Editing Noboru Takeshita

{{Western name order|Takeshita Noboru}}{{Short description|Prime Minister of Japan from 1987 to 1989}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox Prime Minister
| honorific_prefix    = 
| native_name         = {{No bold|竹下 登}}
| native_name_lang    = ja
| image               = Noboru Takeshita 19871106.jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, 1987
| office              = [[Prime Minister of Japan]]
| term_start          = 6 November 1987
| term_end            = 3 June 1989
| monarch             = {{ubl|[[Hirohito]]|[[Akihito]]}}
| deputy              = [[Kiichi Miyazawa]]
| predecessor         = [[Yasuhiro Nakasone]]
| successor           = [[Sōsuke Uno]]
| office1             = [[President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|President of the Liberal Democratic Party]]
| 1blankname1         = {{nowrap|[[Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party|Secretary-General]]}}
| 1namedata1          = [[Shintaro Abe]]
| term_start1         = 31 October 1987
| term_end1           = 2 June 1989
| predecessor1        = Yasuhiro Nakasone
| successor1          = Sōsuke Uno
| office2             = [[Minister of Finance (Japan)|Minister of Finance]]
| term_label2         = Acting
| term_start2         = 9 December 1988
| term_end2           = 24 December 1988
| predecessor2        = [[Kiichi Miyazawa]]
| successor2          = [[Tatsuo Murayama]]
| primeminister3      = Yasuhiro Nakasone
| term_start3         = 27 November 1982
| term_end3           = 22 July 1986
| predecessor3        = [[Michio Watanabe]]
| successor3          = Kiichi Miyazawa
| primeminister4      = [[Masayoshi Ōhira]]
| term_start4         = 9 November 1979
| term_end4           = 17 July 1980
| predecessor4        = [[Ippei Kaneko]]
| successor4          = Michio Watanabe
| office5             = [[Ministry of Construction (Japan)|Minister of Construction]]
| primeminister5      = [[Takeo Miki]]
| term_start5         = 19 January 1976
| term_end5           = 15 September 1976
| predecessor5        = Takeo Miki
| successor5          = [[Tatsui Chūman]]
| office6             = [[Chief Cabinet Secretary]]
| primeminister6      = [[Kakuei Tanaka]]
| term_start6         = 11 November 1974
| term_end6           = 9 December 1974
| predecessor6        = [[Susumu Nikaidō]]
| successor6          = [[Ichitarō Ide]]
| primeminister7      = [[Eisaku Satō]]
| term_start7         = 5 July 1971
| term_end7           = 7 July 1972
| predecessor7        = [[Shigeru Hori]]
| successor7          = Susumu Nikaidō
| office8             = [[Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary]]<br><small>(Political affairs)</small>
| primeminister8      = Eisaku Satō
| term_start8         = 9 November 1964
| term_end8           = 7 August 1966
| predecessor8        = [[Kunikichi Saitō]]
| successor8          = [[Toshio Kimura]]
| office9             = Member of the [[House of Representatives (Japan)|House of Representatives]]
| constituency9       = [[Shimane at-large district (House of Representatives)|Shimane at-large]] (1958–1996)<br>[[Shimane 2nd district|Shimane 2nd]] (1996–2000)
| term_start9         = 22 May 1958
| term_end9           = 2 June 2000
| predecessor9        = ''Multi-member district''
| successor9          = [[Wataru Takeshita]]
| office10            = Member of the [[Shimane Prefectural Assembly]]
| term_start10        = 1951
| term_end10          = 1958
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1924|2|26|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Unnan, Shimane|Kakeyama]], [[Shimane Prefecture|Shimane]], [[Empire of Japan]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2000|6|19|1924|2|26|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Minato, Tokyo|Minato]], [[Tokyo]], Japan
| signature           = TakeshitaN kao.png
| party               = [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic]]
| spouse              = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Masae Takeuchi|1944|1945|end=died}}
* {{marriage|Naoko Endō|1946}}
}}
| alma_mater          = [[Waseda University]]
| relatives           = {{Plainlist|
* [[Wataru Takeshita]] (brother)
* [[Eiki Eiki]] (granddaughter)
* [[Daigo (musician)|Daigo]] (grandson)
 }}
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Noboru Takeshita voice.ogg|title=Noboru Takeshita's voice|type=speech|description=Takeshita on [[Japan–United States relations]]<br/>Recorded 13 January 1988}}
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Noboru Takeshita'''|竹下 登|Takeshita Noboru|26 February 1924 &ndash; 19 June 2000}} was a Japanese politician who served as [[prime minister of Japan]] from 1987 to 1989.

Born in [[Shimane Prefecture]], Takeshita attended [[Waseda University]] and was drafted into the army during the [[Pacific War]]. He was first elected to the [[National Diet]] in 1958, and served as chief cabinet secretary in 1971–1972 and in 1974, and as finance minister from 1979–1980, 1982–1986, and in 1988, during which he signed the [[Plaza Accord]] in 1985. In 1987, Takeshita became head of the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]] and succeeded [[Yasuhiro Nakasone]] as prime minister. He inherited the powerful LDP faction of [[Kakuei Tanaka]], and was dubbed the "last shadow shogun" for his behind-the-scenes influence in politics.<ref name="latobit">{{cite news|title=Noboru Takeshita; Last 'Shadow Shogun'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jun-19-me-42500-story.html|access-date=20 January 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=19 June 2000 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140221061303/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jun/19/local/me-42500 |archive-date= Feb 21, 2014 }}</ref> Takeshita was forced to resign in 1989 after being implicated in the [[Recruit scandal]], but continued to lead the largest LDP faction until his death in 2000. He was the last prime minister to serve during the rule of [[Emperor Shōwa]].<ref name="sanger1989">Sanger, David E.  [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/07/world/takeshita-now-admits-world-war-ii-aggression.html "Takeshita Now Admits World War II Aggression"], ''New York Times''. 7 March 1989.</ref>

==Early life and education==
Noboru Takeshita was born on 26 February 1924, in present-day [[Unnan]], [[Shimane Prefecture]],<ref name=":0" /> the only son of Yūzō Takeshita, a [[sake]] brewer, and his first wife, Yuiko.<ref name="economist">{{cite news |date=22 June 2000 |title=Noboru Takeshita |newspaper=The Economist |url=http://www.economist.com/node/81518 |access-date=22 January 2014}}</ref> His family had been sake brewers for generations,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jin |first1=Ikkō |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53492518 |title=Keibatsu : tokken kaikyū no seisui no keifu |last2=神一行 |date=2002 |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |isbn=4-04-353306-3 |edition=Kaitei shinpan |pages=185 |oclc=53492518}}</ref> and Takeshita was the 20th head of the Takeshita brewing family.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-14 |title=株式会社竹下本店 {{!}} 島根県酒造組合 {{!}} 日本酒発祥の地『島根』 |url=https://shimane-sake.or.jp/sakebrewery/takeshita/ |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=Shimane Prefecture Sake Brewery Association 島根県酒造組合 |language=ja}}</ref> Both his father Yūzō and his grandfather Gizō had been men of high repute in the region, and Takeshita followed in their footsteps and decided to become a politician when he was in middle school.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/675067567 |title=Ware banshi ni ataisu : Dokyumento takeshita noboru |date=2002 |publisher=新潮社 |others=Tatsuya Iwase, 達哉 岩瀬 |isbn=4-10-131031-9 |pages=88 |oclc=675067567}}</ref>

Takeshita attended [[Waseda University]] in [[Tokyo]].<ref name=":0">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1343904/Noboru-Takeshita.html "Noboru Takeshita"] ''The Telegraph'' (London). 20 June 2000.</ref>

He married Masae Takeuchi prior to joining the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] to serve as an instructor during [[World War II]].<ref name="latobit" /> His wife committed suicide while he was away for the war, which author Jacob Schlesinger argued made Takeshita obsessive about his composure and highly reserved about showing anger to others.<ref name="economist" />

After the war, he remarried, to Naoko Endō, a distant relative, worked as an English teacher and managed a high school judo team before entering politics in 1951.<ref name="latobit" /><ref name="economist" /> As a young judo competitor, he was known as "master of the draw" for his ability to avoid easy victories over weaker opponents and to avert defeat by stronger opponents.<ref name="economist" />

==Political career==
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan with Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita of Japan and Mrs Takeshita in the Yellow Oval Room.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Takeshita and his wife with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] and First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] in 1988]]
[[File:Premier Lubbers verwelkomt Japanse premier Takeshita op Schiphol inspectie erew, Bestanddeelnr 934-2601.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Takeshita with [[Ruud Lubbers]] in 1988]]
[[File:Noboru Takeshita full.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Takeshita and his wife disembarking from a Japan Airlines DC-10 (at [[Andrews AFB]] in 1989)]]
Takeshita served as a local assemblyman in [[Shimane Prefecture]] from 1951.<ref name="latobit" /> In the [[1958 Japanese general election|1958 general election]] he won a seat in the [[House of Representatives (Japan)|House of Representatives]], joining the powerful faction of [[Kakuei Tanaka]] in the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]]. He was elected at the same time as [[Shin Kanemaru]], and the two remained close allies through their respective political careers.<ref name="economist" /> Takeshita eventually became Tanaka's primary fundraiser, traveling the country to garner support for the LDP's coffers. Like Tanaka, Takeshita was fond of "[[pork barrel]]" politics, retaining his own seat by bringing excessively huge [[public works]] projects to Shimane. Takeshita served as [[Chief Cabinet Secretary|chief cabinet secretary]] from 1971 to 1974 and as minister of construction in 1976.

Takeshita was the minister of finance from 1979 to 1980, and he again accepted the finance position and was in office from 1982 to 1986. In this period, he achieved prominence as Japan's negotiator during deliberations which led to the agreement which is known as the [[Plaza Accord]] in [[New York City|New York]].<ref>Kilborn, Peter T. [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/23/business/us-and-4-allies-plan-move-to-cut-value-of-dollar.html  "U.S. and 4 Allies Plan Move to Cut Value of Dollar"], ''The New York Times''. 23 September 1985.</ref> In the period Takeshita was finance minister, the Yen appreciated relative to other international currencies. The rise of the strong Yen (''[[endaka]]'') enhanced Japan's status as a financial powerhouse<ref>Chira, Susan. [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/22/business/international-report-year-after-plaza-accord-currency-issues-remain-divisive.html  "International Report: a Year After Plaza Accord, Currency Issues Remain Divisive; Impact on Japanese is Wide; American Hopes Unfulfilled"], ''The New York Times''. 22 September 1986.</ref> and led to the [[Japanese asset price bubble]] of the 1980s.<ref name="latobit" />

Kakuei Tanaka was arrested in connection with the [[Lockheed bribery scandals]] in 1976 and found guilty by a lower court in 1983, placing pressure on his political strength. In February 1985, Takeshita formed a "study group" called ''Soseikai'', which counted among its ranks 43 of the 121 Tanaka faction members. Weeks after this defection, Tanaka suffered a stroke and became hospitalized, sparking further uncertainty over the future of his faction.<ref name="jameson8505">{{cite news|last=Jameson|first=Sam|title=Ailing, Hurt by Scandal, Japan's Tanaka Faces a New Struggle in Party|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-18-mn-17869-story.html|access-date=15 January 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=18 May 1985 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116143356/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-05-18/news/mn-17869_1_faction |archive-date= Jan 16, 2014 }}</ref> Tanaka never recovered from his stroke, and by July 1987, Takeshita's faction counted 113 of the 143 Tanaka faction members, while only thirteen supported Takeshita's rival [[Susumu Nikaido]].<ref name="jameson8707">{{cite news|last=Jameson|first=Sam|title=Conviction of Former Japanese Leader Tanaka Upheld|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-29-mn-4404-story.html|access-date=15 January 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=29 July 1987}}</ref> The Tanaka faction members who moved to Takeshita's faction included [[Ichiro Ozawa]], [[Tsutomu Hata]], [[Ryutaro Hashimoto]], [[Keizo Obuchi]] and [[Kozo Watanabe (Liberal Democratic Party politician)|Kozo Watanabe]].<ref>{{cite news|last=高木|first=桂一|title=自民党田中派「秘書軍団」が集結した師走の夜|url=http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/news/111223/stt11122315030001-n1.htm|access-date=15 January 2014|newspaper=MSN Sankei News|date=23 December 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116125101/http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/news/111223/stt11122315030001-n1.htm|archive-date=16 January 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In July 1986, Takeshita left the Cabinet and was named to the key post of secretary general of the party.

