was a war criminal and
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
in the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
during the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He committed suicide after facing imminent defeat during the
Battle of Manila. Units under his command committed the
Manila massacre
The Manila massacre ( or ''Masaker sa Maynila''), also called the Rape of Manila (), involved atrocities committed against Filipino people, Filipino civilians in the Manila, City of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, by Empire of Japan ...
.
Life and career
Iwabuchi was a native of what is now part of the city of
Sanjō,
Niigata Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
. He graduated from the 43rd class of the
Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in December 1915 ranked 13th out of 96 cadets, and on graduation continued on to
naval artillery
Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for more specialized roles in surface warfare such as naval gunfire support (NGFS) and anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) engagements. ...
school to become a specialist in that field. He served as a midshipman on the cruiser , which made a long-distance navigational training voyage to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and the
South Seas Mandate
The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the " South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following W ...
in 1915. As an ensign in 1918, he was assigned to the cruiser and as a first lieutenant he was assigned to the destroyer ''Umikaze'' in 1919. In 1920, after completion of Torpedo Warfare School, he was assigned to the Yokosuka Air Group until the end of 1922.
In the 1930s, Iwabuchi served as chief gunnery officer on a number of vessels, including the cruisers in 1930, in 1931, and in 1932, and the battleship in 1933. In 1934–1935, he was assigned to
Kure Naval District and was in charge of
coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...
.
Iwabuchi was promoted to captain in November 1937, and was given command of the
seaplane tender in 1938. In April 1941 he was assigned command of the training vessel .
World War II
At the time of the
attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
in 1941, Iwabuchi was captain of the seaplane tender . He was reassigned to the staff of the
Combined Fleet
The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...
on 25 March 1942, and was subsequently given command of the battleship on 20 April 1942. He commanded ''Kirishima'' in the
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...
in June 1942, but ''Kirishima'' was sunk by the American battleship
USS ''Washington'' in the
Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 15 November of the same year. A week later, on 22 November, Iwabuchi was reassigned to command the
11th Air Fleet in charge of air operations over
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...
and
Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...
.
Iwabuchi returned to the
Yokosuka Naval District
was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula. Its h ...
on 10 February 1943, and was promoted to
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
on 1 May. On 5 May, he was assigned to the Personnel and Recruiting Department at
Maizuru Naval District. This would normally have been a dead-end position to his career; however, the increasingly desperate war situation provided Iwabuchi with a final opportunity. On 1 November 1944, he was given command of the
3rd Southern Escort Fleet and on 17 November, its accompanying ground force, the 31st Naval Base Force, and ordered to the Philippines, which were then under impending threat of Allied invasion. Iwabuchi was assigned command of the Manila Naval Defense Force in defenses of the city.
Once American forces had landed on
Luzon
Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
and had begun converging on Manila, welcomed and assisted by Filipino troops of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army and
Philippine Constabulary
The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...
, the Japanese supreme commander for operations in the Philippines, Lt.-General
Tomoyuki Yamashita
was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. His conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 70 days earned him the sobriquet "The Tig ...
gave Iwabuchi a direct order to withdraw from Manila without combat. Yamashita wanted to consolidate his forces, and to avoid being trapped in
urban warfare
Urban warfare is warfare in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both Military operation, operational and the Military tactics, tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the p ...
in downtown Manila with close to a million civilians. However, Iwabuchi repeatedly refused to obey orders. Citing shame at having lost , Iwabuchi stated that he could redeem himself only by holding his position to the death.
Together with the under-equipped and ill-disciplined 15,000 marines and 4,000
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
stragglers under his command, he found several good defensive positions in the historic
Intramuros
Intramuros () is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.
Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...
area of the old city of Manila, including the massive walls of colonial
Fort Santiago
Fort Santiago (; ), built in 1571, is a citadel or castle built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is located in Intramuros, the walled ci ...
. During the Allied artillery bombardment of Iwabuchi's positions, thousands of civilians were killed. Thousands more were killed in the crossfire, and thousands were killed by Japanese forces in reprisal for the Allied attacks in what came to be called the "
Manila Massacre
The Manila massacre ( or ''Masaker sa Maynila''), also called the Rape of Manila (), involved atrocities committed against Filipino people, Filipino civilians in the Manila, City of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, by Empire of Japan ...
". After many days of building-to-building combat, more than 16,000 Japanese defenders were killed, and by 26 February Iwabuchi committed suicide at his command post, using a
pistol
A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...
pointed to his mouth,
although his body was never positively identified. He was posthumously promoted to vice admiral.
Portrayal
Eddie Garcia
Eduardo "Eddie" Verchez Garcia (; May 2, 1929 – June 21, 2019), colloquially known as Manoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, and filmmaker. Widely regarded as the greatest Filipino actor of all time, Garcia appeared in nearly ...
portrayed Admiral Iwabuchi in the 1968 film ''
Manila, Open City''.
References
*Fuller, Richard. 1992. ''Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai''. London: Arms and Armor.
External links
Pacific Pacific War Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iwabuchi, Sanji
1893 births
1945 suicides
1945 deaths
Battle of Midway
Japanese admirals of World War II
Japanese military personnel who died by suicide
Manila massacre perpetrators
Military personnel from Niigata Prefecture
Suicides by firearm in the Philippines
Battle of Manila (1945)