was a

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 ...

in 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 ...

, who commanded the 17th Area Army in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

from April 1945 until the end 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 ...

Life

Yoshio Kozuki became an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

officer in 1909 and was a language officer in

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 ...

. He served in several positions until August 1940, when he became commander of the 19th Division, based in Korea. On July 4, 1942, he was appointed Commander of the 2nd Army based in

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...

. On May 28, 1943, he took command of the Mongolia Garrison Army. In November 1944, he became Commander of the 11th Army and in April 1945 of the Seventeenth Area Army in Korea, which was demobilized in August 1945 without having seen combat. After the war, he was Vice Minister of Demobilization and in 1947, he became Head of the Demobilization Bureau, which fell under the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

References

Generals.dk

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kozuki, Yoshio 1886 births 1971 deaths Imperial Japanese Army generals of World War II Military personnel from Kumamoto Prefecture People from Kumamoto