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| Yasuhiko Asaka | |
|---|---|
 Prince Yasuhiko Asakac. 1930s | |
| Prince Asaka | |
| Reign | 10 March 1906 – 14 October 1947 |
| Head ofAsaka-no-miya | |
| Reign | 10 March 1906 – 13 April 1981 |
| Born | (1887-10-20)20 October 1887 Kyoto, Japan |
| Died | 12 April 1981(1981-04-12) (aged 93) Atami, Shizuoka, Japan |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
|
| Father | Asahiko, Prince Kuni |
| Mother | Sugako Tsunoda |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Service years | 1908–1945 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Imperial Guard Shanghai Expeditionary Army |
| Conflicts | First World War Second Sino-Japanese War Second World War |
| Awards | Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Chrysanthemum Order of the Rising Sun, 1st Class Order of the Golden Kite, 1st Class |
Prince Yasuhiko Asaka (朝香宮鳩彦王,Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko-ō; 20 October 1887 – 12 April 1981) was the founder of acollateral branch of theJapanese Imperial Family and served as a general in theImperial Japanese Army during theJapanese invasion of China and theSecond World War. He was the son-in-law ofEmperor Meiji and uncle by marriage of EmperorHirohito. He is most notable for being the commander of Japanese forces outsideNanjing in December 1937, when he presided over themass murder andrape of hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians in during theNanjing Massacre.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, GeneralDouglas MacArthur grantedimmunity to the country's Imperial Family. As a result, Asaka was never tried for his involvement in the Nanjing (Nanking) Massacre bySCAP authorities. Nonetheless, by 1947, he and his children were stripped of their imperial status. He later converted to Catholicism and died of natural causes at the age of 93.
Prince Yasuhiko came fromKyoto, the eighth son ofPrince Kuni Asahiko and the court lady Tsunoda Sugako. Prince Kuni Asahiko was the youngest prince descended from theFushimi-no-miya, one of the four branch houses of the imperial dynasty(shinnōke) entitled to provide a successor to the throne. In 1872, Emperor Meiji granted him the titleKuni-no-miya and authorization to begin a new collateral branch of the imperial family. Prince Yasuhiko was a half-brother ofPrince Higashikuni Naruhiko,Prince Nashimoto Morimasa,Prince Kaya Kuninori, andPrince Kuni Kuniyoshi, the father of the futureEmpress Kōjun, the consort ofEmperor Shōwa (Hirohito).
On 10 March 1906, the Emperor Meiji granted Prince Yasuhiko the titleAsaka-no-miya and authorization to begin a new branch of the imperial family. On 6 May 1909, Prince Asaka marriedNobuko, Princess Fumi (7 August 1891 – 3 November 1933), the eighth daughter of Emperor Meiji. Prince and Princess Asaka had four children:
Like the other imperial princes of theMeiji period, it was expected that Prince Yasuhiko would pursue a career in the military. He received his early education at theGakushūin Peers' School and the Central Military Preparatory School, before graduating from theImperial Japanese Army Academy on 27 May 1908. Commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry on 25 December, Prince Asaka was promoted to lieutenant in December 1910, captain in August 1913, major in July 1918, and lieutenant-colonel in August 1922.Between 1920 and 1923, Prince Asaka studiedmilitary tactics at theÉcole spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr inFrance, along with his half-brotherPrince Naruhiko Higashikuni and his cousinPrince Naruhisa Kitashirakawa (1887–1923). However, on 1 April 1923, he was seriously injured in an automobile accident inPerriers-la-Campagne (Normandy) that killed Prince Kitashirakawa; the accident left Prince Asaka with a limp for the rest of his life.
Princess Asaka traveled to France to nurse her husband. Prince and Princess Asaka also visited theUnited States in 1925. During that period, Prince and Princess Asaka became enthralled with theArt Deco movement. Upon returning to Japan that same year, The Prince and Princess began arranging for a new mansion to be built in the Art Deco style in Tokyo'sShirokanedai neighborhood. The house, currently theTokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, was completed in May 1933, but Princess Asaka died a few months later.
While these events were occurring, Prince Asaka had risen through the ranks of the military. After being promoted to the rank ofcolonel in August 1925, in December 1929, he rose to the rank ofmajor general and was subsequently appointed an instructor at theArmy Staff College in 1930. On 1 August 1933, he was promoted tolieutenant general and assumed command of theFirst Imperial Guards Division. In December 1935, he was appointed a member of theSupreme War Council, which gave him a very influential position with Emperor Hirohito.[1]
However, during the abortiveFebruary 26 Incident in 1936, Prince Asaka pressed the Emperor to appoint a new government that would be acceptable to the rebels, especially by replacingPrime MinisterKeisuke Okada withKōki Hirota. The Prince's pro-Imperial Way Faction political sentiments, as well as his connections to other right-wing army cliques, caused a rift between himself and the Emperor. It was perhaps due to this rift that Prince Asaka was transferred to theJapanese Central China Area Army (under the aging GeneralIwane Matsui) inChina in 1937.
In November 1937, Prince Asaka became temporary commander of the Japanese forces outsideNanjing, then capital ofChina, because General Matsui was ill. As temporary commander of the final assault on Nanjing between 2 and 6 December 1937, he issued the order to "kill all captives", thus providing official sanction for what became known as the "Nanjing Massacre" or the "Rape of Nanjing" (12 December 1937 – 10 February 1938).[2]
In February 1938, both Prince Asaka and General Matsui were recalled to Japan. Matsui went into virtual retirement, but Prince Asaka remained on the Supreme War Council until the end of the war in August 1945. He was promoted to the rank ofgeneral in August 1939 but held no further military commands. In 1944, he colluded with Prince Higashikuni, his nephewPrince Takamatsu, and former Prime MinisterFumimaro Konoe (1895–1945) to oust theHideki Tojo cabinet.[2][additional citation(s) needed]
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) officials interrogated Prince Asaka about his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre on 1 May 1946, but did not bring him before theInternational Military Tribunal for the Far East for prosecution. Indeed, for politico-strategic and geopolitical reasons, GeneralDouglas MacArthur decided to support the Imperial family and to grant immunity to all its members. Matsui, on the other hand, was tried, convicted, and executed for failing to prevent the massacre.[3]
On 14 October 1947, Asaka and his children lost their imperial status and privileges and became ordinary citizens, as part of theAmerican Occupation's abolition of the collateral branches of theJapanese Imperial family. He and his son werepurged from holding any political or public office because they had been officers in the Imperial Japanese Army. HisArt Deco mansion inShirokanedai was seized by the government and now houses theTokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.
The former prince moved toAtami, on theIzu Peninsula south of Tokyo. Asaka converted toCatholicism on 18 December 1951, and he was the first Imperial clansman to do so.[4] He spent most of his time playinggolf. He also took an active interest ingolf course development and in the 1950s was the architect of the Plateau Golf Course at the Dai-Hakone Country Club. Asaka died of natural causes on 12 April 1981 at his home in Atami, Shizuoka. He was 93 years old.
Belgium: Grand CordonOrder of Leopold (29 April 1925)[5]| International | |
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