Minoru Genda
Encyclopedia
was a well-known Japanese
military aviator and politician. He is best known for planning the Pearl Harbor attack
.
. Two brothers were graduates of Tokyo University, another brother graduated from Chiba Medical College
, and his youngest brother entered the Army Academy. Graduating from the First Hiroshima Middle School, Genda entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
with the goal of becoming a fighter
pilot and graduated in November 1929 at the head of his class.
in 1931. He was well known in the navy and in 1932 Genda formed an aerobatic demonstration team at Yokosuka
, leading a division of biplanes around the country, conducting demonstrations and aerobatics. Known as "Genda's Flying Circus", the team, consisting of Genda, Yoshita Kobayashi and Motoharu Okamura
, using Nakajima A2N Type 90
fighters, was part of a public relations campaign to promote naval aviation
. He gained combat experience with the Second Combined Air Group during the Second Sino-Japanese War
from the autumn of 1937, was senior flight instructor for the Yokosuka Air Group in 1938.
Genda was one of the world's first naval officers to realize the potential of massing aircraft carriers to project air power. In the 1930s the aircraft carrier was a new and untested weapons system. Most naval strategists and tacticians of the time conceived of single carriers launching raids on enemy targets, or sailing with a fleet to provide air cover against enemy bombers. Genda understood the potential of massed air raids launched from multiple aircraft carriers steaming together.
An air power advocate from the time he attended the Japanese Naval Academy, Genda urged Japan's pre-war military leaders to stop building battleships (which he believed would be better used as "piers" or scrap iron) and concentrate on aircraft carriers, submarines, and supporting fast cruisers and destroyers. Above all, Genda thought that a high-tech and large naval air fleet would be necessary for survival if Japan was ever to fight a war with the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Isoroku Yamamoto
was essentially the work of Genda, with important contributions by others. Yamamoto had become acquainted with Genda in 1933 when Genda served aboard the carrier . Yamamoto initially conceived of a one-way attack on Pearl Harbor from 500 mile away. In his scheme, returning aircraft would ditch in the ocean off Oahu
and the pilots would be picked up by destroyers and submarines. Yamamoto was focused on smashing the U.S. Pacific Fleet and sinking as many battleships as possible. Most Americans and Japanese still believed in early 1941 that battleships were the mightiest weapons of war. The sinking of a number of these giant vessels would be an appalling blow.
In summer 1940 at the age of 36, Lieutenant Commander
Genda, was fortunate to be chosen by the Japanese Naval Department to travel abroad as a military attaché to obtain first-hand military accounts of German air offensives and British defensive measures during the Battle of Britain
. His assessment of the Royal Air Force
(RAF), Hawker Hurricane
Mk I and Supermarine Spitfire
Mk I fighters against the German Messerschmitt Bf-109E "Emil" later provided evidence that the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero Model 21 could easily out-maneuver these European aircraft. The carefully recorded details were secretly documented during his brief tour in London and were hand-carried by Genda during his return trip to Japan for naval department studies. His official trip was in accord with British-Japanese naval accords authorizing official military attaché
visits to the war front to observe and document military operations. Genda's European trip provided added stimulus for Japanese strategic naval studies and exercises to discover weaknesses and formulate tactics that were later used against the U.S.
According to Pan American Airways System, Atlantic Division, Form PAA T.M. 28-7500-5-39-50 Passenger Record of Information Required By Immigration Authorities At Ports of United States, seven U.S. citizens and sixteen aliens were recorded on Dixie Clipper flight #204. This Boeing
aircraft was piloted by Captain Audrey D. Durst. Genda, was documented as a male alien, age 36, height 5 in 2 in (1.57 m), weight 55 kilograms (121.3 lb), black hair, brown eyes, married to Suzuko Genda, Japanese nationality and race, born in Tokyo (this was the usual birthplace U.S. immigration officials utilized for all Japanese nationals due to the difficulties encountered in translation), immigration visa #42, diplomatic visa issued in Lisbon
on 9 September 1940, residence 477 Okusawa, Tokyo, Japan, holding ticket for final destination of Tokyo, passage paid by Japanese Naval Department, previously traveled to San Francisco in 1921, this trip to the U.S. to include a two week or longer stay at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The Dixie Clipper departed Lisbon
on Thursday, 19 September 1940, stopped for several hours to refuel at Horta
in the Azores
, then arriving at La Guardia Field
on 20 September 1940. Genda then traveled by rail from New York City
to the Union Station
in Washington, D.C.
