was a general in the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

Biography

Katsuki was a native of

Saga prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of 809,248 (1 August 2020) and has a geographic area of 2,440 km2 (942 sq mi). Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasa ...

. He graduated from the 14th class of the

Imperial Japanese Army Academy The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...

in 1902 and from the 24th class of the

Army Staff College Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For exa ...

in 1912. Promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

in 1923, he became commander of the IJA 60th Infantry Regiment the following year, and commander of the IJA 8th Infantry Regiment in 1925. In 1929, Katsuki was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and given command of the IJA 30th Infantry Brigade. After being promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in 1933, he served as Deputy Commandant of the War College until 1935. Katsuki was commander of the IJA 12th Division from 1935 to 1936, and then commander of the

Imperial Guards Division In Japan, the Imperial Guard is the name for two separate organizations dedicated to the protection of the Emperor of Japan and the Imperial Family, palaces and other imperial properties. The first was the , a quasi-independent elite branch of the ...

from 1936-1937. In early 1937, he became Deputy Inspector-General of Military Training until 12 July 1937, when he was called to replace Lieutenant General Kanichiro Tashiro, commander of

Japanese China Garrison Army The was formed 1 June 1901 as the , as part of Japan's contribution to the international coalition in China during the Boxer Rebellion. It took the name China Garrison Army from 14 April 1912 and onward, though was typically referred to as t ...

, had suddenly died a few days after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. As commander of the IJA 1st Army from 26 August 1937, Katsuki presided over the early fighting in north China in the

, including the Peiking – Hankow Railway Operation. He remained IJA 1st Army commander until 30 May 1938, when he was recalled to the

Imperial Army General Staff Office The , also called the Army General Staff, was one of the two principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army. Role The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Affairs ...

in Tokyo. He retired from active military service two months later.

References

Books

External links

*
香月清司
at imperialarmy.hp.infoseek.co.jp

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katsuki, Kiyoshi 1881 births 1950 deaths People from Saga Prefecture Japanese generals Japanese military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite