World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseJiro Minami was born in Hiji, Oita Prefecture, Japan to a samurai. Upon graduating the Imperial Army Academy, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the cavalry in 1895. He served in the Russo-Japanese War as a member of the headquarters staff and was a company commander in the 1st Cavalry Regiment, where he participated in the siege of Port Arthur. He was promoted to major in 1905. By 1919, he reached the rank of major general. In 1923, he was the commandant of the Imperial Army Academy. Between 1926 and 1927, with the rank of lieutenant general, he commanded the Japanese 16th Division. Between 1929 and 1930, he was the head of the Japanese Chosun Army in Korea, and was promoted to the rank of full general during his tenure there. He was the Minister of War in 1931; in that role he dispatched Major General Yoshitsugu Tatekawa to Manchuria specifically to curb the militarist behaviors of the Kwantung Army, but the Mukden Incident took place to worsen Sino-Japanese relations before Tatekawa could act. Minami was a member of the Supreme War Council from 1931 to 1934, then took over the Kwantung Army until 1936 with a dual-role of being the Japanese ambassador to the puppet state Manchukuo. Between 1936 and 1942, he was the Governor-General of Korea, and between 1942 to 1945 Privy Councilor to Emperor Showa. After the war ended, he was arrested and tried before the International Military Tribunal as a Class A war criminal, citing his role in waging an unprovoked war and a war of aggression against China, the United States, British Commonwealth, and the Netherlands. He was defended by American William J. McCormack. He was found guilty for the charges against China only, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was paroled in 1954 due to poor health. He passed away a year later.

Jiro Minami Interactive Map

Photographs

Jiro Minami Timeline