Teiichi Yoshimoto

Teiichi Yoshimoto
Teiichi Yoshimoto
Native name	吉本貞一
Born	March 23, 1887; Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
Died	September 14, 1945 (aged 58); Tokyo, Japan
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service / branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1908–1945
Rank	General
Battles / wars	Second Sino-Japanese War; World War II;

Teiichi Yoshimoto (吉本貞一, Yoshimoto Teiichi, March 23, 1887 – September 14, 1945) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II.

Biography

Early career

Yoshimoto was the eldest son of an indigo merchant from Tokushima Prefecture. He was born in Tokyo, but his birth was registered in Tokushima. He graduated from the 20th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1908 and 28th class of the Army Staff College in 1916 and was assigned to staff positions within the Imperial General Headquarters upon graduation.

In 1919 he was sent as a military attaché to France, returning in 1922. He remained in various administrative and bureaucratic positions within the Army Staff until 1933, when he was assigned command of the IJA 68th Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to major general in 1936 and assigned command of the IJA 21st Infantry Brigade. In 1937, he became Chief of Staff of the Tokyo Metropolitan Military Police, in charge of organizing defenses for eastern Japan.

World War II

In June 1938, Yoshimoto became chief-of-staff of the newly-formed IJA 11th Army. This force was part of the Japanese Central China Area Army and assigned the task of conquering and occupying the central provinces of China between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The 11th Army played a major role in the Battle of Wuhan. From September 1939, it came under the newly formed China Expeditionary Army and Yoshimoto became chief-of-staff of the China Expeditionary Army from January 1939. He was promoted to lieutenant general that March and assigned command of the IJA 2nd Division that November.

On April 29, 1940, Yoshimoto was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite, 2nd class and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. In April 1941, he became chief of staff of the Kwantung Army and from April 1942 was assigned command of the IJA 1st Army. During this time, the 1st Army was largely a garrison force in Manchukou. He was Imperial General Headquarters. In February 1945, he was assigned to the newly-created Japanese Eleventh Area Army. This force was part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of Allied forces in Honshū during Operation Downfall and was responsible for the Tōhoku region of Japan from its headquarters in Sendai, Miyagi. On May 7, 1945 he was promoted to general, and in June received the honorific title of Junior Third Court Rank. On September 14, 1945, shortly after the surrender of Japan, he committed suicide at The Imperial Japanese Army headquarters in Ichigaya, Tokyo.

Career

December 1908: Second Lieutenant
December 1911: First Lieutenant
October 1918: Captain
August 1923: Major
March 1928: Lieutenant colonel
August 1, 1931: Colonel
March 7, 1936: Major general
March 9, 1939: Lieutenant general
May 7, 1945: General

Military offices
Preceded by Office created	Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese 11th Army 1938–1939	Succeeded by Takazo Numata
Preceded by Yoshio Iwamatsu	Commander of the Imperial Japanese 1st Army 1942–1944	Succeeded by Raishiro Sumida
Preceded by Office created	Commander of the Imperial Japanese 11th Area Army 1945	Succeeded by Keisuke Fujie

General references

Fukagawa, Hideki (1981). (陸海軍将官人事総覧 (陸軍篇)) Army and Navy General Personnel Directory (Army). Tokyo: Fuyo Shobo. ISBN 4829500026.
Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992). Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 1-85043-569-3.
Hata, Ikuhiko (2005). (日本陸海軍総合事典) Japanese Army and Navy General Encyclopedia. Tokyo: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 4130301357.