In November 1987, Takeshita became president of the LDP and was thus elected Prime Minister of Japan, replacing [[Yasuhiro Nakasone]]. Among the highlights of the period in which Takeshita led the government, he acknowledged that Japan had been an aggressor during World War II.  This statement was part of a speech in the Japanese Diet.<ref name="sanger1989"/> Takeshita attended the third annual [[ASEAN]] summit in [[Manila]] in December 1987 and formalised a $2 billion development fund package in order to help stimulate ASEAN economies, continuing previous efforts at enhancing Japanese relations with East Asian countries.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=SUDO|first=SUEO|date=1988|title=From Fukuda to Takeshita: A Decade of Japan-ASEAN Relations|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25797999|journal=Contemporary Southeast Asia|volume=10|issue=2|pages=119–143|jstor=25797999|issn=0129-797X}}</ref> Takeshita also pursued diplomacy in the rest of the world, including tours of several western nations as well as discussions for [[Debt relief|debt forgiveness]] to developing countries. Takeshita's initial tenure was relatively comfortable due to steady success in the Japanese economy at the time, but soon his administration began to see some issues. The number of unskilled foreign workers (from areas such as the Philippines and Bangladesh) doubled between 1986 and 1988, and the American government passed into law the [[Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act|Omnibus Trade Bill]], which threatened Japanese exports to the country. Moreover, despite Takeshita diplomatic gestures, [[trade imbalance]] with both [[Western Europe]] and [[East Asia]] continued to widen, leading to friction between the Japanese and foreign governments.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fukui|first=Haruhiro|date=1989-01-01|title=Japan in 1988: At the End of an Era|url=https://online.ucpress.edu/as/article/29/1/1/22502/Japan-in-1988-At-the-End-of-an-Era|journal=Asian Survey|language=en|volume=29|issue=1|pages=1–11|doi=10.2307/2644511|jstor=2644511|issn=0004-4687}}</ref>

However, he was mainly remembered within Japan for implementing the country's first [[consumption tax]], which his government forced through the Diet in 1988 amid public opposition.<ref name="latobit" /> Takeshita's government also passed legislation liberalizing the beef, citrus and rice markets, and passed an enhanced security pact with the United States, with the support of [[Shin Kanemaru]] who bought the opposition's support.<ref name="economist" />

The [[Recruit scandal]] forced Takeshita to resign in 1989.<ref>MacLeod, Scott; Barry Hillenbrand and Kumiko Makihara.  [https://web.archive.org/web/20101022074910/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957612,00.html  "Japan Sand in a Well-Oiled Machine"], ''Time''. 8 May 1989.</ref>

==Later years and death==
Although Takeshita was accused of [[insider trading]] and [[political corruption|corruption]], he was never charged and was able to retain his seat in the Diet until shortly before his death.<ref name="latobit" /> He remained a major behind-the-scenes player in the LDP, mentoring future prime ministers [[Sōsuke Uno]], [[Toshiki Kaifu]], and [[Keizō Obuchi]]. [[Tsutomu Hata]] and [[Ichiro Ozawa]] left Takeshita's faction to form the [[Japan Renewal Party]]. [[Keizo Obuchi]] inherited what was left of the faction, supported the election of [[Ryutaro Hashimoto]] as prime minister, and himself became prime minister from 1999 to 2000; he died of a stroke in early 2000 and Hashimoto took over control of the faction.<ref name="carlson">Matthew Carlson, in {{cite book|last=Gaunder|first=Alisa|title=Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics|year=2011|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781136818387|pages=75–77|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdwEocAa3nYC&q=tanaka%20faction&pg=PA75}}</ref>

Takeshita himself died of respiratory failure in June 2000 after over a year in hospital, during which time he was said to have "masterminded" the coalition between the LDP and [[New Komeito]] and to have arranged the election of Prime Minister [[Yoshiro Mori]] from his hospital bed. He had planned to retire from the Diet as of the [[2000 Japanese general election|2000 general election]], which occurred just days after his death.<ref name="latobit" /> ''The Economist'' characterized his death as the end of an era that was "a dizzy mixture of brilliance and corruption" in Japanese politics.<ref name="economist" />

