December 23, 1948(1948-12-23) (aged 70) Sugamo Prison, Tokyo, Occupied Japan
Cause of death
Execution by hanging
Criminal status
Executed
Conviction(s)
War crimes
Trial
International Military Tribunal for the Far East
Criminal penalty
Death
Allegiance
Empire of Japan
Service/branch
Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service
1897–1938
Rank
General
Unit
6th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division
Commands held
11th Division
Taiwan Army of Japan
Shanghai Expeditionary Army
Central China Area Army
Battles/wars
Russo-Japanese War
Siberian Intervention
Second Sino-Japanese War
Battle of Shanghai
Defense of Sihang Warehouse
Battle of Nanking
Awards
Order of the Golden Kite First Class,[1] Order of the Rising Sun First Class[1] Order of the Sacred Treasure First Class Victory Medal Military Medal of Honor
Spouse(s)
Fumiko Isobe
(m. 1912)
[2]
Other work
President of the Greater Asia Association
Iwane Matsui (松井 石根, Matsui Iwane, July 27, 1878 – December 23, 1948) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary force sent to China in 1937. He was convicted of war crimes and executed by the Allies for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre.
Born in Nagoya, Matsui chose a military career and served in combat during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). He volunteered for an overseas assignment there shortly after graduating from the Army War College in 1906. As Matsui rose through the ranks, he earned a reputation as the Japanese Army's foremost expert on China, and he was an ardent advocate of pan-Asianism. He played a key role in founding the influential Greater Asia Association.
Matsui retired from active duty in 1935 but was called back into service in August 1937 at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War to lead the Japanese forces engaged in the Battle of Shanghai. After winning the battle Matsui succeeded in convincing Japan's high command to advance on the Chinese capital city of Nanjing. The troops under his command who captured Nanjing on December 13 were responsible for the notorious Nanjing Massacre.
Matsui finally retired from the army in 1938. Following Japan's defeat in World War II he was convicted of war crimes at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) and executed by hanging. He and other convicted war criminals were enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine in 1978, an act that has stirred controversy.
IwaneMatsui (松井 石根, MatsuiIwane, July 27, 1878 – December 23, 1948) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary...
was received from the Chinese by the deadline on December 10. General IwaneMatsui waited another hour before issuing the command to take Nanjing by force...
composed of the 3rd and 11th Divisions, under the command of General IwaneMatsui. On August 19, Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe announced that...
officially authorized. The task of occupying Nanjing was given to General IwaneMatsui, the commander of Japan's Central China Area Army, who believed that...
transferred to the Japanese Central China Area Army (under the aging General IwaneMatsui) in China in 1937. In November 1937, Prince Asaka became temporary commander...
Matsui (松井 秀喜, born 1974), Japanese former professional baseball player Ichirō Matsui (松井 一郎, born 1964), Japanese businessman and politician Iwane Matsui...
Army. General IwaneMatsui was appointed as its commander-in-chief, concurrent with his assignment as commander-in-chief of the SEF. Matsui reported directly...
soldiers from the Taiwan Army were part of this army, and they were led by IwaneMatsui. The Shanghai Expeditionary Army was raised a second time on August 15...
war crimes and crimes against humanity (Class B and Class C): General IwaneMatsui, commander, Shanghai Expeditionary Force and Central China Area Army...
Army. General IwaneMatsui was appointed as its commander-in-chief, concurrent with his assignment as commander-in-chief of the SEF. Matsui reported directly...
On December 1, 1937, Hirohito had given formal instruction to General IwaneMatsui to capture and occupy the enemy capital of Nanking. He was very eager...
hanging. On 23 December 1948, Hideki Tojo, Kenji Doihara, Akira Mutō, IwaneMatsui, Seishirō Itagaki, Kōki Hirota, and Heitaro Kimura were hanged at Sugamo...
same grave, including Kenji Doihara, Seishirō Itagaki, Heitarō Kimura, IwaneMatsui, Akira Mutō, Kōki Hirota, all of whom are controversially enshrined in...
Among those sentenced to death were former generals Seishirō Itagaki, IwaneMatsui, Kenji Doihara, Hideki Tōjō, and Akira Mutō. Japan portal Armies of the...
evil practice of executing POWs on the pretext of (lacking) rations. IwaneMatsui had been judged by the Tokyo tribunal; Prince Kan'in Kotohito, Kesago...
Seishirō Itagaki, Heitarō Kimura, Kenji Doihara, Akira Mutō, Kōki Hirota IwaneMatsui (sentenced for only Class B offenses) Lifetime imprisonment: Yoshijirō...
temple’s administrative affairs. He is a priest of the Soto school. General IwaneMatsui who commanded the Shanghai Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of the...
during his regime. Yoshijirō Umezu, general of the Imperial Japanese Army IwaneMatsui, general of the Imperial Japanese Army who was known for his involvement...
Area Army Aug 1937 – Dec 1938 Succeeded by Hajime Sugiyama Preceded by IwaneMatsui Commander, IJA Taiwan Army Aug 1934 – Dec 1935 Succeeded by Heisuke Yanagawa...
Koiso – Guilty, sentenced to life imprisonment (died in prison in 1950) IwaneMatsui – Guilty, sentenced to death Yōsuke Matsuoka – Died of natural causes...
which occurred during the Rape of Nanjing, and this included Generals IwaneMatsui, Heisuke Yanagawa and Sadao Ushijima as well as Nakajima, Suematsu and...
(1880–1950), Japanese prime minister, sentenced to life imprisonment IwaneMatsui (1878–1948), general in the Imperial Japanese Army, sentenced to death...
Shanghai Incident and operations in Hebei, China. Under the elderly General IwaneMatsui, Nakajima was named Operational Commander in the Battle of Nanjing in...
In Indonesia, Unit 9420 established branches in Jakarta and Bandung.IwaneMatsui once visited the Pasteur Institute of Indonesia in Bandung. In 1944,...
general (b. 1885) 1948 – Heitarō Kimura, Japanese general (b. 1888) 1948 – IwaneMatsui, Japanese general (b. 1878) 1948 – Kenji Doihara, Japanese general (b...
Global Information
Empire of Japan
Imperial Japanese Army
General