Editing Mitsumasa Yonai (section)

==Early life and career==
Yonai was born on 2 March 1880, in Mitsuwari, [[Iwate Prefecture]], the first son of former [[samurai]] Yonai Nagamasa. Nagamasa had formerly served the [[Nanbu clan]] of the [[Morioka Domain]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Oide |first1=Hisashi |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/21669658 |title="Fusen kaishō" Yonai Mitsumasa |last2=生出寿 |date=1989 |publisher=Tokuma Shoten |isbn=4-19-813966-0 |pages=230 |oclc=21669658}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=米内光政- 盛岡市先人記念館 |url=https://www.mfca.jp/senjin/yonai/index |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=Morioka Memorial Museum of Great Predecessors}}</ref>

He entered Kajichō Elementary School in 1886, and entered [[Morioka First High School|Morioka Middle School]] in 1890.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Takahashi |first1=Fumihiko |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/42409580 |title=Kaigun ichi gunjin no shōgai : kannō o kuni ni sasagetsukushita saishō no shin'en |last2=高橋文彦 |date=1998 |publisher=Kōjinsha |isbn=4-7698-0846-1 |pages=23, 27 |oclc=42409580}}</ref> After graduating from Morioka Middle School, he entered the [[Imperial Japanese Naval Academy]].<ref name=":0" />

He graduated from the 29th class Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1901, ranked 68 of 125 cadets (Japan Center for Asian Historical Records, n.d.).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jacar.go.jp/DAS/meta/image_C06091304400?IS_KIND=SimpleSummary&IS_STYLE=default&IS_TAG_S35=InfoFolder&IS_KEY_A1=%E5%B8%AD%E6%AC%A1&IS_LGC_S35=AND&IS_LGC_S7=AND&IS_TAG_A1=InfoD&IS_LGC_S6=AND&IS_KEY_S1=%E6%B5%B7%E8%BB%8D%E5%85%B5%E5%AD%A6%E6%A0%A1&IS_TAG_S7=cat_type&IS_TAG_S1=InfoD&IS_TAG_S6=data_type&IS_LGC_A1=AND&|title = アジア歴史資料センター}}</ref> After [[midshipman]] service on the [[corvette]] {{ship|Japanese ironclad|Kongō||2}}, and [[cruiser]] {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Tokiwa||2}} he was commissioned as [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] in January 1903. He served in administrative positions until near the end of the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905, when he went to sea again on the [[destroyer]] {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Inazuma|1899|2}} and the cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Iwate||2}}.

After the war, he served as chief gunnery officer on the cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Niitaka||2}}, [[battleship]] {{ship|Japanese battleship|Shikishima||2}}, and cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Tone|1907|2}}.<ref name=Stewart>Stewart, ''Admirals of the World, p. 292.''</ref>  After his promotion to [[lieutenant commander]] in December 1912, he graduated from the [[Naval War College (Japan)|Naval War College]] and was assigned as [[naval attaché]] to Russia during the height of World War I, from 1915 to 1917.  While overseas, he was promoted to [[commander]]; after the collapse of the [[Russian Empire]], he was recalled to Japan and later became [[executive officer]] on the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Asahi||2}}.<ref name=Stewart/>  He rose to the rank of [[Captain (naval)|captain]] in December 1920 and was subsequently sent as naval attaché to Poland from 1921 to 1922.

[[File:Mitsumasa Yonai.jpg|thumb|left|165px|Commander as Chief of the Combined Fleet, 1936]]
[[File:Mitsumasa Yonai and Isoroku Yamamoto.jpg|thumb|left|165px|Yonai and [[Isoroku Yamamoto]], 1936]]

On his return to Japan, he was captain of the cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Kasuga||2}} (1922–1923) and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Iwate||2}} (1923–1924), and battleships {{ship|Japanese battleship|Fusō||2}} (in 1924) and {{ship|Japanese battleship|Mutsu||2}} (1924–1925). Yonai was promoted to [[rear admiral]] on December 1, 1925.<ref name=Stewart/> He became Chief of the 3rd Section of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff]] in December 1926. Within the Navy General Staff, he served on the Technical Council of the Navy Technical Department.<ref name=Stewart/> He was appointed [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[China Area Fleet|First Expeditionary Fleet]], sent to the [[Yangtze River]] in China in December 1928. Following the success of this mission, he was promoted to [[vice-admiral]] in December 1930 and placed in command of the [[Chinkai Guard District]], in [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea]].

Yonai was given command of the [[Third Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|IJN 3rd Fleet]] in December 1932, following which he again commanded the [[Sasebo Naval District]] (November 1933), [[IJN 2nd Fleet]] (November 1934) and [[Yokosuka Naval District]] (December 1935) before receiving appointment as [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[Combined Fleet]] and concurrently the [[1st Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|IJN 1st Fleet]] in December 1936.<ref name=Stewart/> While in command at Sasebo, the Japanese Navy was shaken by the [[Tomozuru Incident]], when it was determined that the basic design of the {{sclass|Chidori|torpedo boat|2}}s was flawed, thus calling into question the basic designs of many of the warships in the Japanese navy.

While in command at Yokosuka, the [[February 26 Incident]] erupted in Tokyo. Yonai was visiting his mistress in [[Shinbashi]] the night the attempted ''[[coup d'état]]'' began, only a couple of blocks away, but knew nothing of the situation until he returned to base the following morning.