Seishiro Itagaki was born in 1885. He chose a career in the military.
Itagaki was charged with having taken part, from 1931 onwards, when he was Colonel in the Kwantung Army, in the conspiracy aimed at Japan’s forcible takeover of Manchuria.
In the following years, Itagaki became an active advocate of aggressive action, namely against China.
He was appointed Minister of War in May 1938 and under his command, the attacks against China redoubled. Itagaki then extended the advocacy of an aggressive military policy to include the USSR, France and Great-Britain.
From September 1939 to July 1941, Itagaki was Chief of Staff of the China Expeditionary Army and in that capacity he waged war against China. Furthermore, from 1941 to 1945, he served as Commander in Chief in Korea.
He was charged with having waged wars of aggression against China, the USSR, France, the British Commonwealth and the Netherlands.
Itagaki was moreover responsible for the supply of food and medical care to prisoners of war and civilian internees, in particular on various Indonesian islands during the last months of the war. It has been established that, over that period, thousands of people died due to lack of food or adequate care, while the camp guards suffered no undue hardship.
At the end of the war Itagaki was taken into custody by the allied powers.
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