Takeo Itō was born in the city of Fukuoka in the Fukuoka prefecture[1] The commanding officer of the IJA 228th Infantry Regiment at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he assumed command of 114th Infantry Regiment in August 1940.[1] Upon attaining the rank of major general on August 25, 1941, Itō was given command of the IJA 38th Division's infantry group,[1][2] which was the primary Japanese division in the invasion of Hong Kong.[3]
In early 1942, Itō was reassigned to an independent command in his own name, the "Itō Detachment", consisted mainly of 228th Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division and the 1st Kure SNLF, which took part in the Battle of Ambon[4] in the Dutch East Indies (30 January–3 February 1942), and in the occupation of Timor. All of these campaigns were characterized by extreme ruthlessness and the massacre of prisoners.[5]
At the end of the war, Itō was taken into custody by Australian forces, and was tried as a war criminal in a military tribunal for the murder of Chinese civilians. He was sentenced to death at Rabaul, New Britain on 24 May 1946.[6] However, Ito was released on 28 October, and sent to Hong Kong. In 1948, Itō was accused of war crimes at the Hong Kong's War Crimes Court, found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison.[7][8] He died on 24 February 1965.[citation needed]
Notes
^ abcdL, Klemen (1999–2000). "Major-General Takeo Ito". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10.
^Budge, Kent. "Takeo Ito". Pacific War Online Encyclopedia.
^Some Noteworthy War CriminalsArchived 2009-03-09 at the Wayback Machine Source: History of the United Nations War Crimes Commission and the Development of the Laws of War, United Nations War Crimes Commission (London: HMSO, 1948)