Prince Yasuhiko Asaka
| Yasuhiko Asaka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prince Asaka | |
| Reign | 10 March 1906 – 14 October 1947 |
| Head ofAsaka-no-miya | |
| Reign | 10 March 1906 – 13 April 1981 |
| Born | 20 October 1887 Kyoto,Japan |
| Died | 12 April 1981(aged 93) Atami,Shizuoka,Japan |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
|
| Father | Asahiko, Prince Kuni |
| Mother | Sugako Tsunoda |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service/ |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1908–1945 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Imperial Guard Shanghai Expeditionary Army |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second Sino-Japanese War Second World War |
| Awards | Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Chrysanthemum Order of the Rising Sun,1st Class Order of the Golden Kite,1st Class |
Prince Yasuhiko Asaka(Triều hương cung cưu ngạn vương,Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko-ō,20 October 1887 – 12 April 1981)was the founder of acollateral branchof theJapanese Imperial Familyand a general in theImperial Japanese Armyduring theJapanese invasion of Chinaand theSecond World War.He was the son-in-law ofEmperor Meijiand uncle by marriage of EmperorHirohito.As the commander of Japanese forces outsideNanjingin December 1937, Asaka presided over themass murderof hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians in what came to be known as theNanjing Massacre.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, GeneralDouglas MacArthurgrantedimmunityto the country's Imperial Family. As a result, Asaka was never tried for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre bySCAPauthorities. Nonetheless, by 1947, he and his children were stripped of their imperial status. He later converted to Catholicism and died of natural causes at the age of 93.
Biography[edit]
Early years[edit]
Prince Yasuhiko came fromKyoto,the eighth son ofPrince Kuni Asahikoand the court lady Tsunoda Sugako. Prince Kuni Asahiko was the youngest prince descended from theFushimi-no-miya,one of the four branch houses of the imperial dynasty(shinnōke)entitled to provide a successor to the throne. In 1872, the Emperor Meiji granted him the titleKuni-no-miyaand authorization to begin a new collateral branch of the imperial family. Prince Yasuhiko was a half-brother ofPrince Higashikuni Naruhiko,Prince Nashimoto Morimasa,Prince Kaya Kuninori,andPrince Kuni Kuniyoshi,the father of the futureEmpress Kōjun,the consort ofEmperor Shōwa(Hirohito).
Marriage and family[edit]
On 10 March 1906, the Emperor Meiji granted Prince Yasuhiko the titleAsaka-no-miyaand authorization to begin a new branch of the imperial family. On 6 May 1909, Prince Asaka marriedNobuko, Princess Fumi(7 August 1891 – 3 November 1933), the eighth daughter of Emperor Meiji. Prince and Princess Asaka had four children:
- Princess Asaka Kikuko(Kỷ cửu tử,12 September 1911 – 12 February 1989);married in 1931 Marquis Nabeshima Naoyasu.
- Prince Asaka Takahiko(Triều hương phu ngạn,8 October 1912 – 5 May 1994);married Todo Chikako, the fifth daughter of Count Todo Takatsugu. They had two daughters, Fukuko and Minoko and a son Tomohiko.
- Prince Asaka Tadahiko(Triều hương chính ngạn,4 January 1914 – January 1944),renounced membership in the imperial family and created Marquis Otowa, 1936.Killed in actionduring theBattle of Kwajalein.
- Princess Asaka Kiyoko(Trạm tử,2 August 1919 – 1 August 2019);married Count Ogyu Yoshiatsu.
Military career[edit]
Like the other imperial princes of theMeiji period,it was expected that Prince Yasuhiko would pursue a career in the military. He received his early education at theGakushūinPeers' School and the Central Military Preparatory School, before graduating from theImperial Japanese Army Academyon 27 May 1908. Commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry on 25 December, Prince Asaka was promoted to lieutenant in December 1910, captain in August 1913, major in July 1918, and lieutenant-colonel in August 1922.
Between 1920 and 1923, Prince Asaka studiedmilitary tacticsat theÉcole spéciale militaire de Saint-CyrinFrance,along with his half-brotherPrince Naruhiko Higashikuniand his cousinPrince Naruhisa Kitashirakawa(1887–1923). However, on 1 April 1923, he was seriously injured in an automobile accident inPerriers-la-Campagne(Normandy) that killed Prince Kitashirakawa; the accident left Prince Asaka with a limp for the rest of his life.
Princess Asaka traveled to France to nurse her husband. Prince and Princess Asaka also visited theUnited Statesin 1925. During that period, Prince and Princess Asaka became enthralled with theArt Decomovement. Upon returning to Japan that same year, The Prince and Princess began arranging for a new mansion to be built in the Art Deco style in Tokyo'sShirokanedaineighborhood. The house, currently theTokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum,was completed in May 1933, but Princess Asaka died a few months later.
