| Minoru Genda | |
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| August 16, 1904–August 15, 1989 | |
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| Place of birth | Hiroshima, Japan |
| Place of death | Matsuyama, Japan |
| Allegiance |  Imperial Japanese Navy Japanese Air Self-Defense Force |
| Years of service | 1924–45 (Imperial Navy) 1954–1962 (JASDF) |
| Rank | Captain (Imperial Navy) General (JASDF) |
| Commands held | Imperial Navy General Staff, Senior Air Officer Zuikaku, Staff officer 1st Air Fleet, Commander, 343 Kokutai, Chief of Staff of JASDF |
| Battles/wars | World War II, Pearl Harbor Attack Plan |
| Awards | US Legion of Merit degree of Commander (1962) |
| Genda Minoru | |
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Member of House of Councillors of Japan
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| In office 1962 – 1986 |
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| Born | 16 August 1904 Hiroshima, Japan |
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| Died | 15 August 1989 (aged 84) Matsuyama, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party |
| Occupation | Military pilot |
Minoru Genda (源田実 Genda Minoru, 16 August 1904–15 August 1989) was a well-known Japanese military aviator before, during, and after the Second World War and later went on to serve more than 20 years as an influential far right-wing member of the Japanese House of Councillors. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article The, or JASDF, is the Aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese Airspace and other aerospace For information specifically on the Royal Navy rank of captain see Captain (Royal Navy. WWII Service In 1941 Zuikaku, under the command of Captain Yokokawa Ichibei and her sister ship ''Shōkaku'' made up Carrier Division Five World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on The Japanese city of ( is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest of Japan 's For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The, frequently abbreviated to LDP or, is a Centre right, conservative, Political party and the largest party in Japan. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including As a staff officer on the eve of the war, he helped perfect Japanese plans for the Pearl Harbor attack. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by During the war, he compiled an exemplary record as a fighter pilot, eventually leading the famed 343 Naval Fighter Group in defense of Japanese homeland. Following the war's conclusion, he was closely involved in the creation of Japan's new "air force," the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force and eventually rose to become its chief of staff. The, or JASDF, is the Aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese Airspace and other aerospace He retired from the military in 1962 to enter politics and remained in the House of Councillors for more than 20 years where he exercised vast influence on Japan's military policy. He retired from politics in 1986 and died three years later.
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Early life
Minoru Genda was the second son of a farmer, born to an ancient family. Two brothers were graduates of Tokyo University, another brother graduated from Chiba Medical College, and his youngest brother entered the Army Academy. The, abbreviated as, is a major Research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. Graduating from the First Hiroshima Middle School, Genda entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy with the goal of becoming a fighter pilot and graduated in November 1929 at the head of his class. was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Imperial Japanese Navy Officer
For the next six years Genda moved rapidly from one operational and staff air assignment to another. He was well-known in the navy and during the 1930s Genda led a division of biplanes around the country, conducting demonstrations and aerobatics. Known as the "Genda's Flying Circus," his team was part of a public relations campaign to promote naval aviation.
Genda was one of the world's first naval officers to realize the potential of massing aircraft carriers to project air power. In the 1930s the aircraft carrier was a new weapons system and untested in war. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Most naval strategists and tacticians in the 1930s conceived of single carriers launching raids on enemy targets, or sailing with a fleet to provide air cover against enemy bombers. Genda understood the potential of massed air raids launched from multiple aircraft carriers steaming together.
An air power advocate from the time he attended the Japanese Naval Academy, Genda urged the pre-war Japanese military leaders to stop building battleships (which he believed would be better used as "piers" or scrap iron) and concentrate on aircraft carriers, submarines, and supporting fast cruisers and destroyers. Above all, Genda thought that a high-tech and large naval air fleet would be necessary for survival if Japan was ever to fight a war with the United States or Great Britain and the Netherlands. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands
Pearl Harbor and World War II
The Pearl Harbor attack plan which was ultimately utilized by Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was essentially the work of Genda, with important contributions by others. Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers Fleet Admiral ( 4 April 1884 – 18 April 1943) was the Commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II a Yamamoto had become acquainted with Genda in 1933 when Genda served aboard the carrier Ryujo. Flagship In August–December 1937 Ryūjō supported land operations of the Japanese Army in China, as flagship of Carrier Division 1 Yamamoto initially conceived of a one-way attack on Pearl Harbor from 500 to 600 miles away. In his scheme, returning aircraft would ditch in the ocean off Oahu and the pilots would be picked up by destroyers and submarines. Yamamoto was focused on smashing the U. S. Pacific Fleet and sinking as many battleships as possible. Most Americans and Japanese still believed in early 1941 that battleships were the mightiest weapons of war. The sinking of one, or better yet, a number of these giant vessels would be an appalling blow, akin to a disaster of nature.
