Minami Jirō | |
---|---|
Born | August 10, 1874 Hiji, Ōita Prefecture, Japan |
Died | December 5, 1955 Tokyo, Japan |
(aged 81)
Allegiance |
Empire of Japan Imperial Japanese Army |
Years of service | 1895–1936 |
Rank | General |
Commands held |
16th Division Japanese Korean Army Kwantung Army |
Battles/wars |
Russo-Japanese War Second Sino-Japanese War |
Other work |
Governor-General of Korea Privy Council (Japan) |
Jirō Minami (南 次郎? Minami Jirō, 10 August 1874 – 5 December 1955) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and Governor-General of Korea between 1936 and 1942. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Born to an ex-samurai family in Hiji, Ōita Prefecture, Minami came to Tokyo as a boarding student, and was eventually accepted into the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. After graduating from the academy in February 1895, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry in May. He was promoted to lieutenant in October 1897 and to captain in November 1900.
Minami served in the Russo-Japanese War as a member of the headquarters staff and as a company commander in the 1st Cavalry Regiment, where he participated in the Siege of Port Arthur. He was promoted to major in March 1905 and to lieutenant colonel in February 1910. Promoted to colonel in August 1915, he commanded the IJA 13th Cavalry Regiment during World War I, from 1914-1917. Minami was Chief of the Cavalry Section of the Ministry of War from 1917-1919.
Attaining the rank of major general in July 1919, Minami served as commander of the IJA 3rd Cavalry Brigade in 1921–1923, then as Commandant of the Cavalry School in 1922–1923, and returned to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy as its commandant in 1923-1924.