Kōsō Abe

Kōsō Abe (阿部 孝壮) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Early career
A native of what is now the town of Mikawa, Yamagata prefecture in northern Japan, Abe was a graduate of the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1912. He ranked 73rd out of 144 cadets. He served as midshipman on the cruisers JAPANESE CRUISER Azuma and JAPANESE CRUISER Yakumo from 1912–1913, and after commissioning as an ensign in 1915, was assigned to the cruiser JAPANESE CRUISER Izumo. He returned to naval artillery and torpedo school later that year, and did not graduate until late 1917, so he was unable to participate in combat operations in World War I.

As a lieutenant from 1918, lieutenant commander from 1924, and commander from 1930, he served as chief gunnery officer on the destroyers JAPANESE DESTROYER Yamakaze and JAPANESE DESTROYER Akikaze, cruisers JAPANESE CRUISER Asama, JAPANESE CRUISER Naka and JAPANESE CRUISER Ashigara, and battleships JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Haruna, JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Yamashiro and JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Hyūga. He was promoted to captain on 15 November 1934.

Abe was given his first command on 15 November 1935, the cruiser JAPANESE CRUISER Jintsu. He subsequently served as captain of Naka, JAPANESE CRUISER Tenryū, JAPANESE CRUISER Mikuma, JAPANESE CRUISER Myōkō, and JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Hiei in the 1930s.

Abe was promoted to rear admiral on 15 November 1940. He commanded the transport division for the Port Moresby Invasion Force in abortive Operation Mo during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

The Makin Raid incident
From 5 February 1942-29 November 1943, Abe was commander of the 6th Base Force at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. As such, he was essentially the wartime military governor of the Marshall Islands, Gilbert Islands, Nauru, Ocean Island and Wake Island in the central Pacific Ocean.

On 17–18 August 1942, a force of approximately 200 US Marine commandos landed by submarine and raided Makin Island. The Makin Island raid was intended to destroy Japanese installations, gather intelligence data, test raiding tactics, boost home front morale, and possibly to divert Japanese attention from Guadalcanal. At a loss of 30 men, the US Marines killed the 85 - 160 Japanese, destroyed the radio station, fuel depot, supplies and installations. The raid attracted much attention in the American press, spawning a 1942 propaganda movie entitled "Gung-Ho", but its military significance was negligible. Nine US Marines who had been accidentally left behind during the raid were captured by Japanese forces, and moved as prisoners of war to Kwajalein, where they were held for about a month.

The initial plan was to send those American prisoners to Japan for incarceration. However, Abe was advised by central military authorities in Tokyo that the new official policy was to execute all prisoners of war in the field, and not to hold any in captivity or to send them to the home islands. Reportedly over the protests of Captain Yoshio Obara (local Japanese commander on Kwajalein) and Commander Hiusakichi Naiki (Chief of military-police on Kwajalein) (although this has been disputed by historian W. Emerson Wiles who states that Obara and Naiki were willing participants), Abe ordered the execution of the prisoners by beheading on 16 October 1942.

Subsequent career
From 27 December 1943-25 April 1945, Abe was Commandant of the Tateyama Naval Gunnery School in Tateyama, Chiba, Japan. Until the end of the war, he served as a commander of base units at Sasebo Naval Base in Kyūshū, Japan.

After the war, Abe was arrested by SCAP authorities and charged with war crimes, largely based on witness testimony regarding the Makin Raid Incident. Abe was extradited to Guam, where a military tribunal convicted him of "violation of the law and custom of war and the moral standards of civilized society." Abe was executed by hanging on 19 June 1947 on Guam.

Printed sources

 * - Neutral review of this book:
 * Young, Howard. "Carlson's Raiders on Makin, 17–18 August 1942", Marine Corps Gazette 87(8): August 31, 2003.
 * - Neutral review of this book:
 * Young, Howard. "Carlson's Raiders on Makin, 17–18 August 1942", Marine Corps Gazette 87(8): August 31, 2003.
 * Young, Howard. "Carlson's Raiders on Makin, 17–18 August 1942", Marine Corps Gazette 87(8): August 31, 2003.
 * Young, Howard. "Carlson's Raiders on Makin, 17–18 August 1942", Marine Corps Gazette 87(8): August 31, 2003.