Mitsuru Ushijima

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Mitsuru Ushijima (July 31, 1887 – June 22, 1945) was the Japanese general at the Battle of Okinawa, leading the primary resistance in the south.

The Japanese land campaign (mainly defensive) was conducted by the 120,000 strong Japanese 32nd Army. It consisted of the 9th, 24th, and 62nd Divisions, and the 44th Independent Brigade. The 9th division was tranferred to Formosa prior to the invasion. General Ushijima commanded all the Japanese forces in the south of Okinawa from Shuri Castle just south of the main line of defence on Okinawa. He led a skillful defense of the island despite disagreements between his second in command, General Isamu Cho, and his chief of staff, Major Hiromichi Yahara.

After an offensive action urged by General Cho led to a near massacre of the attacking Japanese troops by superior American firepower, Ushijima adopted the defensive attrition tactics urged by Major Yahara. After the turning of the Shuri Line by the American forces, he led a successful withdrawal of his troops to the extreme south of the island. This defensive line did not meet with the same success, and became a fragmented grouping of isolated defensive positions. Ushijima and Cho retreated to Hill 89 at the south coast. The command and control of the remnants of the 32nd Army soon quickly deteriorated as communication with the last defensive positions was cut. Record numbers of Japanese prisoners surrendered, many were Okinawa volunteers or conscripts.

Ushijima refused a personal plea from the American General Simon Buckner to surrender. Instead, hearing the sounds of the systematic destruction of positions nearby on Hill 89, Ushijima and General Cho committed Seppuku (ritual suicide) for atonement, each disembowling himself with a short sword followed by his beheading by his principal aide. Major Yahara was the senior most officer captured by the American forces, preferring to surrender rather than die needlessly. He authored the book, The Battle for Okinawa.