10 Facts About Shigenori Kuroda

Shigenori Kuroda was a Japanese lieutenant general of the Imperial Japanese Army and the Japanese Governor-General of the Philippines during World War II.

In 1922, Shigenori Kuroda served as military attache in England and was promoted to major.

Shigenori Kuroda commanded the IJA 26th Division in the Battle of Wuyuan in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

In 1941, with the start of the Pacific War, Shigenori Kuroda was appointed Deputy Inspector General for Military Training, which was then under General Otozo Yamada.

From May 28,1943 to September 26,1944, Shigenori Kuroda was made military governor of the Philippines, succeeding Shizuichi Tanaka.

Shigenori Kuroda later became the first Commander in Chief of the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army, which were the merged elements of the Japanese 14th Army, 35th Army and 41st Army, in the Philippines from July 28 to September 26,1944.

Shigenori Kuroda planned to concentrate the bulk of the Japanese forces in Luzon, but his plan was never considered by the Imperial Army General Staff.

Shigenori Kuroda returned to Japan in disgrace in October 1944 and entered the reserves in December of the same year.

Shigenori Kuroda disguised Kuroda by putting a mole on his face, and removing that at the end of the trial to discredit the witnesses thrown at the Japanese general.

Shigenori Kuroda was pardoned in 1952 by Philippine president Elpidio Quirino and repatriated to Japan, where he died the same year.