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Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

Imperial Japanese Navy HQ, 1930s

The Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff (軍令部, Gunreibu) was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.

History

Created in 1893, the Navy General Staff took over operational (as opposed to administrative) authority over the Imperial Japanese Navy from the Navy Ministry. It was responsible for the planning and execution of national defense strategy. Through the Imperial General Headquarters it reported directly to the Emperor, not to the Prime Minister, National Diet or even the Navy Ministry. It was always headed by an admiral on active duty, and was based in Tokyo.

"The ministry was responsible for the naval budget, ship construction, weapons procurement, personnel, relations with the Diet and the cabinet and broad matters of naval policy. The General Staff directed the operations of the fleet and the preparation of war plans".[1]

After the Washington Naval Conference of 1921–22, where Japan agreed to keep the size of its fleet smaller than that of the United Kingdom and the United States, the Imperial Japanese Navy became divided into the mutually hostile Fleet Faction and Treaty Faction political cliques. The Navy Ministry tended to be pro-Treaty Faction and was anxious to maintain the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. However the Navy General Staff came to be dominated by the Fleet faction, and gradually gained ascendancy in the 1930s with increasing Japanese militarism. The Navy General Staff pushed through the attack on Pearl Harbor against the wishes of the more diplomatic Navy Ministry.

After 1937, both the Navy Minister and the Chief of the Navy General Staff were members of the Imperial General Headquarters.

With the defeat of the Empire of Japan in World War II, the Navy General Staff was abolished together with the Imperial Japanese Navy by the American occupation authorities in November 1945 and was not revived by the post-war Constitution of Japan.

Organization

The General Staff was organized as follows:

Chiefs of the General Staff

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Concurrently Headmaster of the Naval War College until 20 May 1893.
  2. ^ Re-assigned to Privy Council over objections to escalating hostilities with China that led to the First Sino-Japanese War.
  3. ^ Promoted to Admiral on 5 May 1895.
  4. ^ Resigned to accept appointment as first Governor-General of Taiwan.
  5. ^ Created Viscount on 5 August 1898.
  6. ^ Promoted to Admiral on 28 September 1898.
  7. ^ Created Count on 21 September 1907.
  8. ^ Promoted to Admiral on 1 December 1910.
  9. ^ Created Baron on 14 July 1916.
  10. ^ Promoted to Admiral on 28 August 1915.
  11. ^ Resigned to become Grand Chamberlain.
  12. ^ Resigned rather than attend a state dinner in honor of US Ambassador William Richards Castle Jr.
  13. ^ Forced to resign due to tepid support for the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
  14. ^ Promoted to Marshal Admiral on 27 May 1932.
  15. ^ Promoted to Marshal Admiral on 21 June 1943.
  16. ^ Forced to resign following Operation Hailstone.
  17. ^ Concurrently Minister of the Navy until 17 July 1944.
  18. ^ Forced to resign after the downfall of the Tōjō Cabinet following the loss of Saipan.
  19. ^ Resigned in protest of the Emperor's refusal to consider peace proposals.

References

  1. ^ Spector

Bibliography

External links