World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbasePrince Narukata was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1875 to Prince Sandanaru of the Fushimi branch of the Japanese imperial family and Princess Toshiko of the Arisugawa branch. He was a second cousin to Prince Hirohito, who would later rise to the throne as Emperor Showa. In 1883, his name was changed to Hiroyasu and headed the head of the Kacho branch of the Japanese Imperial Family. In 1889, he dropped out of the Japanese Navy Academy and moved to Germany, where he would continue his naval studies and graduated from the German Navy Academy in 1895. In 1896, he married Princess Tsuneko Tokugawa, the ninth daughter of Prince Shogun Yoshinobu Tokugawa, the last shogun of Japan; he would have six children with her. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905, at the rank of lieutenant commander, he sustained wounds aboard battleship Mikasa during the Battle of the Yellow Sea. He was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite 4th Class for his services in the Russo-Japanese War. Between 1907 and 1910, he studied in the United Kingdom. In the early 1910s, he commanded cruiser Takachiho, cruiser Asahi, and battlecruiser Ibuki. In 1920, he was made a member of the Supreme War Council. In 1922, he was promoted to the rank of admiral. In 1923, he became the 23rd head of the Fushimi branch of the Japanese Imperial Family. In 1924, he became the commanding officer of the Sasebo Naval District. In 1932, he was promoted to the rank of fleet admiral. In 1934, he was awarded the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum. Although in 1940 he expressed concerns over Japan's alliance with Germany, he nevertheless enthusiastically supported the plans to take French Indochina from France in order to support the war against China. In 1942, he was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite 1st Class. He continued to provide direction for the war through the end of the war, including showing support for the use of suicidal special attacks by all branches of the Japanese military, particularly after the fall of Saipan in the Mariana Islands, in order to regain the offensive momentum. After the war, as a member of the Japanese Imperial Family, he was not summoned to the trials in Tokyo, Japan. He passed away in Aug 1946.

Photographs

Hiroyasu Timeline