Mitsumasa Yonai

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Mitsumasa Yonai

was an admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
in the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the Asia, beginning in the early history of Japan#Feudal Japan and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural diffusion with European power during the Age of Discovery....
, and politician

Politician

A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
. He was the 37th Prime Minister of Japan

Prime Minister of Japan

The is the usual English-language term used for the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime Minister of the Cabinet....
from January 16, 1940 to July 22, 1940.

i was born in Morioka

Morioka, Iwate

is the capital cities of Japan of Iwate Prefecture prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and the population density of 588.11 persons per km?....
city, Iwate Prefecture

Iwate Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island. The capital is Morioka, Iwate....
as the first son of an ex-samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial society Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character ? was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau....
retainer of the Nambu clan of the Morioka Domain

Morioka Domain

The was a Han or feudal domain that encompasses present-day the middle-northern part of Iwate Prefecture and eastern part of Aomori Prefecture....
. He graduated from the 29th class Imperial Japanese Naval Academy

Imperial Japanese Naval Academy

The was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It originally located in Nagasaki, Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869....
in 1901, ranked 68 of 115 cadets. After midshipman

Midshipman

A midshipman is a subordinate officer, an officer cadet, or alternatively a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the navy of several English-speaking countries....
service in the corvette

Corvette

A corvette is a small, manoeuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a offshore patrol vessel, although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role....
Kongo

Japanese corvette Kongo (1877)

was the second and last vessel in the of Belt armor corvettes in the early Imperial Japanese Navy. Kongo was named after the Mount Kongo, in Nara Prefecture and the name was subsequently used for the World War II battleship , as well as the s of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force....
, and cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a large type of warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The first cruisers were intended for individual raiding and protection missions on the seas....
Tokiwa

Japanese cruiser Tokiwa

was an armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Tokiwa was named after a lake in Yamaguchi prefecture, near Ube, Yamaguchi. Its sister ship was the ....
he was commissioned as ensign

Ensign (rank)

Ensign is a junior rank of Officer #Commissioned officers in the militaries of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign, the rank itself acquired the name....
in January 1903.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Mitsumasa Yonai'

Start a new discussion about 'Mitsumasa Yonai'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

was an admiral

Admiral

Imperial Japanese Navy

Politician

Prime Minister of Japan

Early life & Naval career

Yonai was born in Morioka

Morioka, Iwate

Iwate Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island. The capital is Morioka, Iwate....
as the first son of an ex-samurai

Samurai

Morioka Domain

Imperial Japanese Naval Academy

Midshipman

A midshipman is a subordinate officer, an officer cadet, or alternatively a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the navy of several English-speaking countries....
service in the corvette

Corvette

Japanese corvette Kongo (1877)

Cruiser

Japanese cruiser Tokiwa

was an armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Tokiwa was named after a lake in Yamaguchi prefecture, near Ube, Yamaguchi. Its sister ship was the ....
he was commissioned as ensign

Ensign (rank)

Russo-Japanese War

The Russo-Japanese War or the Manchurian Campaign in some English sources, was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialism ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over Manchuria and Korea....
of 1904-1905, when he went to sea again on the destroyer

Destroyer

In navy terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers ....
Inazuma

Japanese destroyer Inazuma

Inazuma was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 14 May 1944, while escorting a tanker convoy from Manila to Balikpapan, Inazuma was torpedoed and sunk by in the Celebes Sea near Tawitawi ....
and the cruiser Iwate

Japanese cruiser Iwate

was an armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was named after Iwate prefecture in northern Japan, and it was a sister ship of the ....
.

After the war, he served as chief gunnery officer on the cruiser Niitaka

Japanese cruiser Niitaka

was the lead ship of the Niitaka class cruiser protected cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the sister ship of the . The Niitaka is named after Mount Niitaka in Taiwan, at the time, the tallest mountain in the Japanese Empire....
, battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large, heavily armour warship with a main artillery battery consisting of the largest calibre of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed, and better armored than cruisers and destroyers....
Shikishima

Japanese battleship Shikishima

was the lead ship in the Shikishima class battleship of pre-dreadnought battleships in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and one of the six battleships that formed the main Japanese line of battle in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905....
, and cruiser Tone

Japanese cruiser Tone (1904)

was a 2nd class protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Tone was named after the Tone River in Tokyo....
.