While these events were occurring, Prince Asaka had risen through the ranks of the military. After being promoted to the rank ofcolonelin August 1925, in December 1929, he rose to the rank ofmajor generaland was subsequently appointed an instructor at theArmy Staff Collegein 1930. On 1 August 1933, he was promoted tolieutenant generaland assumed command of theFirst Imperial Guards Division.In December 1935, he was appointed a member of theSupreme War Council,which gave him a very influential position with Emperor Hirohito.[1]
However, during the abortiveFebruary 26 Incidentin 1936, Prince Asaka pressed the Emperor to appoint a new government that would be acceptable to the rebels, especially by replacingPrime MinisterKeisuke OkadawithKōki Hirota.The Prince's pro-Imperial Way Factionpolitical sentiments, as well as his connections to other right-wing army cliques, caused a rift between himself and the Emperor. It was perhaps due to this rift that Prince Asaka was transferred to theJapanese Central China Area Army(under the aging GeneralIwane Matsui) inChinain 1937.
Role in the Nanjing Massacre[edit]
In November 1937, Prince Asaka became temporary commander of the Japanese forces outsideNanjing,then capital ofChina,because General Matsui was ill. As temporary commander of the final assault on Nanjing between 2 and 6 December 1937, he issued the order to "kill all captives", thus providing official sanction for what became known as the "Nanjing Massacre"or the" Rape of Nanjing "(12 December 1937 – 10 February 1938).[2]
While Prince Asaka's responsibility for the Nanjing Massacre remains a matter of debate, the sanction for the massacre and the crimes committed during the invasion of China might ultimately be found in the ratification, made on 5 August 1937 by EmperorHirohito,of the proposition of the Japanese army to remove the constraints ofinternational lawon the treatment of Chinese prisoners.[3]
In February 1938, both Prince Asaka and General Matsui were recalled to Japan. Matsui went into virtual retirement, but Prince Asaka remained on the Supreme War Council until the end of the war in August 1945. He was promoted to the rank ofgeneralin August 1939 but held no further military commands. In 1944, he colluded with Prince Higashikuni, his nephewPrince Takamatsu,and former Prime MinisterFumimaro Konoe(1895–1945) to oust theHideki Tojocabinet.[2]
Immunity from prosecution[edit]
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers(SCAP) officials interrogated Prince Asaka about his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre on 1 May 1946, but did not bring him before theInternational Military Tribunal for the Far Eastfor prosecution. Indeed, for politico-strategic and geopolitical reasons, GeneralDouglas MacArthurdecided to support the Imperial family and to grant immunity to all its members. Matsui, on the other hand, was tried, convicted, and executed for failing to prevent the massacre.[4]
Postwar life as a commoner[edit]
On 14 October 1947, Asaka Yasuhiko and his children lost their imperial status and privileges and became ordinary citizens, as part of theAmerican Occupation's abolition of the collateral branches of theJapanese Imperial family.He and his son werepurgedfrom holding any political or public office because they had been officers in the Imperial Japanese Army. HisArt Decomansion inShirokanedaiwas seized by the government and now houses theTokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.
The former prince, Asaka Yasuhiko, moved toAtami,on theIzu Peninsulasouth of Tokyo. Asaka converted toCatholicismon 18 December 1951, and he was the first Imperial clansman to do so.[5]He spent most of his time playinggolf.He also took an active interest ingolf coursedevelopment and in the 1950s was the architect of the Plateau Golf Course at the Dai-HakoneCountry Club. Asaka Yasuhiko died of natural causes on 12 April 1981 at his home inAtami, Shizuokaprefecture. He was 93 years old.
Honours[edit]
- Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Chrysanthemum(31 October 1917)
- Order of the Golden Kite,1st Class (4 April 1942)
Foreign honours[edit]
Belgium: Grand CordonOrder of Leopold(29 April 1925)[6]
References[edit]
- ^Ammenthorp, The Generals of World War II
- ^abChen, World War II Database
- ^Akira Fujiwara,Nitchû Sensô ni Okeru Horyo Gyakusatsu,Kikan Sensô Sekinin Kenkyû 9, 1995, p. 22
- ^"Never Forgotten::75 YEARS LATER - THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR II AND JAPAN TODAY".www.powtaiwan.org.Retrieved4 July2022.
- ^"Prince Asaka Becomes Catholic"New York Times18 December 1951
- ^Royal Decree of 1925/-Mémorial du centenaire de l'Ordre de Léopold. 1832–1932. Bruxelles, J. Rozez, 1933.
Books[edit]
- Brendon, Piers(2002).The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s.Vintage; Reprint edition.ISBN0-375-70808-1.
- Fujitani, T (1998).Splendid Monarchy: Power and Pageantry in Modern Japan.University of California Press.ISBN0-520-21371-8.
- Chang, Iris(1998).The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II.Penguin.ISBN0-14-027744-7.
External links[edit]
- Profile of Asaka
- About this museum – Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
- Ammentorp, Steen."Asuka, Prince".The Generals of World War II.
- Chen, Peter."Yasuhiko".WW2 Database.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1887 births
- 1981 deaths
- Asaka-no-miya
- Converts to Roman Catholicism from Shinto
- École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni
- Imperial Japanese Army generals of World War II
- Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II
- Japanese generals
- Japanese princes
- Japanese Roman Catholics
- Nanjing Massacre perpetrators
- Nobility from Kyoto
- Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite