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was a Japanese
military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...
and general of 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 ...
best known as the victim of the Aizawa Incident in August 1935. Nagata was an influential military figure in the
Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...
and the '' de facto'' leader of the ''
Tōseiha The ''Tōseiha'' or was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army active in the 1920s and 1930s. The ''Tōseiha'' was a grouping of generally conservative Officer (military), officers united primarily by their opposition to the radical ' ...
'' faction during the ''
Gunbatsu is a Japanese term having two separate meanings. Its first meaning is a reference to the Japanese military leadership which exploited its privileged status to vie against the civilian government for control over the nation's policies (particularl ...
'' political rivalry within the Imperial Japanese Army. Nagata was assassinated by Saburō Aizawa of the rival ''
Kōdōha The ''Kōdōha'' or was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army active in the 1920s and 1930s. The ''Kōdōha'' sought to establish a military government that promoted totalitarian, militaristic and aggressive imperialist ideals, and ...
'' faction and his death triggered events that led to the February 26 Incident.


Early life

Tetsuzan Nagata was born on 14 January 1884 in Suwa,
Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...
, the third son of Shigeru Nagata, director of the local Takashima Hospital. Nagata's family were wealthy and he descended from a long line of
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
s in service of the
Suwa Domain file:Takashima castle tensyu.JPG, Takashima Castle, administrative centre of Suwa Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It was located in Shinano Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Ta ...
. Nagata was childhood friends with
Shigeo Iwanami was a publisher in the early Shōwa period Japan, and founder of Iwanami Shoten. Biography Iwanami was born in what is now part of Suwa, Nagano, into a farming family. His father was a village headman, but he died when Iwanami was age 15, and I ...
, the founder of
Iwanami Shoten is a Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo.Louis Frédéric, ''Japan Encyclopedia'', Harvard University Press, 2005, p. 409. Iwanami Shoten was founded in 1913 by Iwanami Shigeo. Its first major publication was Natsume Sōseki's novel '' ...
, and the two had a lifelong friendship. Nagata attended Suwa Higher Elementary School in Suwa where he was classmates with
Sakuhei Fujiwhara was a Japanese meteorologist who became the namesake for the Fujiwhara effect. Novelist Jirō Nitta is his nephew and mathematician Masahiko Fujiwara is his grandnephew. Biography Early life Born in the city of Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Fujiwh ...
, the namesake of the
Fujiwhara effect The Fujiwhara effect, sometimes referred to as the Fujiwara effect, Fujiwara interaction or binary interaction, is a phenomenon that occurs when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations o ...
. In 1895, Nagata transferred to an elementary school in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
until 1898 when he began attending the military school of 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 ...
in the city.


Military career

Nagata graduated from 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 ...
at the top of the list in October 1904 and from the Army Staff College in November 1911. Nagata served as
military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...
to several Japanese embassies in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
before and during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, including
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Upon Nagata's return to Japan in February 1923, he was assigned to the
Imperial Japanese Army General Staff The , also called the Army General Staff, was one of the two principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Role The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Af ...
, where he served as administrator of various departments, and was regarded as an expert on Germany. Nagata was promoted to
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
in March 1927 and received command of the IJA 3rd Infantry Regiment. Nagata was promoted to major general in 1932, and became the commander of the IJA 1st Infantry Brigade in 1933. According to the testimony of Lieutenant-General Kajitsuka Ryuji, Chief of the Medical Department of the
Kwantung Army The Kwantung Army (Japanese language, Japanese: 関東軍, ''Kantō-gun'') was a Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army, general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1919 to 1945. The Kwantung Army was formed in 1906 as a security force for th ...
, at the
Khabarovsk War Crime Trials The Khabarovsk war crimes trials were the Soviet hearings of twelve Japanese Kwantung Army officers and medical staff charged with the manufacture and use of biological weapons, and human experimentation, during World War II. The war crimes tri ...
in late 1949, in the 1930s, Nagata was the "most active supporter" of the program of conducting bacteriological or germ (biological) warfare put forth by
Shirō Ishii Surgeon General was a Japanese microbiologist and Military medicine, army medical officer, who served as the director of Unit 731, a biological warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army. Ishii led the development and application of biological ...
. Ryuji testified that Ishii kept a bust of Nagata in his offices at
Unit 731 , short for Manchu Detachment 731 and also known as the Kamo Detachment and the Ishii Unit, was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that engaged in lethal human experimentat ...
headquarters in Pingfan District because he was "so grateful" to Nagata for his support. Ryuji identified Nagata as Chief of the Military Affairs Department of the Ministry of War.


