District.

Sanji Iwabuchi was assigned command of the Manila Naval Defense Force in defenses of the city.