Kiyotake Kawaguchi ( 川口 清 健 Kawaguchi Kiyotake , December 3, 1892 - May 16, 1961 ) - Major General of the Imperial Army of Japan during the Second World War .
| Kiyotake Kawaguchi | |
|---|---|
| 清 健 川口 | |
 Kiyotake Kawaguchi | |
| Date of Birth | December 3, 1892 |
| Place of Birth | Koshi Prefecture, Japan Empire |
| Date of death | May 16, 1961 (68 years old) |
| Place of death | Japan |
| Affiliation |  Imperial Army of Japan |
| Type of army | |
| Years of service | 1914-1945 |
| Rank | major general |
| Battles / wars | Operation in Borneo The Battle of Edson Ridge |
Kawaguchi was a native of Koti Prefecture. In 1914 he graduated from Rikugun Sikan Gakko , and in 1922 - Rikugun Daigakko . In the 1920s and 1930s, he held various headquarters positions in Japan and at the headquarters of the North China Front , and in 1940 he was promoted to major general.
In 1941, the 35th Infantry Brigade was formed as part of the Southern Army Group , with Kawaguchi being appointed commander. In 1941-1942, during the invasion of Borneo, the reinforced Kawaguchi brigade made landings in Miri , Kuching , Brunei , Jesselton , Beaufort , Labuan and Sandakan . At the final stages of the Philippine operation in March 1942, this brigade landed on Cebu , and in April - on Mindanao . Kawaguchi had a conflict with Colonel Masanobu Tsuji from General Tomoyuki Yamashita 's headquarters: Tsuji demanded to kill Filipino hostages, Kawaguchi believed that killing unarmed is contrary to the Bushido spirit. As a result, Tsuji tried to send Kawaguchi to the “hot spots”.
In August - September 1942, the Kawaguchi brigade was deployed to Guadalcanal to drop the landed Allied troops , and on September 13, 1942, it was defeated during the battle for the Blood Ridge ; Kawaguchi was evacuated to Japan.
In 1943, Kawaguchi was placed on a reserve list. After a long treatment, in March 1945 he was appointed commander of the defense of Tsushima Island .
After the war, Kawaguchi was arrested by the occupation authorities, accused of war crimes, and from 1946 to 1953 he stayed in Sugamo prison. He died in 1961.