Hashimoto led the former Takeshita faction until refusing to stand in the [[2005 Japanese general election|2005 general election]] due to a fundraising scandal, and died shortly thereafter. The remnants of the faction, formally known by this time as ''Heisei Kenkyūkai'' (Heisei Research Council), remained active under the leadership of [[Yūji Tsushima]], who resigned prior to the [[2009 Japanese general election|2009 general election]], passing control to [[Fukushiro Nukaga]]. The faction raised much less in donations during the 1990s and 2000s than it did under Tanaka and Takeshita in the 1980s, as electoral reforms enacted in 1994, coupled with new campaign finance regulations and the ongoing economic slump that followed the [[Japanese asset price bubble]], weakened the power of factions in Japanese politics.<ref name="carlson" />

==Personal life==
Takeshita was twice married, and survived by three daughters (his only son, Rikidō, died one month after his birth in 1954) and several grandchildren,<ref name="economist" /> including singer [[Daigo (musician)|Daigo]] (formerly known as Daigo☆Stardust)<ref>[http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/musician-daigo-an-y85-million-man-for-a-day Musician Daigo an Y85 million man for a day]</ref> and manga artist [[Eiki Eiki]].<ref>[[:ja:影木栄貴]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=August 2019}}

His younger half-brother, [[Wataru Takeshita|Wataru]] (b. 1946-2021) was a reporter with [[NHK]], who then began working for Noboru as an aide in 1985.<ref>{{cite news |date= 18 September 2021|title= Japan ruling LDP faction chief Wataru Takeshita dies at 74|url= https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Obituaries/Japan-ruling-LDP-faction-chief-Wataru-Takeshita-dies-at-74 |website=Nikkei Asia |access-date= 18 September 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210918075348/https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Obituaries/Japan-ruling-LDP-faction-chief-Wataru-Takeshita-dies-at-74 |archive-date=  18 September 2021 }}</ref> Wataru entered politics in 2000 and served as leader of his old Takeshita faction (now known as the Heisei Kenkyūkai faction) from 2018 until his death in September 2021.<ref>{{cite news |date= 18 September 2021|title= Japan ruling party faction boss Wataru Takeshita dies at 74|url= https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/09/be27a6b3931e-ldp-faction-boss-takeshita-dies-at-74.html |website=Kyodo News |access-date= 18 September 2021}}</ref> Takeshita also had two more younger half-siblings, Saburō (born 1948) and Sakae.

==Honours==
* [[Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum]] (20 June 2000; posthumous){{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
* [[Golden Pheasant Award]] of the [[Scout Association of Japan]] (1991)<ref name="reinanzaka">{{Cite web |date=2014-05-23|script-title=ja:䝪䞊䜲䝇䜹䜴䝖日本連盟 きじ章受章者 |trans-title=Recipient of the Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan |url=http://reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811030258/http://reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf |archive-date=2020-08-11 |website=Reinanzaka Scout Club| language=ja}}</ref>

==External links==
* {{Commonscat-inline|Noboru Takeshita}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Shigeru Hori]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief Cabinet Secretary]]|years=1971–1972}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Susumu Nikaido]]}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Susumu Nikaido]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief Cabinet Secretary]]|years=1974}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Ichitaro Ide]]}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Tadao Kariya]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Construction (Japan)|Minister of Construction]]|years=1976}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Tatsui Chuma]]}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Ippei Kaneko]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Finance (Japan)|Minister of Finance]]|years=1979–1980}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Michio Watanabe]]}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Michio Watanabe]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Finance (Japan)|Minister of Finance]]|years=1982–1986}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Kiichi Miyazawa]]}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Yasuhiro Nakasone]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Japan]]|years=1987–1989}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Sōsuke Uno]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Shin Kanemaru]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party]]|years=1986–1987}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Shintaro Abe]]}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Yasuhiro Nakasone]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|President of the Liberal Democratic Party]]|years=1987-1989}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Sosuke Uno]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Japanese finance ministers}}
{{Prime Ministers of Japan}}
{{Liberal Democratic Party of Japan}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takeshita, Noboru}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century prime ministers of Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese Buddhists]]
[[Category:Waseda University alumni]]
[[Category:Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)]]
[[Category:Liberal Democratic Party prime ministers of Japan]]
[[Category:Ministers of finance of Japan]]
[[Category:Ministers of construction of Japan]]
[[Category:Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Politicians from Shimane Prefecture]]
[[Category:Imperial Japanese Army soldiers]]