Kanichirō Tashiro | |
|---|---|
 General Kanichirō Tashiro | |
| Native name | 田代 皖一郎 |
| Born | (1881-10-01)October 1, 1881 |
| Died | July 16, 1937(1937-07-16) (aged 55) |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Service years | 1903 - 1937 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 11th Infantry Division Japanese China Garrison Army |
| Conflicts | |
Kanichirō Tashiro (田代 皖一郎,Tashiro Kan'ichirō; 1 October 1881 – 16 July 1937) was alieutenant general in theImperial Japanese Army at the start of theSecond Sino-Japanese War.
A native ofSaga prefecture, Tashiro graduated from the 15th class of theImperial Japanese Army Academy in 1903 and the 25th class of theArmy Staff College in 1913. He was on the staff of the Japanese delegation to theWashington Disarmament Conference in 1921. On his return to Japan, he served in a number of administrative positions within theImperial Army General Staff Office, including a stint from 1923 to 1924 when he was stationed inHankou,China. Promoted tocolonel in the infantry in 1924, he was given command of the IJA 30th Infantry Regiment.[1]
Tashiro became Vice Chief of the 5th Section (Asian Intelligence), 2nd Bureau within the General Staff in 1926, and was considered an expert on China. He was promoted tomajor general in 1930, when he was given command of the IJA 27th Infantry Brigade. In 1932, he was promoted toChief of Staff of theShanghai Expeditionary Army. During theFirst Shanghai Incident, his commander, GeneralYoshinori Shirakawa was assassinated and he served as interim commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, but resigned due to ill health. He was reassigned as commander of theKempeitai within theKwantung Army inManchukuo from 1933 to 1934, and was promoted to lieutenant general in 1934. He then served asprovost marshal from 1934 to 1935.
He returned to the field as commander of theIJA 11th Division from 1935 to 1936. He was then made commander of theJapanese China Garrison Army from May 1936 to July 1937, and was thus the leading Japanese officer at the time of theMarco Polo Bridge Incident from July 7 to 9.[2] However, Tashiro was hospitalized for heart illness and died inTianjin on July 16, 1937, only a week later.
Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class[3]
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure[4]