Masakazu Kawabe

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Masakazu Kawabe (1886 - 1965) was a Japanese officer who attained the rank of Chujo (Lieutenant General). He held important commands in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and during World War II in the Burma Campaign and defense of the Japanese homeland late in the war.

At the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War he held the command of the Permanent China Brigade, involved in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. As the war expanded he was made Deputy Chief of Staff North China Area Army from 26 Aug 1937 until 14 Apr 1938 when he became Chief of Staff Central China Expeditionary Army from 15 Feb 1938 - 31 Jan 1939. He was involved in the Battle of Xuzhou, Northern and Eastern Honan, Battle of Wuhan, Canton Operation, Battle of Nanchang, Battle of Suixian-Zaoyang, Battle of Changsha (1939), and 1939-40 Winter Offensive.

From 12 Sep 1939 - 14 Oct 1940 he held the post of Inspector-General of Military Training. After a time in the Kwantung Army as Division and Army commander he returned to China as Chief of Staff China Expeditionary Army from 17 Aug 1942 to 18 Mar 1943 when he was made Commander in Chief Burma Area Army. (See: Organization of Japanese Expeditionary forces in China)

Arriving in Burma he was convinced to support Reyna Mutaguchi, commander of the 15th Army and an old comrade-in-arms, and his plans for a pre-emptive attack against British forces at Imphal. The goal of this offensive would be to disrupt the Allied build-up in that area, and perhaps, if all went well, make way for an invasion of Assam and British India. Initially this plan was met by resistance by some of Kawabe’s other commanders and Masazumi Inada, Vice-Chief of Staff of the Southern Expeditionary Army at Singapore. Especially the difficult supply situation was thought to be a major hindrance. However in October Inada was removed because of a diplomatic incident with Thailand and in December the plan was approved first by General Hisaichi Terauchi and then by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo on the understanding it would be a purely defensive operation.

Following the failure of Operation U-G0, he was relieved by General Heitaro Kimura on 30 Aug 1944 and returned to Japan to became for a short time a member of the Supreme War Council. Made Commander in Chief of the Central Army District on 1 Dec 1944, he also became Commander in Chief 15th Area Army from its formation on 1 Feb 1945 to 7 Apr 1945. When the Air General Army was formed April 1945 he became its commander until the end of the War.