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Tani Hisao | |
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| Born | 23 December 1882 Okayama, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 26 April 1947(1947-04-26) (aged 64) Mount Yuhuatai, Nanjing, Republic of China |
| Criminal status | Executed by shooting |
| Convictions | War crimes Crimes against humanity |
| Trial | Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service years | 1903–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Conflicts | |
Hisao Tani (谷 寿夫,Tani Hisao; 22 December 1882 – 26 April 1947) was alieutenant general in theImperial Japanese Army in theSecond Sino-Japanese War and a convicted war criminal, who was also convicted of crimes against humanity. Forces under his command committed the 1937Nanjing Massacre. Tani was tried in theNanjing War Crimes Tribunal and executed.
Tani was born to a farming family inOkayama Prefecture. He graduated from the 15th class of theImperial Japanese Army Academy in 1903, placing 16th in his class. One of his classmates, Yasusuke Nogi, was the younger son of GeneralNogi Maresuke, and later died in combat during theRusso-Japanese War. Tani also saw combat during that war as a second lieutenant in theGuard's First Infantry Battalion, although his training at the academy had been in artillery. After the war, he graduated in third place from the 24th class of theArmy War College in 1912. Tani later wrote an account of his experiences in the war, together with first-hand accounts of survivors, which was published under the titleSecret History of the Russo-Japanese War (機密日露戦史,Kimitsu Nichiro Senso-shi). The book became a required textbook for the Army Staff College, although it was criticized byField MarshalUehara Yusaku for inaccuracies.[1]
Tani was posted toGreat Britain as amilitary attaché from 1915, and from August 1917 he was embedded in the front lines as an officialmilitary observer for the Japanese government on the combat situation on theWestern Front inWorld War I. After his return to Japan, in April 1919 he served as an instructor at the Army Staff College, and was reappointed to that position in February 1924. In February 1927 he was promoted to colonel and made commander of the IJA 61st Infantry Regiment. In August 1928, he became chief-of-staff of theNagoya-basedIJA 3rd Division.[2]
In May 1930, Tani was named to theLeague of Nations Standing Committee on Military Aviation. He was promoted to major general in August 1930. He returned to Japan in 1932 to become Chairman of Military Investigation, and from August 1933 was commander of theGuards 2nd Brigade. he was promoted to lieutenant general in August 1934. He served as commander ofTokyo Bay Fortress from August 1934 to December 1935. He was then sent toKumamoto to oversee the reconstruction of theIJA 6th Division.
In July 1937, the IJA 6th Division was assigned to theJapanese China Garrison Army, and immediately began combat operations in theSecond Sino-Japanese War starting with the ongoingBattle of Beiping–Tianjin. Afterward, it participated inBeiping–Hankou Railway Operation.[3] In October 1937, the division was re-subordinated toIJA 10th Army and attacked the Chinese troops concentration atHangzhou Bay. By December 1937, it shifted west to join theIJA 18th division andIJA 114th division in theBattle of Nanking and ultimately in theNanjing Massacre.
Returned to Japan at the end of 1937, Tani became commander of theCentral District Army until September 1939 when he went into the reserves.
However, after theAtomic bombing of Hiroshima, Tani was recalled to active service to take command of theIJA 59th Army and concurrently theChugoku Regional Army District. These organizations were part of the last desperate defense effort by theEmpire of Japan to deter possible landings ofAllied forces in theSan'yo region of westernHonshū and consisted mostly of poorly trainedreservists,conscripted students andhome guard militia. The IJA 59th Army was officiallydemobilized after thesurrender of Japan on August 15, 1945.
In February 1946, Tani was arrested on orders of theAmerican occupation authorities and charged with Class B and Class Cwar crimes. At the request of theChinese government, he was extradited to China to stand trial at theNanjing War Crimes Tribunal in August 1946.[4] Tani denied all charges at the trial, stating that his troops kept discipline, and the area of Nanjing assigned to his division had been largely evacuated due to the ferocity of the battle. Furthermore, none of the witnesses against him could identify his unit numbers, and indeed the evidence presented to the court pertained to troops and areas of the city under GeneralKesago Nakajima and GeneralShigeharu Suematsu. However, the presiding judge refused Tani's request to call on his chief of staff and surviving junior officers as witnesses, and stated that since the various atrocities which occurred in Nanjing were testified to by hundreds of surviving witness as well as several foreigners fromNanking Safety Zone, he was unwilling and unable to divide responsibility. According to the ruling of the court, all of the Japanese commanders involved in theBattle of Nanjing had an equally shared responsibility for atrocities which occurred during theRape of Nanjing, and this included GeneralsIwane Matsui,Heisuke Yanagawa andSadao Ushijima as well as Nakajima, Suematsu and Tani. He was consequentlysentenced to death as a BC-class war criminal. On 26 April 1947 he was escorted to his execution spot at Mount Yuhuatai and publicly executed by shooting. The crowds of Chinese civilians who witnessed the execution were cursing at him for the atrocities he committed.[4][5]
Tani's son, Hayao Tani, was also an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army. A graduate of the 49th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and the 58th class of the Army Staff College, he was a colonel on the staff of theIJA 34th Army and was killed in combat in November 1944.
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure[6]
Order of the Golden Kite, 5th class
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun
Media related toHisao Tani at Wikimedia Commons
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