After his promotion to lieutenant commander

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer military rank in many navy superior to a Lieutenant and subordinate to a Commander. The corresponding rank in most army, and air forces is Major, and in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth of Nations air forces is Squadron Leader also....
in December 1912, he graduated from the Naval War College

Naval War College (Japan)

The was the staff college of the Imperial Japanese Navy, responsible for training officers for command positions either on warships, or in staff roles....
and was assigned as naval attaché to Russia

Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
during the height of World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, from 1915-1917.

While overseas, he was promoted to commander

Commander

Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement....
; after the collapse of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
, he was recalled to Japan and later became executive officer

Executive officer

While executive officer literally refers to a person responsible for the performance of duties involved in running an organization, the exact meaning of the role is variable, depending on the organization....
on the battleship Asahi

Japanese battleship Asahi

The was a pre-dreadnought battleship in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Built at the same time as the Shikishima class battleships, and with virtually identical specifications, it is regarded as the second vessel in that class by a number of authors....
.

He rose to the rank of captain

Captain (naval)

Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navy to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The Naval officer ranks#NATO Rank Codes is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
in December 1920 and was subsequently sent as naval attaché to Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
from 1921-1922.

On his return to Japan, he was captain of the cruisers Kasuga

Japanese cruiser Kasuga

was the lead ship of the armored cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built by Gio. Ansaldo & C., Genoa, Italy, where the type was known as the ....
(1922-1923), Iwate (1923-1924), and battleships Fuso

Japanese battleship Fuso

Fuso , was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of the Fuso class battleship-class. She was laid down by the Kure, Hiroshima Kaigun Kosho on 11 March 1912, launched on 28 March 1914 and completed on 18 November 1915....
(1924) and Mutsu

Japanese battleship Mutsu

Mutsu , named after Mutsu Province, was the Imperial Japanese Navy's second Nagato class battleship, laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 1 June 1918, launched on 31 May 1920, and completed on 24 October 1921....
(1924-1925). Yonai was promoted to rear admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain , and below that of a Vice Admiral. It is the lowest form of Admiral....
on December 1, 1925.

He became Chief of the 3rd Section of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo....
in December 1926. Within the Navy General Staff, he served on the Technical Council of the Navy Technical Department.

He was appointed Commander-in-Chief

Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
of the First Expeditionary Fleet, sent to the Yangtze River

Yangtze River

The Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang , is the longest river in China and Asia, and the List of rivers by length in the world, after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon River in South America....
in China

China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
in December 1928. Following the success of this mission, he was promoted to vice-admiral in December 1930 and placed in command of the Chinkai Guard District

Chinkai Guard District

The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Korea under Japanese rule before and during World War II. Located in southern Korea , the Chinkai Guard District was responsible for control of the strategic Straits of Shimonoseki and for patrols along the Korean coastline and in the Sea of Japan....
, in Korea

Korea under Japanese rule

Korea was under Japanese rule as part of the Imperial Japan during the first half of the 20th century, until the surrender of Japan in 1945. Korea was occupied and declared a Japanese protectorate in 1905 , and officially annexation in 1910 through an Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty....
.

Yonai was given command of the IJN 3rd Fleet

IJN 3rd Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was created on six separate occasions....
in December 1932, following which he again commanded the Sasebo Naval District

Sasebo Naval District

was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyushu, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan under Japanese rule and Korea under Japanese rule, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean....
(November 1933), IJN 2nd Fleet

IJN 2nd Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy....
(November 1934) and Yokosuka Naval District (December 1935) before receiving appointment as Commander-in-Chief

Commander-in-Chief

Combined Fleet

The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy, analogous to the German High Seas Fleet. Before World War II, the Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....
and concurrently the IJN 1st Fleet in December 1936.