Yamamoto met with Genda in early February 1941 and presented his ideas to him for comment. Genda strongly disagreed with a one-way attack. Genda had previously considered an attack on Pearl Harbor in 1934 and he had discussed the possibility then with Takijiro Onishi. was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, who came to be known as the father of the Kamikaze. Genda emphasized to Yamamoto that "secrecy is the keynote and surprise the all-important factor. " Genda felt that the task was "difficult, but not impossible" and began working on the details of the plan. Genda was responsible for much of the training, especially in the new tactics of shallow-water torpedo use, effective use of level-bombing by tactical aircraft, and coordinating several aircraft carriers simultaneously. The modern torpedo (historically called an automotive automobile locomotive or fish torpedo is a self-propelled explosive Projectile weapon launched above or below
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in a lopsided victory, with 12 American warships sunk and over 180 American aircraft destroyed. The main Japanese fleet suffered no ship losses and only 29 aircraft lost. In the following six months of the Pacific War the Imperial Japanese carrier units ranged across the Pacific and Indian Oceans causing major damage to Allied forces. The Pacific War was the part of World War II —and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in East Asia, between The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. Later, the Battle of Midway brought this phase of the Pacific War to an end, as four of Japan's six heavy carriers were sunk. The Battle of Midway was a major Naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The Pacific War ground on for three more years, and by the end it was American carrier task forces that cruised with near-impunity in the Pacific. The Fast Carrier Task Force, known at different times as Task Force 38 and Task Force 58, was the main striking force of the United States Navy in
Genda served with distinction in Japan's Imperial Navy in World War II and personally participated in many battles. He was a noted naval aviator and fighter pilot with over three thousand flight hours. He organized an elite Japanese air unit (the 343 Kokutai) near the war's end as an alternative to the suicidal Kamikaze units. ( is a word of Japanese origin which in English usually refers to the Suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Genda believed that even late in the war Japanese pilots were capable of fighting experienced American pilots on equal terms if properly trained and supplied with state-of-the-art aircraft. This article is about the Amiga demo for other uses see State of the art (disambiguation. Genda personally felt that the Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai (Allied code name, "George") was equal to the American F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This unit had some success against American aircraft and fought with distinction.
Genda documented his World War II experiences in a revealing autobiography. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write"
Post-war Activities
Following his service in World War II, Genda's military career came to a halt. The Imperial Navy was officially dissolved in 1945. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar However, Genda did not face the economic struggles that other former military leaders endured as he was supported in the immediate post-war period by a wealthy businessman.
When Japan began "rearming" in 1950s, Genda rejoined the military, this time in Japan's new "air force," the JASDF, eventually rising to the rank of general and later the chief of staff. The, or JASDF, is the Aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese Airspace and other aerospace Genda also test flew Lockheed Jet fighters in the United States during this period. A jet aircraft is an Aircraft propelled by Jet engines Jet aircraft fly much faster than Propeller -powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as
In late 1950s, Genda, as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Self Defense Force, was involved in the political turmoil surrounding the acquisition of a successor to the F-86 Sabre then in service with the JASDF. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout JASDF and the Defense Agency wanted the Grumman F-11 Super Tiger, but heavy lobbying by Lockheed--including downright bribery, through the shadowy underworld figure Yoshio Kodama--of key LDP politicians, including Finance Minister Eisaku Sato and Policy Affairs Research Council Chairman Ichiro Kono, led to adoption of the Lockheed contender, the F-104 instead. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Lockheed Corporation (originally Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company was an American aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta The Lockheed bribery scandals encompassed a series of bribes and contributions made by officials of U Yoshio Kodama (児玉誉士夫 Kodama Yoshio; February 18, 1911 - January 17, 1984) was a prominent figure in the rise of organized was a Japanese Politician and the 61st 62nd and 63rd Prime Minister of Japan, elected on November 9 1964 and re-elected on February 17 1967 and January 14 1970 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Genda functioned as Sato's front man in uniform, openly criticizing the Grumman design and working to steer the selection in favor of the Lockheed aircraft. In August, 1959, Genda became the JASDF chief of staff, with the blessing of Sato, his political patron. In his new capacity, he finalized the adoption of the Lockheed jet over the objections of his subordinates.
After retiring from JASDF in 1962, he ran for and was elected to the upper house of Japan's legislature, the House of Councillors, as a member of the Sato Faction within Liberal Democratic Party. The, frequently abbreviated to LDP or, is a Centre right, conservative, Political party and the largest party in Japan. He was the first of a number of former SDF men who entered legislative politics under the auspices of the Sato Faction, mostly at the far right end of the Japanese political spectrum. He remained influential in politics for more twenty years, as a leading member of the Defense Division of the Policy Affairs Research Council in LDP, often representing the hardline nationalist position advocating abrogation or curtailment of the Article 9 of the postwar Japanese Constitution and open remilitarization of armed forces. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is a "No War" clause He is particularly well-known for his fierce opposition, along with twelve lesser-known far right LDP Dietmen, against Japan's ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty during the 1974-1976 session of the Diet, on the grounds that Japan may one day need to acquire its own nuclear arsenal. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread
Genda died on August 15, 1989, exactly 44 years to the day after the Japanese surrender (VJ day) in World War II. The surrender of Japan in August 1945 brought World War II to a close He was married and had three children.
Impact in Media and Popular Culture
Genda was an uncredited technical advisor in the making of the film Tora Tora Tora, released in 1970. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
Genda was played by actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in Touchstone Pictures' Pearl Harbor, released in 2001. is a Japanese American actor In addition to his extensive film work he has appeared on television in Star Trek The Next Generation - " Encounter Touchstone Pictures is one of several alternate Film labels of The Walt Disney Company, established in 1984 Actor Robert Ito played the role of Genda in the 1976 film Midway, and actor Tatsuya Mihashi played Genda in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!. Robert Ito (born July 2 1931 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian voice television and movie Actor. Midway is a 1976 War film made by The Mirisch Corporation and released by Universal Pictures. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
Alternative-history writer Harry Turtledove used Genda as the primary Japanese protagonist in his fictional account of an invasion of Oahu following the Pearl Harbor attack in his books Days of Infamy and End of the Beginning. Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14 1949) is an American historian and novelist who has written Historical fiction, Fantasy, and Likewise, he is a major character in "Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8th" by historian/writer William R. Forstchen and politician/historian/writer Newt Gingrich.
External links
- Sakaida and Takaki, Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai book review
- Goldstein and Dillon, The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans book review
- Green, Michael, Arming Japan text on Google Books.
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