was an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

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 ...

, and served as Navy Minister in the 1920s. He was also the son-in-law of

Yamamoto Gonnohyōe , was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and twice Prime Minister of Japan from 1913 to 1914 and again from 1923 to 1924. Biography Early life Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima in Satsuma Province (now Kagoshima Prefecture) as the sixth son ...

Biography

Takarabe was born in Miyakonojō city in

Miyazaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...

. He graduated at the top out of 80 cadets from the 15th class of the

Imperial Japanese Naval Academy The was a school established to train line officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo, in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima, in 1888. Students ...

. His classmates included

Takeo Hirose , (May 27, 1868 – March 27, 1904) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He commanded the cargo vessel ''Fukui Maru'' during the Battle of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War. The ship was hit by coastal artillery, and despit ...

and

Keisuke Okada was a Japanese admiral and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1934 to 1936. Born to a samurai family in the Fukui Domain, Okada became an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy and served during the First Sino-Japanese War and ...

. When Takarabe was courting the daughter of Admiral

, his close friend Takeo Hirose approached the admiral and requested that he refuse to allow his daughter to marry Takarabe. "Since Takarabe is a man of great talent and intelligence, he is destined to one day become an admiral. However, if he is married to your daughter, people will say that his advancement was due to family connections, rather than his abilities." However, Yamamoto ignored Hirose and allowed Takarabe to marry his daughter. As Hirose had predicted, with each promotion and advancement Takarabe later made in his career, he had enemies and detractors who attributed it to his family ties, and who called him “the princeling” behind his back.Japanese wikipedia Takarabe served his

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

tour on the

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

, and

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

. After being commissioned as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

, he was assigned back to ''Takechiho'', followed by the cruiser . From 1891 to 1892, he was appointed

naval attaché A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Returning to attend navigational training in Japan, Takarabe was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1894 and assigned to the cruiser during the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

(1894–95), eventually becoming chief navigator. From June 1897 to April 1899 Takarabe was sent to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

for studies. After his return to Japan, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and assigned to the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

, of which he became captain in 1900. He served in various postings within the

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo. History Created in 1893, the Navy General Staff took over operational (as opposed to a ...

thereafter, becoming a

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

in September 1903. During the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, Takarabe served on the

Imperial General Headquarters The was part of the Supreme War Council (Japan), Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equi ...

, formulating strategy and tactics. In 1905 he was promoted to captain, and after the end of the war, spent six months in England in 1907. From September 1907 to September 1908, Takarabe was captain of the cruiser , and from September–December 1908 captain of the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

. He served as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

IJN 1st fleet The was the main battleship fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. History First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 1st Fleet was created during the Russo-Japanese War when the Imperial General Headquarters divided the Readiness Fleet int ...

in 1909, and became Vice Minister of the Navy on his promotion 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 ...

in December 1909. In December 1913, Takarabe was promoted to

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

. He was commander of the

Ryojun Guard District The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Kwantung Leased Territory before and during Second Sino-Japanese War. Located in at Ryojun ), (present-day Lüshunkou, China, The Ryojun Guard District was responsible for control ...

in 1916, and commander in chief of the

Maizuru Naval District was one of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the entire Sea of Japan coastline from northern Kyūshū to western Hokkaidō. History The strategic importance of the location of Maizur ...

in 1918, and commander in chief of the

Sasebo Naval District was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and t ...

in 1919. Takarabe was promoted to full

in November 1919. He became commander in chief of 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 ...

from July 1922. In the aftermath of the 1923

Kantō Massacre The was a mass murder in the Kantō region of Japan committed in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. With the explicit and implicit approval of parts of the Japanese government, the Japanese military, police, and vigilantes mu ...

, in which mainly ethnic Koreans were lynched and killed by Japanese mobs, Takarabe praised the mobs for their "martial spirit," and describing them as a successful result of military conscription. From 15 May 1923 to 7 January 1924, Takarabe served as Naval Minister in the cabinets of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Katō Tomosaburō Marshal-Admiral Viscount was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1922 to 1923. Early life and education Born in Hiroshima, Aki Province (modern Hiroshima Prefecture) to a ''sam ...

and Prime Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyōe. Takarabe was Navy Minister again from 11 June 1924 to 20 April 1927 in the cabinet of Prime Minister

Katō Takaaki Count was a Japanese politician, diplomat, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1924 until his death on 28 January 1926, during the period which historians have called " Taishō Democracy". He was also known as Katō Kōmei. Early life Katō was b ...

and first cabinet of Prime Minister

Wakatsuki Reijirō Baron was a Japanese politician and Prime Minister of Japan. Early life Wakatsuki Reijirō was born on 21 March 1866, in Matsue, Izumo Province (present day Shimane Prefecture), the second son of samurai foot soldier ('' ashigaru'') Okumura S ...

, and once more from 2 July 1929 to 18 November 1929 in the cabinet of Prime Minister

Hamaguchi Osachi Hamaguchi Osachi (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , 1 April 1870 – 26 August 1931) was a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1929 to 1931. Nicknamed the due to his dignified demeanor and mane-like hair, Hamaguchi served as leadin ...

. From 1929–1930, Takarabe was on the Japanese delegation at the

London Naval Treaty The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Empire of Japan, Japan, French Third Republic, France, Kingdom of Italy, Italy, and the United Stat ...

negotiations. Takarabe was considered a political moderate, and was a leading member of the

Treaty Faction The was an unofficial and informal political faction within the Imperial Japanese Navy in the 1920s–1930s of officers supporting the Washington Naval Treaty. Background The ''Washington Naval Treaty'', also known as the ''Five-Power Treaty'' ...

within the Imperial Japanese Navy. He strongly opposed the growing militarization of Japan, and sought to maintain diplomatic ties with Great Britain in hopes of reviving the

Anglo-Japanese Alliance The was an alliance between the United Kingdom and the Empire of Japan which was effective from 1902 to 1923. The treaty creating the alliance was signed at Lansdowne House in London on 30 January 1902 by British foreign secretary Lord Lans ...

. His support of the London Treaty and disarmament led Takarabe to be branded a “traitor” by the rightists and by the Fleet Faction members of the Navy, and also led to an assassination attempt. During his final term in office, the military was embroiled with the

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. Military chain of command In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders ...

controversy as to whether or not the

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 ...

and Imperial Japanese Navy were answerable to the elected

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

and the

, or were answerable only directly to the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

. Takarabe went into the reserves in 1932, and retired in 1937.

References

Books

* * * *

External links

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takarabe, Takeshi 1867 births 1949 deaths Imperial Japanese Navy admirals People from Miyakonojō Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War People of the Meiji era Ministers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite