| Chūichi Hara | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | "King Kong" |
| Born | March 15, 1889 Matsue, Shimane, Japan |
| Died | February 17, 1964 (aged 74)[1] |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1911-1945 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held |
Tsuga, Ataka, Tatsuta |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Battle of the Coral Sea *Solomon Islands campaign *Battle of the Eastern Solomons *Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands *Operation Hailstone |
Chūichi "King Kong" Hara (原 忠一 Hara Chūichi, 15 March 1889 – 17 February 1964) was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Relatively heavier and taller in his younger years compared with the average Japanese person, he was nicknamed "King Kong" by his friends.[2]
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Hara was born in Matsue city, Shimane prefecture. He graduated from the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1911, ranked 85th out of 149 cadets. As a midshipman, he served on the cruiser Aso and battlecruiser Ibuki. After his promotion to ensign, he was assigned to Settsu and the Akashi.
After attending torpedo school and naval artillery school, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant and served on Asakaze, followed by Yakumo, followed by the battleship Kongō during World War I. However, it does not appear that he experienced combat during his tour of duty.
After the end of the war, he returned to school for advanced studies in torpedo warfare from 1918–1919, and then served as chief torpedo officer on the destroyer Hakaze, followed by Yukaze in 1921, and the cruiser Ōi in 1922. Hara graduated from the Naval Staff College in 1924 and was promoted to lieutenant commander. In December 1926, he was given his first command, the destroyer Tsuga. Promoted to commander in 1929, he subsequently served as an instructor at several of the naval ordinance schools in the early 1930s. He was given command of the destroyer Ataka in 1932, and his rank was raised to captain in 1933. From 1933-1934, he was sent as naval attaché to the United States. On his return, he assumed command of the cruiser Tatsuta. He subsequently held a number of staff positions until his promotion to rear admiral on 15 November 1939.
During the Pacific War, he was CINC of the 5th Carrier Division for the attack on Pearl Harbor, with the new aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shōkaku. At the Battle of Coral Sea, his 5th Carrier Division suffered a considerable damage. This damage put it out of the war for several months, and Hara was re-assigned to command the 8th Cruiser Division, with the cruisers Tone and Chikuma during the Solomon Islands campaign, including the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
After Operation Hailstone, the attack on Truk, Hara replaced Vice Admiral Masami Kobayashi as Commander in Chief, IJN 4th Fleet, commanding the navy base at Truk. He held this post until the surrender of Japan, although it is significant to note that Hara was not in command of the base when it was attacked.
After the end of the war, Hara was arrested by SCAP authorities and held in Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, where he was accused of war crimes. Extradited to a military tribunal held on Guam, he was convicted of “neglect of duty in connection with violations of the Laws of War committed by members of their command” for the execution of Allied aircrews captured during air raids on Truk. Vice Admiral Hara was the highest ranking officer from Truk tried for war crimes. He received a six-year sentence and was flown back to Sugamo Prison to serve out his sentence.
Hara's son, Nobuaki, graduated from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy just as the war ended. When Hara was released from prison on 19 April 1951, Nobuaki took him home to a very small house in Tokyo. Hara dedicated the remainder of his life to securing Japanese government pensions and relief for the families of Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese servicemen imprisoned for war crimes.[3] Hara served as a Councilor of the Ministry of Justice (Japan) until his death at age 74 in 1964.[4]
Shortly after the surrender in August 1945, the commander of allied forces ordered all Japanese swords collected and turned over to the occupation forces. Many of the swords were mass-produced government issue, but some were ancient masterpieces of the swordmakers' art which had been cherished for generations. Many swords were distributed indiscriminately to American servicemen as souvenirs. Hara surrendered his family sword to the American Vice Admiral commanding the Marianas so the sword might be displayed at the United States Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis. Hara was in possession of a second sword which he presented to Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin while Durgin was interviewing Hara as part of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey conducted immediately following the war.[3]
In 1959, Hara requested through diplomatic channels return of a family sword belonging to 85-year-old Ryūtarō Takahashi, president of the six-million-member Bereaved Families Association. The sword was one of the great blades forged in Bizen Province in the 15th century. It had been carried by Ryūtarō's son, Hikoya Takahashi. Hikoya had asked Hara to care for the sword while he was assigned to a minesweeping assignment he did not survive. Hara revealed that the sword carefully preserved in the Naval Academy Museum was Takahashi's sword, and the Hara family sword which should be in the museum was in the possession of Admiral Durgin. Retired Admiral Durgin drove to the museum to correct the error, and the Bizen sword was delivered to the old man who had lost his son.[3]