On his return to Japan, he was assigned to the First Carrier Division and met with Yamamoto in early February 1941, during which time Yamamoto presented his ideas for comment. Genda warmed to the idea. Genda had previously considered an attack on Pearl Harbor in 1934 and he had discussed the possibility then with Takijirō Onishi. Genda emphasized to Yamamoto that "secrecy is the keynote and surprise the all-important factor." Genda felt that the task was "difficult, but not impossible" and began working on the details of the plan. Genda favored an all-out attack using six aircraft carriers for an overpowering air strike. Genda was responsible for much of the training, especially in the new tactics of shallow-water torpedo
use, effective use of level-bombing by tactical aircraft, and coordinating several aircraft carriers simultaneously.
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
resulted in a lopsided victory, with 12 American warships sunk and over 180 American aircraft destroyed. The main Japanese fleet suffered no ship losses and 29 aircraft lost, losses that the Japanese considered acceptable. In the following six months of the Pacific War
the Imperial Japanese carrier units ranged across the Pacific and Indian oceans causing major damage to Allied
forces. Later, the Battle of Midway
brought this phase of the Pacific War to an end, as four of Japan's six heavy carriers were sunk. The Pacific War ground on for three more years.
Genda served with distinction during World War II and personally participated in many battles. He was a noted naval aviator and fighter pilot
with over 3,000 flight hours. He organized an elite Japanese air unit (the 343 Kokutai) near the war's end as an alternative to the suicidal kamikaze
units. Genda believed that even late in the war Japanese pilots were capable of fighting experienced American pilots on equal terms if properly trained and supplied with state-of-the-art
aircraft. He personally felt that the Kawanishi N1K2-J
Shiden-Kai (Allied code name, "George") was equal to the American F6F Hellcat
and F4U Corsair
. This unit had some success against American aircraft and fought with distinction.
Genda documented his World War II experiences in a revealing autobiography
, published in Japan.
Genda returned to active duty in 1954 as a member of the newly established Japan Air Self-Defense Force
(JASDF), eventually rising to the rank of general and later the chief of staff. He also test-flew the Lockheed
P-80 Shooting Star
in the U.S. during this period.
In late 1950s, Genda, as the JASDF's deputy chief of staff, was involved in the political turmoil surrounding the acquisition of a successor to the F-86 Sabre
then in service. The JASDF and the Defense Agency wanted the Grumman F-11 Super Tiger, but heavy lobbying by Lockheed—including alleged bribery
, through the shadowy underworld figure Yoshio Kodama
—of key LDP politicians, including Finance Minister Eisaku Sato
and Policy Affairs Research Council Chairman Ichiro Kono, led to the adoption of its own contender, the F-104 Starfighter
. Genda functioned as Sato's front man in uniform, openly criticizing the Grumman design and working to steer the selection in favor of the Lockheed aircraft. In August 1959, Genda became the JASDF chief of staff, with the blessing of Sato, his political patron. In his new capacity, he finalized the adoption of the Lockheed jet over the objections of his subordinates.
. He was the first of several former SDF officers who entered politics under the auspices of the Sato Faction, mostly at the far right end of the Japanese political spectrum. He remained influential in politics for more than twenty years, as a leading member of the Defense Division of the LDP's Policy Affairs Research Council, often representing the hardline nationalist position advocating abrogation or curtailment of Article 9
of the postwar Japanese Constitution and open remilitarization of the armed forces. He is particularly well known for his fierce opposition, along with 12 lesser-known far right LDP Diet members, to Japan's ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
during the 1974–1976 session of the Diet, on the grounds that Japan might one day need to acquire its own nuclear arsenal.
