Shigematsu Sakaibara

Infobox Military Person
name= Shigematsu Sakaibara
lived= 28 December 1898 - 18 June 1947 [Nishida, "Imperial Japanese Navy".]
placeofbirth=Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
placeofdeath=Guam


caption= Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara (seated third from left) signing the surrender of Wake Island aboard USS "Levy" - 4 September 1945.
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=navy|Empire of Japan
serviceyears=1918-1945
rank=Rear Admiral
commands=65th Base Garrison (Wake Island)
unit=
battles=World War II
Battle of Wake Island
awards=
family=
laterwork=nihongo|Shigematsu Sakaibara|酒井原 繁松|Sakaibara Shigematsu|extra = 28 December 1898 - 18 June 1947 was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Japanese garrison commander on Wake Island during World War II.

Biography

A native of Yamagata prefecture in northern Japan, Sakaibara was a graduate of the 46th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1918, placing 36th in a class of 124. He served his midshipman tour on the cruiser "Tokiwa", and after commissioning as an ensign was assigned to "Hirado". He later served on the destroyer "Kaba" and battleship "Mutsu".

As a sub-lieutenant he served on the "Iwate" and after his promotion to lieutenant on 1 December 1924, he was assigned to the "Hiei", "Yura", and "Sendai". He was chief gunnery officer on the "Tatsuta". Promoted to lieutenant commander in 1930, he served as chief gunner officer on "Takao" in 1934, followed by "Mutsu" in 1935. He was executive officer on "Chikuma" in 1939. After his promotion to captain in 1940, he served on a number of staff positions.

After the Battle of Wake Island on 23 December 1941, Sakaibara was appointed garrison commander of the Japanese occupation force. Fearing an imminent attempt by America to retake the island, Sakaibara ordered the American prisoners of war to build a series of bunkers and fortifications. However, instead of attempting an amphibious invasion, the United States Navy established a submarine blockade, causing the Japanese garrison to starve. United States forces bombed the island periodically from 1942 until Japan's surrender in 1945.

On 5 October 1943, aircraft from USS "Yorktown" bombed Wake Island. Two days later, fearing an imminent invasion, Sakaibara ordered the murder of the 98 civilian prisoners remaining on Wake Island. They were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded and machine-gunned. One prisoner (whose name has never been discovered) escaped, but was recaptured and personally beheaded by Sakaibara.

Sakaibara was promoted to rear admiral a year later, on 15 October 1944. The Japanese garrison on Wake Island formally surrendered to the United States on 7 September 1945.

After the war, Sakaibara was taken into custody by the American occupation authorities, extradited to Guam, and sentenced to death by a military tribunal for war crimes in connection with his actions in the "Wake Island Massacre". He was hanged on 18 June 1947. Until the end, he maintained "I think my trial was entirely unfair and the proceeding unfair, and the sentence too harsh, but I obey with pleasure." [cite web|last=Hubbs |first=Mark E.|url= http://www.ussyorktown.com/yorktown/massacre.html|title= Massacre on Wake Island|accessdate=2006-06-03]

References

Books

*cite book
title= The Story of Wake Island
author=Devereaux, Colonel James P.S., USMC
publisher=The Battery Press
year=1947
id= ISBN 0-89839-264-0
*cite book
last = Fuller
first = Richard
year = 1992
title = Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai
publisher = Arms and Armour Press
location = London
id = ISBN 1854091514
*cite book
last = Sloan
first = Bill
year = 2003
title =Given up for Dead: America's Heroic Stand at Wake Island
publisher = Bantam Books
location =
id = ISBN 0-553-80302-6
*cite book
title= Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island
author=Uwrin, Gregory J.W.
publisher=University of Nebraska Press
year=1997
id= ISBN 0-8032-9562-6

External links

*cite web
last = Nishida
first = Hiroshi
url = http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px46.htm#r018
title = Imperial Japanese Navy
accessdate = 2007-08-25
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Wake.html The Defense of Wake]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Wake.html A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Wake.html Part Three: The Defense of Wake]
* [http://www.wakeislandcsa.com/home.html Wake Island Civilian Survivors Association]
*cite web
last = Spennemann
first = Dirk H.R.
authorlink =Dirk HR Spennemann
coauthors =
date =
year = 2000-2005
month =
url = http://marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/Wake_WWII/Wake_WWII-Text.html
title = To Hell and Back: Wake During and After World War II
format =
work = Digital Micronesia
publisher = Charles Sturt University
accessdate = January 23
accessyear = 2007

Notes