General Kenkichi Ueda

Kenkichi Ueda (ww2db.com).

Kenkichi Ueda (植田 謙吉 in Japanese) was born on March 8th 1875 in the Osaka prefecture. In 1989 he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy (10th class) and in 1908 from the Army Staff College (21st class), serving in the cavalry in between. After graduating he was attached to the cavalry staff. In 1918 he was assigned to the Siberian Expeditionary Army which was part of the allied powers fighting against Bolshevik Red Army in the Russian Civil War. In July 1919 he was promoted to colonel.

Ueda was again promoted to major general in August 1923 and appointed commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade. In March 1929 he became commander in chief of the Japanese China Garrison Army based in Tianjin, after having been promoted to lieutenant general in August 1928.  

Kenkichi Ueda (ww2db.com).

From December 1930 Ueda was made the commanding officer of the IJA 9th Division in China, taking part in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 - 1932. On April 1932, he was at Hongkou Park (now Lu Xun Park) in Shangai when a Korean nationalist detonated a bomb, injuring several Japanese officers and causing Ueda to lose his left leg.

Back in Japan in 1933, he became Vice Chief of the  IJA General Staff until August 1934, when he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Chosen Army in Korea. He was then promoted once again to General in November 1934 and named Commander in Chief of the Kwantung Army and Japanese ambassador in Manchukuo  in March 1936, bringing him back to Manchuria.

Ueda was a follower of the Hokuhin-ron (Strike North) imperial policy: Japan´s expansion must focus on Manchuria and Siberia due to the natural resources and the scarce population on the area, in addition to fighting communism. He therefore agreed to and supported the aggressive doctrines and actions carried out by officers under his command in the Kwantung Army, that led to the Amur River (1937), Lake Khasan (1938) and Nomonhan (1939) incidents in the Soviet border. He personally approved, as army commander, the "Principles for the Settlement of Soviet-Manchukuoan Border Disputes" guidelines, proposed by Major Masanobu Tsuji, and considered to be one of the major causes of the Nomonhan incident,

Map of Japanese Hokuhin-ron plans (wikipedia).

After the disastrous defeat in the Nomonhan incident, Ueda was recalled to Japan as a result of the attempt to clean the Kwantung Army Staff of Hokuhin-ron supporters. He was forced to retire in December 1939, after 41 years of military service. In 1941, Ueda was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Orchidaceae of Manchukuo. He did not participate in the pacific war, and passed away 11th September 1962, age eighty-seven.

Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Orchidaceae (wikicommons).

Kenkichi Ueda, 1933 (ww2db.com).

Sources:
- wikipedia
- World War II Database
- Generals.dk
- Nomonhan, 1939 The Red Army's Victory That Shaped WWII, Stuart D. Goldman.