Genda died on 15 August 1989, exactly 44 years to the day after the Japanese surrender in World War II, and just one day short of his 85th birthday. He was married and had three children.
. In the film, the role of Genda portrayed by Tatsuya Mihashi.
Genda was portrayed by Japanese-Canadian actor Robert Ito
in the 1976 film Midway
, and by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
in Touchstone Pictures
' 2001 film Pearl Harbor
.
Alternative-history writer Harry Turtledove
used Genda as the primary Japanese protagonist in his fictional account of an invasion of Oahu following the Pearl Harbor attack in his books Days of Infamy and End of the Beginning.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
military aviator and politician. He is best known for planning the Pearl Harbor attack
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
.
Early life
Minoru Genda was the second son of a farmer from HiroshimaHiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
. Two brothers were graduates of Tokyo University, another brother graduated from Chiba Medical College
Chiba University
is a national university in the city of Chiba, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Yokohama National University.-Faculties:*Letters*Education*Law and Economics*Science...
, and his youngest brother entered the Army Academy. Graduating from the First Hiroshima Middle School, Genda entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
The was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888...
with the goal of becoming a fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
pilot and graduated in November 1929 at the head of his class.
Imperial Japanese Navy Service
For the next six years Genda moved rapidly from one operational and staff air assignment to another. He was assigned to the aircraft carrierAircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
in 1931. He was well known in the navy and in 1932 Genda formed an aerobatic demonstration team at Yokosuka
Yokosuka Naval District
was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula.-History:...
, leading a division of biplanes around the country, conducting demonstrations and aerobatics. Known as "Genda's Flying Circus", the team, consisting of Genda, Yoshita Kobayashi and Motoharu Okamura
Motoharu Okamura
was a Japanese naval aviator who served as a test pilot in the 1930s, and served as the commander of the 341st Kokutai for kamikaze attacks in June 1944....
, using Nakajima A2N Type 90
Nakajima A2N
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography...
fighters, was part of a public relations campaign to promote naval aviation
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
. He gained combat experience with the Second Combined Air Group during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
from the autumn of 1937, was senior flight instructor for the Yokosuka Air Group in 1938.
Genda was one of the world's first naval officers to realize the potential of massing aircraft carriers to project air power. In the 1930s the aircraft carrier was a new and untested weapons system. Most naval strategists and tacticians of the time conceived of single carriers launching raids on enemy targets, or sailing with a fleet to provide air cover against enemy bombers. Genda understood the potential of massed air raids launched from multiple aircraft carriers steaming together.
An air power advocate from the time he attended the Japanese Naval Academy, Genda urged Japan's pre-war military leaders to stop building battleships (which he believed would be better used as "piers" or scrap iron) and concentrate on aircraft carriers, submarines, and supporting fast cruisers and destroyers. Above all, Genda thought that a high-tech and large naval air fleet would be necessary for survival if Japan was ever to fight a war with the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Pearl Harbor and World War II
The Pearl Harbor attack plan which was ultimately utilized by Japanese AdmiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Isoroku Yamamoto
Isoroku Yamamoto
was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University ....
was essentially the work of Genda, with important contributions by others. Yamamoto had become acquainted with Genda in 1933 when Genda served aboard the carrier . Yamamoto initially conceived of a one-way attack on Pearl Harbor from 500 mile away. In his scheme, returning aircraft would ditch in the ocean off Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
and the pilots would be picked up by destroyers and submarines. Yamamoto was focused on smashing the U.S. Pacific Fleet and sinking as many battleships as possible. Most Americans and Japanese still believed in early 1941 that battleships were the mightiest weapons of war. The sinking of a number of these giant vessels would be an appalling blow.
