Tsunamasa Shidei

Tsunamasa Shidei (四手井 綱正) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.

Biography
Shidei was born in Yamashina, Kyoto prefecture and graduated from the 27th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1915. In 1922, he graduated from the 34th class of the Army Staff College.

From 1934-1935, he held various staff assignments with the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, as served as an Aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Japan from 1935-1939. After a one-year field command with the IJA 23rd Infantry Regiment, he was posted to the Army Staff College as an instructor, and then as its commandant from 1940-1942.

Recalled to combat duty in 1942, Shidei served as Chief of Staff of the Japanese First Area Army (based in Manchukuo) from 7 December 1942 to 16 October 1944, and as commanding officer of the IJA 94th Division from 1944-1945.

In May 1945, Shidei was reassigned to the Japanese Burma Area Army after the disastrous losses at the Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay and in Operation Dracula, but was recalled to Manchukuo in July 1945 to become Vice Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army.

He is presumed to have died in a plane crash with Subhas Chandra Bose at Taipei Songshan Airport on August 18, 1945, although there have been numerous conspiracy theories regarding the Death of Subhas Chandra Bose which shed some doubts on the events surrounding his death.