Kunio Nakagawa

Kunio Nakagawa
Kunio Nakagawa
Native name	中川 州男
Born	(1898-01-23)23 January 1898
Died	24 November 1944(1944-11-24) (aged 46) Peleliu island, Palau
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1918 - 1944
Rank	Lieutenant General (posthumous)

Colonel Kunio Nakagawa (中川 州男, Nakagawa Kunio, 23 January 1898 – 24 November 1944) was the commander of Japanese forces which defended the island of Peleliu in the Battle of Peleliu which took place from 15 September to 27 November 1944. He inflicted heavy losses on attacking U.S. Marines and held Peleliu Island for almost three months. On the evening of 24 November, after the battle was lost, he committed seppuku (ritual suicide) in the tradition of Japanese samurai warriors. He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.

Nakagawa was a native of Kumamoto Prefecture, and was the third son of an elementary school principal. He graduated from the 30th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in December 1918 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry of the IJA 48th Regiment. He subsequently served with the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Army of Japan, with the HQ of the IJA 12th Division, and as a battalion commander with the IJA 79th Infantry Regiment. He experienced combat for the first time during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, and subsequently served with distinction during the Second Sino-Japanese War in Shanxi Province. In March 1939, he was sent to the Army Staff College at the recommendation of his regimental commander, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1939. In April 1941, he was awarded the prestigious Order of the Golden Kite, 4th class. In March 1943, Nakagawa was promoted to colonel and was made commander of the IJA 2nd Infantry Regiment, which was under the command of the IJA 14th Division in Manchukuo.