In summer 1940 at the age of 36, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Genda, was fortunate to be chosen by the Japanese Naval Department to travel abroad as a military attaché to obtain first-hand military accounts of German air offensives and British defensive measures during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. His assessment of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF), Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
Mk I and Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Mk I fighters against the German Messerschmitt Bf-109E "Emil" later provided evidence that the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero Model 21 could easily out-maneuver these European aircraft. The carefully recorded details were secretly documented during his brief tour in London and were hand-carried by Genda during his return trip to Japan for naval department studies. His official trip was in accord with British-Japanese naval accords authorizing official military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
visits to the war front to observe and document military operations. Genda's European trip provided added stimulus for Japanese strategic naval studies and exercises to discover weaknesses and formulate tactics that were later used against the U.S.
According to Pan American Airways System, Atlantic Division, Form PAA T.M. 28-7500-5-39-50 Passenger Record of Information Required By Immigration Authorities At Ports of United States, seven U.S. citizens and sixteen aliens were recorded on Dixie Clipper flight #204. This Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
aircraft was piloted by Captain Audrey D. Durst. Genda, was documented as a male alien, age 36, height 5 in 2 in (1.57 m), weight 55 kilograms (121.3 lb), black hair, brown eyes, married to Suzuko Genda, Japanese nationality and race, born in Tokyo (this was the usual birthplace U.S. immigration officials utilized for all Japanese nationals due to the difficulties encountered in translation), immigration visa #42, diplomatic visa issued in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
on 9 September 1940, residence 477 Okusawa, Tokyo, Japan, holding ticket for final destination of Tokyo, passage paid by Japanese Naval Department, previously traveled to San Francisco in 1921, this trip to the U.S. to include a two week or longer stay at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The Dixie Clipper departed Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
on Thursday, 19 September 1940, stopped for several hours to refuel at Horta
Horta (Azores)
Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer...
in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, then arriving at La Guardia Field
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
on 20 September 1940. Genda then traveled by rail from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to the Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...
in Washington, D.C.
On his return to Japan, he was assigned to the First Carrier Division and met with Yamamoto in early February 1941, during which time Yamamoto presented his ideas for comment. Genda warmed to the idea. Genda had previously considered an attack on Pearl Harbor in 1934 and he had discussed the possibility then with Takijirō Onishi. Genda emphasized to Yamamoto that "secrecy is the keynote and surprise the all-important factor." Genda felt that the task was "difficult, but not impossible" and began working on the details of the plan. Genda favored an all-out attack using six aircraft carriers for an overpowering air strike. Genda was responsible for much of the training, especially in the new tactics of shallow-water torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
use, effective use of level-bombing by tactical aircraft, and coordinating several aircraft carriers simultaneously.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
resulted in a lopsided victory, with 12 American warships sunk and over 180 American aircraft destroyed. The main Japanese fleet suffered no ship losses and 29 aircraft lost, losses that the Japanese considered acceptable. In the following six months of the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
the Imperial Japanese carrier units ranged across the Pacific and Indian oceans causing major damage to Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
forces. Later, the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
brought this phase of the Pacific War to an end, as four of Japan's six heavy carriers were sunk. The Pacific War ground on for three more years.
Genda served with distinction during World War II and personally participated in many battles. He was a noted naval aviator and fighter pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
with over 3,000 flight hours. He organized an elite Japanese air unit (the 343 Kokutai) near the war's end as an alternative to the suicidal kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
units. Genda believed that even late in the war Japanese pilots were capable of fighting experienced American pilots on equal terms if properly trained and supplied with state-of-the-art
State of the art
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...
aircraft. He personally felt that the Kawanishi N1K2-J
Kawanishi N1K-J
The Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū was an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane fighter. The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service land-based version of the N1K...
Shiden-Kai (Allied code name, "George") was equal to the American F6F Hellcat
F6F Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big...
and F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
. This unit had some success against American aircraft and fought with distinction.
Genda documented his World War II experiences in a revealing autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, published in Japan.
Post-war service in JASDF and the Lockheed scandal
Genda's military career came to a halt with the Imperial Japanese Navy's dissolution after the war ended.Genda returned to active duty in 1954 as a member of the newly established Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems...
(JASDF), eventually rising to the rank of general and later the chief of staff. He also test-flew the Lockheed
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
P-80 Shooting Star
P-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed in 1943 as a response to the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, and delivered in just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models were flying but...
in the U.S. during this period.
