Kuniaki Koiso

Kuniaki Koiso was born in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the Army Academy in 1900 and became an infantryman, then went on to attend the War College. He had a healthy promotion track throughout his military career, making the rank of major general by 1926. From 1929 and on, he served in various high staff positions such as chief positions with the Ministry of War, Minister of Overseas Affairs, Chief of the Kwangtung Army in Manchuria during WW2, and Governor-General of Korea also during WW2. In 1944, Hideki Tojo's government fell at the face of American advances in south and central Pacific, and Koiso was named the new Prime Minister. In Apr 1945, the Japanese military failed to halt the American invasion of Okinawa, losing the battleship Yamato, the navy's pride, in the process; Koiso resigned on 7 Apr 1945, the day Yamato sank with 2,488 of her men. He was tried by the International Military Tribunal for war crimes and was sentenced to life in prison. He died in captivity in 1950.