Fukushima Yasumasa

Japanese: 福島安正 - ふくしま・やすまさ

Year of death: February 18, 1919
Year of birth: September 15, 1852 (October 27, 1852)
He was an army officer during the Meiji and Taisho eras. He was the eldest son of Fukushima Yasuhiro, a samurai of Matsumoto Domain (Nagano Prefecture). After the Meiji Restoration, he entered Daigaku Nankou (Government University) and learned English. In 1874, he joined the Ministry of the Army, and served as a messenger for Yamagata Aritomo during the Seinan War (1877). In 1882, he was dispatched to Korea to investigate plans for war against Korea, and the following year he became a military attaché to the Beijing legation, exploring Manchuria (northeastern China) and Mongolia. In 1884, he made a military inspection of the Indian peninsula. In 1885, he became a military attaché in Germany and inspected the Balkan Peninsula. On his return to Japan, he traveled alone from Berlin to Vladivostok in February 1892 to inspect the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia, taking a year and four months. During the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), he was a staff officer in the 1st Army. After the war, he again traveled on an expedition to Europe and Asia for about two years, starting in March 1893. After returning to Japan, he became Chief of the 3rd and 2nd Chiefs of the General Staff, and during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) served as a staff officer in the Manchurian Army, and in 1939 served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff. He advanced to the rank of lieutenant general, and in 1945 became the Governor of the Kanto Region, where he was in charge of managing Manchuria. In 1914 (Taisho 3), he became a general. He was the leading intelligence officer in the army at the time. <References> Shimanuki Shigesetsu, "Fukushima Yasumasa and His Solo Crossing of Siberia"

(Masanobu Taura)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：大正8.2.18(1919)
生年：嘉永5.9.15(1852.10.27)
明治大正の陸軍軍人。松本藩(長野県)藩士福島安広の長男。維新後,大学南校に入学して英語を習う。明治7(1874)年陸軍省に入り,西南戦争(1877)では山県有朋の伝令使として従軍。明治15年朝鮮に派遣され対韓作戦計画の調査,翌年北京公使館付武官となり,満州(中国東北部)およびモンゴル方面を踏査した。19年にはインド半島を軍事視察。20年には駐独武官となってバルカン半島を視察,帰国の際25年2月から,ロシアのシベリア鉄道建設の状況視察のため1年4カ月かけてベルリンからウラジオストクへと単騎横断を行う。日清戦争(1894～95)の際は第1軍参謀。戦後は再び28年3月から約2年間ヨーロッパ,アジアを探検旅行。帰国後は参謀本部第3,次いで第2部長,日露戦争(1904～05)時は満州軍参謀,39年に参謀本部次長。中将に進み,45年には関東都督となり満州経営に当たった。大正3(1914)年大将。当時の陸軍随一の情報将校。<参考文献>島貫重節『福島安正と単騎シベリア横断』

(田浦雅徳)

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