In late 1950s, Genda, as the JASDF's deputy chief of staff, was involved in the political turmoil surrounding the acquisition of a successor to the F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
then in service. The JASDF and the Defense Agency wanted the Grumman F-11 Super Tiger, but heavy lobbying by Lockheed—including alleged bribery
Lockheed bribery scandals
The Lockheed bribery scandals encompassed a series of bribes and contributions made by officials of U.S. aerospace company Lockheed from the late 1950s to the 1970s in the process of negotiating the sale of aircraft....
, through the shadowy underworld figure Yoshio Kodama
Yoshio Kodama
was a prominent figure in the rise of organized crime in Japan. The most famous 'kuromaku', or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century, he was active in Japan's political arena and criminal underworld from the 1950s to the early 1970s....
—of key LDP politicians, including Finance Minister Eisaku Sato
Eisaku Sato
This article is about the Prime Minister of Japan. For the governor of Fukushima Prefecture of Japan of the same name, see Eisaku Satō ....
and Policy Affairs Research Council Chairman Ichiro Kono, led to the adoption of its own contender, the F-104 Starfighter
F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
. Genda functioned as Sato's front man in uniform, openly criticizing the Grumman design and working to steer the selection in favor of the Lockheed aircraft. In August 1959, Genda became the JASDF chief of staff, with the blessing of Sato, his political patron. In his new capacity, he finalized the adoption of the Lockheed jet over the objections of his subordinates.
As an LDP Politician
After retiring from the military in 1962, he ran for and was elected to the upper house of Japan's legislature, the House of Councillors, as a member of the Sato Faction within the Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
. He was the first of several former SDF officers who entered politics under the auspices of the Sato Faction, mostly at the far right end of the Japanese political spectrum. He remained influential in politics for more than twenty years, as a leading member of the Defense Division of the LDP's Policy Affairs Research Council, often representing the hardline nationalist position advocating abrogation or curtailment of Article 9
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is a clause in the National Constitution of Japan that prohibits an act of war by the state. The Constitution came into effect on May 3, 1947, immediately following World War II. In its text, the state formally renounces war as a sovereign right and bans...
of the postwar Japanese Constitution and open remilitarization of the armed forces. He is particularly well known for his fierce opposition, along with 12 lesser-known far right LDP Diet members, to Japan's ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
during the 1974–1976 session of the Diet, on the grounds that Japan might one day need to acquire its own nuclear arsenal.
Genda died on 15 August 1989, exactly 44 years to the day after the Japanese surrender in World War II, and just one day short of his 85th birthday. He was married and had three children.
In popular culture
Genda served as an uncredited technical adviser in the making of the 1970 film Tora Tora ToraTora! Tora! Tora!
is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
. In the film, the role of Genda portrayed by Tatsuya Mihashi.
Genda was portrayed by Japanese-Canadian actor Robert Ito
Robert Ito
Robert Ito is a Canadian voice, television, and movie actor of Japanese decent.A Canadian actor of Japanese descent, Ito was, for many years, a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before turning to acting in the mid-1960s...
in the 1976 film Midway
Midway (film)
Midway is a 1976 war film directed by Jack Smight and produced byWalter Mirisch from a screenplay by Donald S. Sanford. The music score was by John Williams and the cinematography by Harry Stradling, Jr...
, and by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
is a Japanese-American actor.In addition to his extensive film work, he has appeared on television in Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Encounter at Farpoint" , Thunder in Paradise , Nash Bridges , Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding , and Heroes . He also provided the voice of Sin Tzu for the video game...
in Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
' 2001 film Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor (film)
Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American action drama war film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay...
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Alternative-history writer Harry Turtledove
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
used Genda as the primary Japanese protagonist in his fictional account of an invasion of Oahu following the Pearl Harbor attack in his books Days of Infamy and End of the Beginning.
External links
- Sakaida and Takaki, Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai book review
- Goldstein and Dillon, The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans book review
- Green, Michael, Arming Japan text on Google Books.