Shigeru Fukudome (福留 繁,Fukudome Shigeru, 1 February 1891 – 6 February 1971) was an admiral and Chief of Staff of theImperial Japanese Navy duringWorld War II.^[2]

Shigeru Fukudome
Vice Admiral Fukudome Shigeru (1942-45)
Native name	福留 繁
Born	(1891-02-01)1 February 1891 Yonago,Tottori,Empire of Japan
Died	6 February 1971(1971-02-06) (aged 80)[1] Japan
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/ branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Years of service	1912–1945
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	Nagato, Naval Operations Bureau,2nd Air Fleet,13th Air Fleet,1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet,10th Area Fleet
Battles / wars	World War II Pacific War Philippines campaign

Born inYonago,Tottori prefecture, Fukudome graduated from the 40th class of theImperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1912, ranked 8 out of 144 cadets. As amidshipman, he served on thecruisersSoya andIzumo andbattleshipSatsuma. After his promotion toensign, he was assigned to the battleshipHizen and cruiserKashima.

After attendingtorpedo school andnaval artillery school, he served on the patrol boatManshu, followed by the cruiserChitose and was promoted tolieutenant in 1918. After attending navigational training, he was assigned as chief navigator to thedestroyerSakura, and cruiserNiitaka. He was then appointedexecutive officer on the oilerKamoi, on its voyage to theUnited States from 1921–1922. After his return to Japan, he was assigned a number of staff positions. He then graduated from theNaval War College with honors in 1924, and was promoted tolieutenant commander. After a tour as chief navigator on the cruiserIwate, he joined theImperial Japanese Navy General Staff and was promoted tocommander in 1929. He continued to hold a number of staff positions through the 1930s. He was promoted to captain in 1933, and was captain of the battleshipNagato from 1938–1939. He was promoted torear admiral on 15 November 1939.

Fukudome was first assigned to theCombined Fleet in 1940 to April 1941 (where he conductedaerial torpedo exercises with AdmiralIsoroku Yamamoto in early 1940 in contemplation of the proposedattack on Pearl Harbor), which was then under discussion. After his promotion tovice admiral in 1942, he again served as Chief of Staff under Admiral Yamamoto's successor AdmiralMineichi Koga from May 1943 to March 1944,

On 31 March 1944, while traveling by air fromPalau to deliver plans for the Japanese counterattack in defense of theMarianas Islands (code named "Z plan") to Japanese headquarters atDavao in Mindanao, Fukudome became the firstflag officer in Japanese history to be captured by the enemy (Filipino guerrillas commanded by Lieutenant ColonelJames M. Cushing) after his plane crash landed in atyphoon nearCebu. (AdmiralMineichi Koga, who had been traveling in a separate plane, was killed the same night). He was released to stop civilian reprisals that were killing Filipinos and burning dozens of villages as the Japanese searched for the Admiral and the documents, but the battle plans fell into the American hands.^[3]

After Koga's death in March 1944, Fukudome becamecommander-in-chief of the1st Combined Base Air Force and2nd Air Fleet, based in the Kyūshū-Okinawa-Formosa district. He later noted that this appointment was out of convenience, arguing that since he had no experience withnaval aviation, his assignment to a newly formed air unit must be because of the immediate need for an officer of flag rank. On 10 October 1944, the headquarters of the 2nd Air Fleet moved fromKatori inChiba Prefecture toTaiwan; at the same time as the headquarters move, the 200Imperial Japanese Army aircraft present in Taiwan were assigned to him to bolster his 100-aircraft fleet, with additional reinforcements coming in later in smaller quantities over time.

In late October 1944, because of the heavy losses of Japanese air units in thePhilippines, Fukudome's responsibility was expanded to cover the Philippines as well. He moved his headquarters toManila on 22 October. Another 450 aircraft reachedClark Field over the next two days to join the approximately 100 aircraft that were already there under Vice AdmiralTakijirō Ōnishi, who became his chief of staff.

