[Government of the Occupied Territory] Rensuke Isogai
Description:
Born:
1886, Hyogo Death:
1967 Pre-war:
Rensuke Isogai was born in Hyogo Prefecture, his father being Jiro Isogai, a samurai from Sasayama. He attended schools such as Houmei Gijuku and Osaka Army Local Youth School, and graduated from the 16th class of the Army Academy in October 1904. After graduation, he became an infantry officer and graduated from the Army War College in 1915, being assigned to the General Staff Office. In the following decade of his military career, he was dispatched to Guangdong multiple times and served as the head of the Qingdao Special Service Agency, thus being considered one of the Japanese army's "China Hands," although he didn't seem to have deep connections with Chinese military and political figures.
In 1928, he became the commander of the 7th Infantry Regiment and was promoted to colonel. In the 1930s, his career seemed to flourish, serving as Chief of Staff of the 1st Division, head of the 2nd Section of the Inspector General of Training, head of the Personnel Bureau of the Army Ministry, and went on inspection tours to Europe and America. He then became the head of the 2nd Department of the General Staff, and after a brief stint as a military attaché at the embassy in China, he became the head of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Army Ministry and was promoted to lieutenant general.
Wartime:
After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was appointed commander of the 10th Division, which fought in North China. His troops were defeated in the Battle of Taierzhuang in March 1938, but due to his apparent good relationships with the army leadership, he was promoted to become the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army. During his tenure, besides managing military and economic affairs in Manchuria, he also participated in commanding the Nomonhan Incident in 1939. The Kwantung Army suffered a devastating defeat at Nomonhan with heavy casualties, and he was finally transferred to the reserves because of the debacle.
After the fall of Hong Kong, he came to Hong Kong in February 1942 to serve as the Governor-General of the Occupied Hong Kong Territory, arriving that month. He had almost absolute power in Hong Kong and in the early days of his tenure, he met with journalists multiple times to discuss his plans for Hong Kong. However, due to Japan not providing many resources for Hong Kong and the Governor-General's office prioritizing supporting the war effort and taking care of Japanese residents in Hong Kong, the office could only maintain a few public services and control some of Hong Kong's industries and production. Regarding livelihood issues, the Governor-General's office implemented harsh policies on military scrip, rationing, and repatriation, causing widespread suffering. With the Japanese army gradually retreating on various fronts, the situation in Hong Kong worsened day by day. In December 1944, due to the Imperial General Headquarters reorganizing the Governor-General's office and subordinating it to the 23rd Army in Guangzhou, Isogai left Hong Kong.
Post-war:
After Japan's surrender, he was tried for suspected war crimes at the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal, found guilty, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was sent to Sugamo Prison in Tokyo to serve his sentence before 1949. However, he was released just three years later. He finally passed away in 1967.
Born:
1886, Hyogo Death:
1967 Pre-war:
Rensuke Isogai was born in Hyogo Prefecture, his father being Jiro Isogai, a samurai from Sasayama. He attended schools such as Houmei Gijuku and Osaka Army Local Youth School, and graduated from the 16th class of the Army Academy in October 1904. After graduation, he became an infantry officer and graduated from the Army War College in 1915, being assigned to the General Staff Office. In the following decade of his military career, he was dispatched to Guangdong multiple times and served as the head of the Qingdao Special Service Agency, thus being considered one of the Japanese army's "China Hands," although he didn't seem to have deep connections with Chinese military and political figures.
In 1928, he became the commander of the 7th Infantry Regiment and was promoted to colonel. In the 1930s, his career seemed to flourish, serving as Chief of Staff of the 1st Division, head of the 2nd Section of the Inspector General of Training, head of the Personnel Bureau of the Army Ministry, and went on inspection tours to Europe and America. He then became the head of the 2nd Department of the General Staff, and after a brief stint as a military attaché at the embassy in China, he became the head of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Army Ministry and was promoted to lieutenant general.
Wartime:
After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was appointed commander of the 10th Division, which fought in North China. His troops were defeated in the Battle of Taierzhuang in March 1938, but due to his apparent good relationships with the army leadership, he was promoted to become the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army. During his tenure, besides managing military and economic affairs in Manchuria, he also participated in commanding the Nomonhan Incident in 1939. The Kwantung Army suffered a devastating defeat at Nomonhan with heavy casualties, and he was finally transferred to the reserves because of the debacle.
After the fall of Hong Kong, he came to Hong Kong in February 1942 to serve as the Governor-General of the Occupied Hong Kong Territory, arriving that month. He had almost absolute power in Hong Kong and in the early days of his tenure, he met with journalists multiple times to discuss his plans for Hong Kong. However, due to Japan not providing many resources for Hong Kong and the Governor-General's office prioritizing supporting the war effort and taking care of Japanese residents in Hong Kong, the office could only maintain a few public services and control some of Hong Kong's industries and production. Regarding livelihood issues, the Governor-General's office implemented harsh policies on military scrip, rationing, and repatriation, causing widespread suffering. With the Japanese army gradually retreating on various fronts, the situation in Hong Kong worsened day by day. In December 1944, due to the Imperial General Headquarters reorganizing the Governor-General's office and subordinating it to the 23rd Army in Guangzhou, Isogai left Hong Kong.
Post-war:
After Japan's surrender, he was tried for suspected war crimes at the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal, found guilty, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was sent to Sugamo Prison in Tokyo to serve his sentence before 1949. However, he was released just three years later. He finally passed away in 1967.
Sources: Photo: Hong Kong Public Record Office; Kwong Chi Man, 2015
