Takeji Nara
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| Takeji Nara | |
|---|---|
| 28 April 1868-21 December 1962 | |
 General Takeji Nara |
|
| Place of birth | Tochigi prefecture, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1889 -1934 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | China Garrison Army |
| Battles/wars | First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War |
| Other work | Aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Japan |
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Nara.
Baron Takeji Nara (奈良武次 Nara Takeji?, 28 April 1868-21 December 1962) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army.
[edit] Biography
Nara was born in what is now part of Kanuma city, Tochigi Prefecture to a farming family. He attended military preparatory schools as a youth, and graduated from the 11th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1889 as a second lieutenant in the artillery. In 1893, he attended the Army Artillery School, and the participated in the First Sino-Japanese War from 1894-1895.
After the war, he returned to the Army Staff College, graduating from the 13th class in December 1899. He subsequently served in a number of staff positions within the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, and was send to Germany as a military attaché.
During the Russo-Japanese War, Nara was commander of an Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade which operated the siege artillery units attached to the IJA 3rd Army. After the war and another visit to Germany, he rose to be Vice Minister of War. Promoted to major general in 1914, he served as commander of the Japanese China Garrison Army, and later as chief of staff of Japanese forces in Tsingtao.
Nara was promoted to lieutenant general in 1918, and attended the Versailles Peace Treaty Conference as part of the Japanese delegation.
Nara subsequently served as Chief aide-de-camp to Crown Prince Hirohito, and then as Chief Aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Japan after Hirohito's coronation. He was promoted to full general in 1924 and became a member of the Privy Council. In 1933, he was elevated to the title of baron (danshaku) under the kazoku peerage system, retiring from his military career soon afterwards.
In the post war period, he served as Chairman of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. Nara died in 1962 and his diaries from the period that he was aide-de-camp to Emperor Hirohito shed additional light on the thoughts and role of the Emperor during World War II.
[edit] References
- Nara, Takeji (November 2000). 侍従武官長奈良武次日記・回顧録 (第1巻). Kashiwa Shobō. ISBN 4760117520.
- Nara, Takeji (November 2000). 侍従武官長奈良武次日記・回顧録 (第2巻). Kashiwa Shobō. ISBN 4760117539.
- Nara, Takeji (November 2000). 侍従武官長奈良武次日記・回顧録 (第3巻). Kashiwa Shobō. ISBN 4760117547.
- Nara, Takeji (November 2000). 侍従武官長奈良武次日記・回顧録 (第4巻). Kashiwa Shobō. ISBN 4760117555.
[edit] Notes
Most of the information in this article was translated from the Japanese wikipedia site.
