Kenji Doihara
| General Doihara Kenji | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Nickname(s) | Lawrence of Manchuria, a reference to T. E. Lawrence |
| Born | 8 August 1883 Okayama prefecture, Japan |
| Died | 23 December 1948 (aged 65) Sugamo Prison, Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1904–1945 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
14th Division Fifth Army Seventh Area Army |
| Battles/wars |
Siberian Intervention Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
Kenji Doihara (土肥原 賢二 Doihara Kenji?, 8 August 1883 – 23 December 1948) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to Lawrence of Arabia, although according to Jamie Bisher this flattering sobriquet was rather misapplied given that Colonel T.E. Lawrence fought to liberate, not to oppress a people. Furthermore, according to the opinion of his military chief in Manchuria, Lieutenant-General Ishiwara Kanji, his heavy addiction to opium contributed to his unreliability as an army officer.
As a leading intelligence officer he played a key role to the Japanese machinations leading to the occupation of large parts of China, the destabilization of the country and the disintegration of the traditional structure of Chinese society in order to diminish reaction to the Japanese plans using highly unconventional methods. He became the mastermind of the Manchurian drug trade, and the real boss and sponsor behind every kind of gang and underworld activity in China (see Controversy section). After the end of World War II, he was prosecuted for war crimes in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He was found guilty, sentenced to death and was hanged in December 1948.
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