Sadao Araki

Sadao Araki

Native name	荒木貞夫
Born	(1877-05-26)May 26, 1877 Komae, Tokyo, Japan
Died	November 2, 1966(1966-11-02) (aged 89)
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1898–1936
Rank	General
Commands held	6th Division
Battles/wars	Russo-Japanese War Siberian Intervention Second Sino-Japanese War World War II
Awards	Order of the Sacred Treasures (1st class) Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class) Order of the Rising Sun (1st class)
Other work	Minister of War, Minister of Education

Baron Sadao Araki (荒木貞夫, Araki Sadao^?, May 26, 1877 – November 2, 1966) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II. As one of the principal nationalist right-wing political theorists in the Empire of Japan, he was regarded as the leader of the radical faction within the politicized Imperial Japanese Army and served as Minister of War under Prime Minister Inukai. He later served as Minister of Education during the Konoe and Hiranuma administrations. After World War II, he was convicted of war crimes and given a life sentence.

Araki was born in Komae, Tokyo; his father was an ex-samurai retainer of the Hitotsubashi branch of the Tokugawa family. Araki graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in November 1897, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June of the following year.