Osami Nagano

A naval officer during the Taisho and Showa periods. Born in Kochi Prefecture on June 15, 1880. Graduated from the 28th class of the Naval Academy and the 8th class of the Naval War College. After serving as a military attaché in the United States (1920-1923) and as the principal of the Naval Academy, he became Vice Chief of the Naval General Staff in June 1930 (Showa 5). In 1934 he became an admiral. At the London Naval Conference the following year in 1935, he notified Japan of its withdrawal as a plenipotentiary. In March 1936 he became Minister of the Navy in the Hirota Koki cabinet, and he initiated full-scale research into the southward advance policy within the Navy, and actively led the decision on the "Standards for National Policy" at the Five Ministers Conference in August. After serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet for ten months in 1937, he became a Military Councillor, and Chief of the Naval General Staff from April 1941 to February 1944. When the war against the United States began, he supported Yamamoto Isoroku's aerial surprise attack on Hawaii as a representative of the hardliners, and suppressed those who advocated a decisive fleet battle. He was made a Fleet Admiral in 1943. After the war, he was designated a Class A war criminal, but died of illness on January 5, 1947, during the trial.

[Akira Yamada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大正・昭和期の海軍軍人。明治13年6月15日高知県生まれ。海軍兵学校28期、海軍大学校8期卒業。在米武官（1920～1923）、海軍兵学校校長などを経て1930年（昭和5）6月軍令部次長。1934年大将。翌1935年のロンドン軍縮会議では全権として脱退を通告した。1936年3月広田弘毅(ひろたこうき)内閣の海相になると、海軍部内で南進政策の研究を本格化させるとともに、8月の5相会議「国策ノ基準」決定を積極的に主導した。1937年に10か月間連合艦隊司令長官を務めたあと軍事参議官、1941年4月から1944年2月まで軍令部総長。対米開戦にあたっては強硬派の代表として山本五十六(やまもといそろく)のハワイ航空奇襲作戦を支持、艦隊決戦論者を抑えた。1943年元帥。戦後A級戦犯に指名されたが、裁判中の昭和22年1月5日病死した。

［山田　朗］

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