Death

By the mid-1930s, Nagata was considered the leader of the ''
Tōseiha The ''Tōseiha'' or was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army active in the 1920s and 1930s. The ''Tōseiha'' was a grouping of generally conservative Officer (military), officers united primarily by their opposition to the radical ' ...
'', the moderate political faction that opposed the radical ''
Kōdōha The ''Kōdōha'' or was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army active in the 1920s and 1930s. The ''Kōdōha'' sought to establish a military government that promoted totalitarian, militaristic and aggressive imperialist ideals, and ...
'' during the ''
Gunbatsu is a Japanese term having two separate meanings. Its first meaning is a reference to the Japanese military leadership which exploited its privileged status to vie against the civilian government for control over the nation's policies (particularl ...
'' period within the Japanese military. Nagata was responsible for planning Japan's national mobilization strategy as Chief of Mobilization Section, Economic Mobilization Bureau,
Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) ( 600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Esto ...
, to put both the military and the civilian economy on a
total war Total war is a type of warfare that includes any and all (including civilian-associated) resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, mobilises all of the resources of society to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare ov ...
footing in times of national emergency. Nagata's ideas and actions earned him the violent animosity of the ''Kōdōha'', who regarded him as the "chief villain" for collusion with corrupt
party politics ''Party Politics'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of political science. The journal's editor is Paul Webb of the University of Sussex, UK. It has been in publication since 1995 and is currently published b ...
and the ''
zaibatsu is a Japanese language, Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertical integration, vertically integrated business conglomerate (company), conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over signifi ...
''. In July 1935, Nagata's political manoeuvres led to the forced retirement of
Jinzaburō Masaki was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was regarded as a leader of the Imperial Way Faction within the Japanese military. Biography Born in Saga Prefecture in 1876, Masaki graduated from the 9th class of the Imperial Jap ...
, the Inspector-General of Military Training and a leading member of ''Kōdōha''. Masaki's forced retirement angered his friend Lieutenant-Colonel Saburō Aizawa, a particularly radical member of ''Kōdōha''. On 12 August 1935, Nagata was assassinated by Lieutenant Colonel Saburo Aizawa for reputedly putting the Army "in the paws of high finance" and in retaliation for Masaki's forced retirement, which became known as the Aizawa Incident. He entered Nagata's office in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
and cut him down with his sword, making no attempt to resist arrest by
military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
and reportedly said that he "was in an absolute sphere, so there was neither affirmation nor negation, neither good nor evil".Schoppa, R. Keith: ''East Asia: Identities and Change in the Modern World'', Page 248. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Nagata was posthumously promoted to
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...
and the Army Minister
Senjūrō Hayashi was a Japanese politician and general. He served as Imperial Japanese Army Commander of the Japanese Korean Army during the Mukden Incident and the invasion of Manchuria. He briefly served as prime minister of Japan in 1937. Early life and e ...
was forced to resign over the affair. Nagata's assassination increased the political polarization within the Imperial Japanese Army, prompting further retaliation between factions that resulted in the February 26 Incident in February 1936, effectively eradicating the ''Kōdōha'' and granting the ''Tōseiha'' total influence within the army. Aizawa was executed by
firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...
in July 1936 after a high-profile
court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...
trial held by the
IJA 1st Division The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its ''tsūshōgō'' was the . The 1st Division was formed in Tokyo in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Tokyo Garr ...
.


Notes


References


Books

* * * *Bruno Birolli (2012), ''"Ishiwara, l'homme qui déclencha la guerre"'', ARTE éditions/Armand Colin.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagata, Tetsuzan 1884 births 1935 deaths Military personnel from Nagano Prefecture People murdered in 1935 Japanese generals Japanese biological weapons program Japanese war criminals Assassinated Japanese military personnel People murdered in Tokyo Japanese murder victims