While in command at Sasebo, the Japanese Navy was shaken by the “Tomozuru Incident”, when it was determined that the basic design of the Chidori-class torpedo boats

Japanese torpedo boat Tomozuru

The Tomozuru was one of four Japanese s, completed on February 24, 1934 and capsized in a storm on March 12, 1934, during training.The significance of this incident is that it severely challenged Japanese assumptions over the stability of their warships and prompted a major review of the design of all Japanese warships....
was flawed, thus calling into question the basic designs of many of the warships in the Japanese navy.

While in command at Yokosuka, the February 26 Incident erupted in Tokyo. Yonai was visiting his mistress in Shimbashi the night the attempted coup d'État

Coup d'état

A coup d??tat , often simply called a coup, is the sudden unconstitutional overthrow of a government by a part of the state establishment – usually the military – to replace the branch of the stricken government, either with another civil government or with a military government....
began, only a couple of blocks away, but knew nothing of the situation until he returned to base the following morning.

Naval Minister

Yonai became full admiral

Admiral

Ministry of the Navy of Japan

The was the Cabinet -level ministry from 1872-1945 in charge with administration of the Imperial Japanese Navy ....
in the cabinet of Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Japan

Senjuro Hayashi

was an Imperial Japanese Army commander of the Chosen Army of Japan in Korea under Japanese rule during the Mukden Incident and the invasion of Manchuria, and a Japanese politician and the 33rd Prime Minister of Japan from February 2 1937 to June 4 1937....
in 1937. He served in the same position under the subsequent first Fumimaro Konoe

Fumimaro Konoe

Prince Fumimaro Konoe was a Japanese politician and the 34th , 38th and 39th Prime Minister of Japan....
and Kiichiro Hiranuma administrations, through August 1939.

After Nobuyuki Abe

Nobuyuki Abe

was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Governor-General of Korea, and 36th Prime Minister of Japan from 30 August 1939 to 16 January 1940....
became Prime Minister, Yonai remained on the Supreme War Council

Supreme War Council (Japan)

The Supreme War Council was established during the development of representative Government of Meiji Japan in Meiji period Japan to further strengthen the authority of the state....
. While Navy Minister, Yonai was known as a man of few words. His speeches tended to be short, and were delivered in his almost indecipherable Nambu accent. Written records of his speeches are only about half the length of his contemporaries.

As Navy Minister, Yonai was alarmed by the growing tension between Japan and Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, at a time when the bulk of the Imperial Japanese Army

Imperial Japanese Army

The Imperial Japanese Army , or literally Army of Empire of Greater Japan was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1867 to 1945....
was tied down in an apparently unending quagmire in China. His efforts to promote peace made him unpopular with ultranationalist extremists, and (as with Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Isoroku Yamamoto

Admiral of the Fleet was the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of the U.S....
), he was the target of several assassination attempts. However, Yonai supported the construction of the Yamato class battleship

Yamato class battleship

The were battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy constructed and operated during World War II. Displacing 72,800 metric tons at full-load, the vessels of the class were the largest, heaviest, and most heavily-armed battleships ever constructed....
s in an effort to maintain a military balance with the world’s other two naval superpowers.

Prime Minister of Japan

Yonai was appointed Prime Minister of Japan

Prime Minister of Japan

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, pro-American

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
stance he held as Navy Minister and continued his strong opposition to the Tripartite Pact

Tripartite Pact

The Tripartite Treaty also refers to a 1906 treaty concerning the Nile river The Tripartite Pact, also called the Three-Power Pact, Axis Pact, Three-way Pact or Tripartite Treaty was a pact signed in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940 by Saburo Kurusu of Imperial Japan, Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, and Gale...
with Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
and fascist Italy

Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the Italian unification under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia; it existed until 1946 when the Italians opted for a republican constitution....
.

