Soemu Toyoda

Infobox Military Person
name= Soemu Toyoda
lived= 22 May 1885 - 22 September 1957 [Nishida, "Imperial Japanese Navy".]
placeofbirth= Kitsuki, Ōita, Japan
placeofdeath=Tokyo, Japan


caption= Japanese Admiral Soemu Toyoda
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=navy|Empire of Japan
serviceyears=1905-1945
rank=Admiral
commands="Yura", "Hyūga"
Bureau of Naval Affairs, IJN 4th Fleet, IJN 2nd Fleet, Naval Shipbuilding Command, Kure Naval District, Yokosuka Naval District, Combined Fleet
unit=
battles=World War II
awards=Order of the Sacred Treasures (1st class)
family=
laterwork=Supreme War Council (Japan), Chief of Navy General Staffnihongo|Soemu Toyoda|豊田副武|Toyoda Soemu|extra= 22 May 1885 - 22 September 1957 was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.

Biography

Early career

Toyoda was born in what is now part Kitsuki city, Oita prefecture. He graduated from the 33rd class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1905, ranked 26th out of 176 cadets. He served his midshipman duty aboard the cruisers "Hashidate" and "Nisshin", and after commissioned as an ensign he was assigned to the destroyer "Asatsuyu".

Toyoda returned to school, becoming a torpedo and naval artillery expert. As a lieutenant from 1911, he served on the battlecruiser "Kurama". He graduated from the Naval War College (Japan) with honors in 1915, and was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1917. From 1917-1919 he was aide-de-camp to Admiral Yoshimasa Motomaro. From 1919-1922, he was sent as naval attaché to the United Kingdom, during which time he was promoted to commander.

After his return to Japan, Toyoda was assigned as executive officer to "Kuma". He subsequently served in a number of staff positions, was promoted to captain in 1925, and received his first command: the cruiser "Yura" in 1926. In December 1930, he became captain of the battleship "Hyūga". During the London Naval Conference, he accompanied Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to London in 1931. On 1 December 1931, Toyoda was promoted to rear admiral.

From December 1931-February 1933, Toyoda was chief of the Second Section of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, and promoted to vice admiral on 15 November 1935.

From 1935-1937, Toyoda was Director of the Bureau of Naval Affairs, and on 20 October 1937, became Commander in Chief of the IJN 4th Fleet. He subsequently became Commander in Chief of the IJN 2nd Fleet on 15 November 1938. Both fleets were active in the Second Sino-Japanese War in support of the invasion of China. From 1939-1941, he was Director of Naval Shipbuilding Command.

World War II

Promoted to full admiral on 18 September 1941, at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Toyoda was Commander in Chief of the Kure Naval District. Toyoda was strongly opposed to the war with the United States, which he viewed from the start as "unwinnable". [Utah State Library, Toyoda Trial Transcripts]

On 10 November 1942 Toyoda became a member of the Supreme War Council, where he made a strong (but mostly unsuccessful) effort to increase funding and the capacity of Japan's industry towards naval aviation, over the opposition to the Army-dominated Imperial General Headquarters. On 21 April 1943, Toyoda was re-assigned (i.e. demoted) from the Supreme War Council to command of Yokosuka Naval District.

After the death of Admiral Mineichi Koga, Toyoda was appointed Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet on 3 May 1944. In June of the same year he drafted and implemented "Plan A-Go" which resulted in the decisive defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy under the command of Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. He followed with "Plan Sho-Go", which again resulted in another major defeat at the Battle of Surigao Strait. Toyoda was aware that both plans were major gambles, but as the Imperial Japanese Navy fleet was running out of fuel and other critical supplies, he felt that the potential gain offset the risk of losing a fleet that was about to become useless in any event. In the end, however, Toyoda's aggressive defensive strategy did not pay off. Nonetheless, Toyoda continued with the same strategy, approving Operation Ten-Go to send the battleship "Yamato" on its one-way final mission to Okinawa. Toyoda became Chief of the Navy General Staff and was the final supreme commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 25 April 1945 onward.

Toyoda participated in numerous Imperial Conferences concerning the surrender of Japan. Initially the Navy Minister, Mitsumasa Yonai, hoped that Toyoda would be able to exert a moderating influence over Army Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu (since both came from the same district of Japan). However, Toyoda joined Umezu in his protestations against the Potsdam Proclamation of 26 July 1945. Toyoda was for termination of the war but insisted that the government push for more favorable terms. After atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Toyoda's position became even more hardline. He argued that the Japanese people should defend the home islands until the last man. After a Japanese proposal of conditional surrender was rejected by the United States on 10 August 1945, Emperor Hirohito overruled Toyoda's protests and gave the order to bring the war to an end with unconditional surrender.

After the war, Toyoda was interrogated by Rear Admiral Ralph A. Ofstie in Tokyo on 14 November 1945. He was viewed as "highly intelligent and widely informed", and was observed to be a strong critic of the amount of political power the Army held in the Japanese government. He also expressed his opinion that the war with China should have been ended "even at some sacrifice" so that the men and resources could be redeployed to the Pacific theater. [Utah State Library, Toyoda Trial Transcripts]

Toyoda was subsequently arrested by SCAP authorities, held in Sugamo Prison and charged with war crimes. During the Tokyo Trials in October 1948, Toyoda was the only one of the accused found not guilty on all counts.

Toyoda published his memoirs in 1950, and died in 1957 of a heart attack at the age of 73.

References

Books

*cite book
last = Butow
first = Robert J. C.
authorlink =
year = 1954
title = Japan's Decision to Surrender
publisher = Stanford University Press
location =
id = ASIN: B000VFCC14
*cite book
last = Dull
first = Paul S.
authorlink =
year = 1978
title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-097-1
*cite book
last = Frank
first = Richard B.
authorlink =
year = 1999
title = Downfall: the End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
publisher = Penguin, non-classics
location =
id = ISBN 0141001461
*cite book
last = Sheftall
first = M.G.
coauthors =
year = 2005
title = Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze
publisher = NAL Caliber
location =
id = ISBN 0451214870
*cite book
last = Y'Blood
first = William T.
authorlink =
year = 2003
title = Red Sun Setting: The Battle of the Philippine Sea
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1591149940

External links

*cite web
last = Nishida
first = Hiroshi
url = http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px33.htm#a001
title = Imperial Japanese Navy
accessdate = 2007-08-25
* [http://library.usu.edu/specol/manuscript/collms195.html Utah State Library Toyoda Soemu Trial Transcripts]

Notes