In January 1945, the 2nd Air Fleet was dissolved and merged with the 1st Air Fleet. With the merger of the two air fleets in the Philippines, Fukudome was transferred toSingapore to command theIJN 10th Area Fleet, which at the time consisted mainly of the13th Air Fleet with 450 aircraft (mostly trainers) and theIJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet (2 operational cruisers and other smaller ships). He arrived in Singapore and took over command on 16 January 1945, and remained in this role until the end of the war. Because of the American control of air and sea after the Philippines campaign, he was effectively stranded in Singapore without the ability to affect the outcome of the war in a significant way.^[4]

After the war, Fukudome was interrogated inTokyo between 9–12 December 1945 by Rear AdmiralRalph A. Ofstie of theUnited States Navy. In addition to the cooperative interrogation with the Americans, Fukudome was also entrusted by the British to take charge of repatriating Japanese nationals from the Singapore area.^[5] Once the task of repatriation was accomplished, Fukudome was arrested at the instigation of American prosecutors and accused ofwar crimes; he was tried by amilitary tribunal in Singapore in connection with the execution of two downed American airmen during his tenure in Singapore, and found guilty of negligence in the performance of his duties.^{[6][failed verification]}

Following his release in 1950, Fukudome became a member of a 12-man commission to advise the Japanese government on the organization of theJapanese Self-Defense Force before his death in 1971. His grave is at theTama Cemetery inFuchu, outside of Tokyo.

• Equipping Officer, CVSKamoi – 1 December 1921 – 12 September 1922
• Chief Navigator, CVSKamoi – 12 September 1922 – 10 December 1922
• Staff Officer, 1st Fleet – 8 January 1924 – 15 October 1924
• Staff Officer, Combined Fleet – 8 January 1924 – 15 October 1924
• Staff Officer, Combined Fleet – 16 November 1933 – 15 November 1934
• Staff Officer, 1st Fleet – 16 November 1933 – 15 November 1934
• Vice-Chief-of-Staff, China Area Fleet – 25 April 1938 – 15 December 1938
• Staff Officer, 3rd Fleet – 25 April 1938 – 15 December 1938
• Commanding Officer,Nagato – 15 December 1938 – 5 November 1939
• Chief-of-Staff, 1st Fleet – 15 November 1939 – 10 April 1941
• Chief-of-Staff, Combined Fleet – 1942 – 31 March 1944
• Commander-in-Chief, 2nd Air Fleet – 15 June 1944 – 8 January 1945
• Commander-in-Chief, 13th Air Fleet – 13 January 1945 – 15 August 1945

• Midshipman – 17 July 1912
• Ensign – 1 December 1913
• Sublieutenant – 13 December 1915
• Lieutenant – 1 December 1918
• Lieutenant Commander – 1 December 1924
• Commander – 30 November 1929
• Captain – 15 November 1933
• Rear Admiral – 15 November 1939
• Vice Admiral – 1 November 1942

Fukudome was one of the characters that appeared in the 1970 American/Japanese war filmTora! Tora! Tora!, where he was portrayed by the Japanese actorKoji Kawamura.

• Barreveld, Dirk Jan (2015).Cushing's Coup, Casemate Publ.
• Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992).Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd.ISBN 1-85043-569-3.
• Parrish, Thomas (1978).The Simon and Schuster Encyclopedia of World War II. New York: Simon and Schuster.ISBN 0-671-24277-6.
• Van Der Vat, Dan (1978).Pacific Campaign: The U.S.-Japanese Naval War 1941-1945. New York: Simon and Schuster.ISBN 0-671-79217-2.

• Nishida, Hiroshi."Materials of IJN: Fukudome, Shigeru".Imperial Japanese Nav. Retrieved17 August 2022.
• Bradsher, Greg."Account of Fukudome's capture".The Z-Plan Story. Retrieved23 August 2007.
• United States Strategic Bombing Survey."USSBS: Interrogations of Japanese Officials - VAdm. Fukudome, Shigeru, IJ". Retrieved23 August 2007.
• Chen, Peter."Shigeru Fukudome".www.ww2db.com. World War II Database. Retrieved23 August 2007.
• The Go For Broke Educational Foundation."Translation of The "Z" Plan". Archived fromthe original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved23 August 2007.