Tanaka’s Role in Atrocities Against the Chinese People
Tanaka’s Role in Atrocities Against the Chinese People Hisakazu Tanaka was a Japanese military officer who rose to power during World War II, leading the infamous Twenty-Third Army that committed countless war crimes during the Japanese occupation of China. His brutal tactics and inhumane treatment of prisoners of war and Chinese civilians earned him a reputation as one of the most ruthless officers in the Japanese military. From Imperial Army Academy to the Front Lines of China Hisakazu Tanaka was born in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, in 1897. He was the son of a wealthy landowner and attended the prestigious Imperial Japanese Army Academy, graduating in 1918. He went on to serve in various posts in Japan before being sent to China in 1937 as a member of the Japanese Expeditionary Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Tanaka quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1943. He was made the commander of the Twenty-Third Army, which was res