Suzuki Keiji

This article is about the World War II agent. For the judoka, seeKeiji Suzuki.

Suzuki Keiji
Keiji Suzuki as a Major General
Native name	Linh mộc kính tư
Nickname(s)	Bo Mogyo( "Thunderbolt Commander" ) "Japanese Lawrence of Arabia" "Thunderbolt Commander"
Born	1897 Shizuoka Prefecture,Japan
Died	1967
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1918–1945
Rank	Major General
Unit	Taiwan Army of Japan
Commands held	Southern Spy Agency
Battles/wars	World War II

Suzuki Keiji(Linh mộc kính tư,February 6, 1897-September 20, 1967)was aJapanese armyintelligence officerduring theSecond World War.Operating primarily inBurma,he helped form theBurma Independence Armyand was an advocate for Burmese independence, described as a "JapaneseLawrence of Arabia".The Burmese refererred to him by thenom de guerreBo Mogyo,meaning "Thunderbolt Commander".

Training

Suzuki was trained at theImperial Japanese Army Academyand graduated as an infantry officer in 1918. He subsequently attended theGeneral Staff Collegeand in 1929 began clandestine operations in thePhilippines.His main focus, in both his studies and early career, was Anglo-American affairs.Suzuki's official military position was the Head of the General Staff Headquarters' Shipping Section. However, he was trained at theRikugun Nakano Gakkōand was secretly an intelligence agent charged with disrupting Allied activities in Asia by shutting down supply lines toChinathrough theBurma Road.

Operations

Further information:Burma Independence Army

In the 1930s, Suzuki, operating out ofBangkok,recruited a number of Burmese dissidents. His network of associates would later become the nucleus of theMinami Kikan(Nam cơ quan)underground spy organisation. He was closely connected with theThakins,a nationalist group of students and labourers. In 1940, he secretly enteredRangoonwith assistance from his network of contacts, posing as a reporter named Minami Masuyo.

Suzuki worked onHainanIsland for six months in 1941, training theThirty Comradesin preparation for the Japanese invasion of Burma.

In 1941, Japanese Imperial general Headquarters authorised Suzuki to create a Burmese military force under Japanese authority. He drew together theThirty Comrades,a group of independence fighters which includedAung San,Ne WinandBo Let Ya.Suzuki's work eventually led to the creation of the Burmese Independence Army.However, in 1942 a Japanese Army commander, Lieutenant-General Shijiro Iida, became concerned over Suzuki's pro-independence stance and authority over the Burmese Independence Army. He orchestrated Suzuki's recall to Japan, and the Burmese Independence Army was subsequently reorganised and placed under the direction of Aung San (himself under the control of the Japanese).Suzuki returned to Tokyo, and for the rest of the war fulfilled the duties of his official role as Head of Shipping by overseeing transport and logistics.

Suzuki had a flair for the dramatic. His chosen Burmese name,Bo Mogyo,was a reference to the thunderbolt which Burmese folk tradition held would destroy the "umbrella" (a symbol of British colonial rule). He engaged in a blood-drinking ceremony of comradeship with his companions.

During the Japanese occupation of Burma, the BIA tried to persuade the Burmese populace by saying that Suzuki was a long-lost descendant of Prince Myingun, an older half-brother ofthe last Burmese kingwho had escaped to British-controlled Burma following a failed coup attempt against his father, who many Burmese people saw as the legitimate heir to the last Burmese kingdom.

After his death in 1967, Suzuki was posthumously honoured by the Burmese leader Ne Win.