Shigeru Honjō | |
|---|---|
 General Shigeru Honjō | |
| Born | 10 May 1876 |
| Died | November 30, 1945(1945-11-30) (aged 69) |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1897–1936 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands | 10th Division Kwantung Army |
| Battles / wars | Russo-Japanese War Siberian Intervention Second Sino-Japanese War |
| Awards | Order of the Sacred Treasures (1st class) Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) |
General BaronShigeru Honjō (本庄 繁,Honjō Shigeru; 10 May 1876 – 30 November 1945) was a general in theImperial Japanese Army who commanded theKwangtung Army during theinvasion of Manchuria. He later served as chief aide-de-camp to the Emperor, but was dismissed due to his apparent sympathy for the rebels in theFebruary 26 incident.
Honjō was born into a farming family inHyōgo prefecture, and attended military preparatory schools as a youth. He graduated from the 9th class of theImperial Japanese Army Academy in 1897, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in theinfantry. Among his classmates were futurePrime MinisterAbe Nobuyuki, and generalsSadao Araki andIwane Matsui. In 1902 he graduated from the 19th class of theArmy Staff College.
Honjō served with distinction during theRusso-Japanese War in the IJA 20th Infantry Regiment, and was promoted to captain during that conflict. After the war, he was assigned to a number of staff positions within theImperial Japanese Army General Staff.
In 1907-1908, Honjō was dispatched toBeijing andShanghai as amilitary attaché, and the following year was promoted tomajor. After serving in more staff positions, including a stint as instructor at the Army Staff College, he was promoted tolieutenant colonel in 1917, and was sent to Europe as a military attache followingWorld War I. In 1919, he accompanied Japanese forces during theSiberian Intervention against theBolshevikRed Army in eastern Russia.
Honjō was the commanding officer of 11th Regiment from 1919 to 1921. He served as adviser toZhang Zuolin inManchuria from 1921 to 1924. He was promoted tomajor general in 1922, and in 1924 was given command of the IJA 4th Infantry Brigade.[1]
In 1927 Honjō was promoted tolieutenant general and appointed commander of theIJA 10th Division in 1928. In 1931 he was madecommander in chief of theKwantung Army in Manchuria, commanding it during theMukden Incident andinvasion of Manchuria.[2]
Although Honjō was relieved of command in 1932 for insubordination, he returned to Japan as a national hero, and served as a member of theSupreme War Council from 1932 to 1933. He was accorded the highest decorations and honors, and was elevated to the title ofdanshaku (baron) under thekazoku peerage system.
He later served as Chiefaide-de-camp to emperorHirohito until 1936, when Honjō's suspected involvement in theFebruary 26 Incident led to his retirement.[3] During his time as aide-de-camp he kept an extensive diary, which was published by theUniversity of Tokyo Press in 1983.
Towards the end ofWorld War II, he emerged from retirement to serve as aPrivy Councilor. After thesurrender of Japan in 1945 he was accused ofwar crimes bySCAP and arrested; however, he committed suicide before the trial began.[4] His grave is at theTama Cemetery inFuchu, Tokyo.
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