Yoshitsugu Tatekawa

Army officer. Born in Niigata Prefecture on October 3, 1880. Graduated from the Army Academy and the Army War College. Served in the Russo-Japanese War, and played an active role as the commander of the Kenkawa Volunteer Corps (officer scout), which served as the model for Yamanaka Minetaro's "Three Hundred Ri Across Enemy Lines." Stationed in England and India, he became Chief of the Second Division of the General Staff in 1929 (Showa 4). He participated in the coup plots of the March Incident in 1931, and was dispatched to Mukden as Chief of the First Division of the General Staff just before the outbreak of the Manchurian Incident, under the pretext of stopping the Kwantung Army from acting independently, but instead condoned the Kwantung Army's plot. Promoted to lieutenant general in 1932, he served as commander of the 10th and 4th divisions, and in 1936, following the military purge following the February 26 Incident, he was placed in the reserves. In 1940, he became the ambassador to the Soviet Union and negotiated the Japan-Soviet Neutrality Pact. In 1944, he was appointed general secretary of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association and head of the Greater Japan Rule Assistance Association. He passed away on September 9, 1945.

[Awaya Kentaro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

陸軍軍人。明治13年10月3日新潟県に生まれる。陸軍士官学校、陸軍大学校卒業。日露戦争に従軍し、建川挺身(ていしん)隊長（将校斥候）として活躍し、山中峯太郎(やまなかみねたろう)『敵中横断三百里』のモデルとなる。イギリス、インドに駐在し、1929年（昭和4）参謀本部第二部長となる。1931年の三月事件のクーデター謀議に参画し、満州事変の勃発(ぼっぱつ)直前、参謀本部第一部長として関東軍の独断行動を引き留める名目で奉天へ派遣されたが、関東軍の謀略を黙認した。1932年中将となり、以後、第一〇師団長、第四師団長を歴任、1936年、二・二六事件後の粛軍人事により予備役となった。1940年駐ソ大使となり、日ソ中立条約の下交渉にあたる。1944年には大政翼賛会総務、大日本翼賛壮年団長に就任した。昭和20年9月9日死去。

［粟屋憲太郎］

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