Prince Kan'in Kotohito
Kan'in Kotohito | |
|---|---|
閑院宮載仁親王 | |
Kotohito in 1936 | |
| Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff | |
| In office December 23, 1931 – October 3, 1940 | |
| Monarch | Shōwa |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Kanaya Hanzo |
| Succeeded by | Hajime Sugiyama |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 10, 1865 Kyoto, Tokugawa shogunate (present-day Japan) |
| Died | May 21, 1945 (aged 79) Odawara, Kanagawa, Empire of Japan |
| Relations | Prince Kan'in Haruhito |
| Awards |
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| Nickname | Prince messenger |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Branch/service | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1881–1945 |
| Rank | Field Marshal (Gensui) |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | |
Prince Kan'in Kotohito (閑院宮載仁親王, Kan'in-no-miya Kotohito-shinnō, November 10, 1865 – May 21, 1945) was the sixth head of a cadet branch of the Japanese imperial family, and a career army officer who served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff from 1931 to 1940. During his tenure as the Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, the Imperial Japanese Army committed numerous war crimes against Chinese civilians including the Nanjing Massacre and the systemic use of chemical and bacteriological weapons. Prince Kan'in Kotohito died several months before the end of the Second World War.