Yonai was forced to resign on July 21, 1940, largely due to pressure from the pro-Axis Imperial Japanese Army

Imperial Japanese Army

The Imperial Japanese Army , or literally Army of Empire of Greater Japan was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1867 to 1945....
. The Tripartite Pact was signed on September 27, 1940.

Subsequent political activity

Yonai served as Deputy Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister

A Deputy Prime Minister or Vice Prime Minister is, in some countries, a Minister who can take the position of acting Prime Minister when the Prime Minister is temporarily absent....
and concurrently as Navy Minister under the cabinet of Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso

Kuniaki Koiso

was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Governor-General of Korea and 41st Prime Minister of Japan from 22 July 1944 to 7 April 1945.Koiso was born in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture as the son of an ex-samurai family....
from July 22, 1944, during which time he returned to the active duty roster from the reserve list. By this time, Saipan

Saipan

Saipan is the largest island and Capital of the United States Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of 115.39 km? ....
had fallen to the Americans.

Yonai remained Navy Minister under the administration of Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki

Kantaro Suzuki

Baron was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and 42nd Prime Minister of Japan from 7 April 1945 to 17 August 1945.Suzuki was a key voice in favor of Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration and full surrender to the Allied Powers, thus ending World War II....
. In the last few weeks before Japan's surrender, he sided with Prime Minister Suzuki and Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo

Shigenori Togo

was Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for Japan at both the start and the end of the Japanese-American conflict during World War II. He also served as Ministry of Greater East Asia in 1941, and assumed the same position, renamed the Ministry of Greater East Asia , in 1945....
in support of acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration

Potsdam Declaration

The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender was a statement issued on July 26 for the surrender of Japanese forces, 1945, by United States President of the United States Harry S....
in opposition to Minister of War

Ministry of War of Japan

The , more popularly known as the Ministry of War of Japan was the Cabinet -level ministry from 1872-1945 in charge with administration of the Imperial Japanese Army ....
Korechika Anami

Korechika Anami

was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, and was Ministry of War of Japan at the surrender of Japan....
, Chief of Staff Admiral Soemu Toyoda

Soemu Toyoda

was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II....
and General Yoshijiro Umezu

Yoshijiro Umezu

was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II....
.

Yonai remained Navy Minister in the cabinets of Prime Minister HIH Higashikuni Naruhiko and Prime Minister Kijuro Shidehara

Kijuro Shidehara

Baron was a prominent pre-World War II Japanese diplomat and the 44th Prime Minister of Japan from 9 October 1945 to 22 May 1946. He was a leading proponent of pacifism in Japan before and after World War II, and was also the last Japanese prime minister who was a member of the kazoku....
from August 1945, during which time he presided over the final dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

He played a major role during the Tokyo war crimes trials in working with the major defendants, such as Hideki Tojo

Hideki Tojo

Hideki Tojo was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II, from 18 October 1941 to 22 July 1944....
, to coordinate their testimonies so that Emperor Hirohito would be spared from indictment. According to his interpreter Suichi Mizota, in March 1946 Bonner Fellers

Bonner Fellers

Bonner Frank Fellers , was a United States Army officer who served during World War II as military attach? and psychological warfare director. He was a considered a proteg? of General Douglas MacArthur....
asked him to make Tojo bear all responsibility for the Greater East Asia War After the war, Yonai devoted rest of his life to help to rebuild devastated Japan.

Yonai suffered from high blood pressure most of his life, but he died of pneumonia

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an Inflammation illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolus inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....
in 1948 at the age of 68. His grave is located in his hometown of Morioka.

His honors include the Order of the Golden Kite

Order of the Golden Kite

The was an Order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1889 by Emperor Meiji of Japan "in commemoration of Emperor Jimmu Tenno, the Romulus of Japan."...
(first class) and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun

Order of the Rising Sun

The Order of the Rising Sun 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....
.

Mitsumasa Yonai

Early life & Naval career

Naval Minister

Prime Minister of Japan

Subsequent political activity

Books

External links