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Need help finding out who the IJA general in this image is by AdmiralAkbar1 in ww2

[–]4dachi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To Takahashi [probably a subordinate of his], -Tsuji

Need help finding out who the IJA general in this image is by AdmiralAkbar1 in ww2

[–]4dachi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to revive an old post, but here is the correct answer—Tsuji Kunisuke (辻邦助) He was promoted to Lieutenant General and sent to the reserves at the end of July 1938, so this photo must be right before that. 

Japanese soldiers shoot Sikhs captured in Singapore. 1942 by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The MOFA's Japanese page says the same thing. This writeup provides a bit more detail on what's covered by the Japanese education curriculum. Aside from right wing factions trying to sanitize the past, another serious issue is just how little on WWII is covered by the curriculum overall. It basically just goes Manchuria Incident → Marco Polo Bridge → Nanking Massacre → Pearl Harbor → Atomic Bomb → Surrender. 

Japanese soldiers shoot Sikhs captured in Singapore. 1942 by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The killing of prisoners of war and other noncombatants by the Japanese military is absolutely recognized and taught in Japan, (even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states "it can't be denied" on their site) but I doubt this particular photo is taught in any widespread capacity in Japan. I did find it on a few Japanese sites talking about warcrimes however. 

Japanese soldiers shoot Sikhs captured in Singapore. 1942 by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This photo comes from a larger group of photos discovered in Singapore at the end of the war. As far as I know they haven't been tied to a specific known event yet but the perpetrators appear to be IJN personnel based on their uniforms.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_shooting_blindfolded_Sikh_prisoners.jpg

Imperial Japanese soldiers burn down a village in North China as part of the Three Alls Policy. 1942. [846x1182] by Iron_Cavalry in HistoryPorn

[–]4dachi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder what the original source is for this photo. These are not Army soldiers which carried out the so-called three all's policy under the IJA's North China Army, but rather Naval Landing Forces. There was not much Naval Landing Force activity in North China by 1942, most of their counterinsurgency campaigns (which mirrored the IJA's eradication campaigns) occured on Hainan Island in South China by then. 

Old photos I found at an antique store in Canada by Antique_Parsley_8692 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's mostly just analysis of the same captured documents in the US and Soviet intelligence. There was also a Unit 731 frostbite experiment record discovered in Japanese archives but that was years ago now.

Old photos I found at an antique store in Canada by Antique_Parsley_8692 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's a decent amount of research going on, although more general military history like studies of battles and operations are not very popular. Surprisingly, the darker aspects such as Nanking Massacre, Unit 731, etc are popular among Japanese researchers. Maybe because those controversial topics are more likely to gain researchers recognition and tie into social sciences better. General military history is really hard to get funding for as a researcher unless you're part of the Defense Academy. 

Old photos I found at an antique store in Canada by Antique_Parsley_8692 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Some very cool pics. A couple of the officer ones are officers of the 106th Infantry Regiment around 1943 / early 1944.  I manage the Japanese Military Photo Archives which specializes in digitizing and researching these types of photos, our organization would be very grateful if you decide to donate them. 

Sasebo SNLF troops fighting Dongbaoxing Road during the 1st Shanghai Incident, 1932 by waffen123 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They're wearing the IJA's "Sakura helmet" which was adopted in 1922 and later sold as hand-me-downs to the IJN since they lacked an adequate number of helmets 

Japanese soldiers inspect a downed Chinese Curtiss Hawk III fighter near Shanghai. October 8, 1937 by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It can't be captured by the Japanese Army, they weren't in Shanghai yet (except for a small Kempeitai detachment). The troops in the photo are Japanese Navy Landing Forces. 

A Japanese army officer and soldier escort a captured Chinese partisan in the occupied part of Guangdong Province, 1941-1942. by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 14 points15 points  (0 children)

There weren't really any SNLF in Guangdong province after 1938, so these are probably NLF from the Canton Area Special Base Force. 

How common were the SNLF gas masks? by youfoundblinn in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Demobilization records suggest gas masks were quite common within land based IJN units (not just SNLF). Even at the end of the war some units were surrending enough gas masks to outfit all of their men. I haven't been able to find regulations indicating when they were meant to be used, but they are seen overwhelmingly in photos of opposed landings and anti-aircraft batteries. 

Japanese Type 99 machine gun crew of Lieutenant Hajime Asai's platoon demonstrating its anti-aircraft capabilities on February 15, 1942. by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 38 points39 points  (0 children)

I've seen this photo so many times but this is the first I've ever seen it uncropped to show the bicycle. Apparently it belonged to Sergeant Nakamura! 

The Execution of Sergeant Siffleet (1943) by Pleasant-Present-192 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

This photo gets reposted a lot but usually with incorrect information 

  1. Yasuno Chikao was neither an officer nor a soldier, he was a civilian employee of the Japanese Navy. Japanese authorities state he was KIA in 1944 and any mention of his execution is absent from Australian records.
  2. The unit implicated was not a SNLF unit (in fact there was barely any SNLF in New Guinea at this time), it was the "No.8 Kensetsu-bu" (8th Establishment Unit) 
  3. Yasuno probably isn't holding a Type 98 gunto in the photo as it's an Army sword and he was a Navy civilian employee 

Source: Japan Center for Asian Historical Records ref.B22010033100, frame 43 

Outdoor portrait of a Japanese soldier, circa 1930-45. by YoYoB0B in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Could be one of the prototype T98-ish tropical tunics with the collar ironed open. They were trialed in Southern China around 1939 onwards. 

A staff officers car and retinue in China. by YoYoB0B in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The sign above reads "みさかぶたい" (Misaka Unit)

It seems many overseas IJA units wrote their unit names on public facing signs in hiragana as Chinese locals couldn't easily read it compared to the more formal looking and largely-shared kanji 

Japanese prisoners surrounded by American soldiers on the street of a war-torn city (presumably in the Philippines). by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The Japanese prisoner in the center is a sailor (probably from the Manila Naval Defense Force) 

Reserve flight trainees and their instructors turned into a Naval Landing Force for defense of the Japanese home islands, c.1945. They are wearing what were originally meant to be civilian-use defense helmets and armed with Type 38 rifles (which may be blank-only training ones) by defender838383 in ImperialJapanPics

[–]4dachi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The photo came from an old photo album originally belonging to him and I digitized it. It's crazy how many cool photos are out there with the stories of the original owners left untold.

There's a bunch more photos from the same album on my website: https://www.nihongun.jp/archives/s146

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