Tadahiko Otowa

Masahiko Otowa (Otowa Tadahiko, January 5, 1914 – February 6, 1944) was a member of the Japanese imperial family (Takayama-no-miya), a noble, and a naval officer. His final rank was Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. His decorations included Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class, and First Class of Merit. Before his ennoblement as a kazoku, his name was Prince Tadahiko (Tadahiko-ō), with the honorific title of His Highness.

Life

Born on January 5, 1914 (Taishō 3), he was the second son of Emperor Taisho and the son of Takayama-no-miya Kossaku-no-miya. After graduating from Gakushuin Junior High School, he entered the Naval Academy. On January 4, 1934 (Shōwa 9), he was appointed as a member of the House of Peers representing the Imperial Family. He later graduated from the 62nd class of the Naval Academy, alongside classmates such as Hirohide Fushimi, Takeo Chihaya, Fusata Iida, and Yoshio Shiga.

He renounced his imperial status and was commissioned as a Navy Ensign, serving aboard the cruisers Hagurosō and Isuzu. In December 1937 (Shōwa 12), he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to the battleship Nagato. In 1938 (Shōwa 13), he participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War as a gun crew platoon leader under Major Kitaro Haji at the Naval Special Landing Force in Shanghai. He was involved in the attack on Tiakouzhai and the assault on Ma’anshan. At that time, his military uniform was covered in mud, and he had grown a thick beard, yet he remained unperturbed.

Military Career

According to classmates and Vice Admiral Eijiro Kondo, who later wrote memoirs, Otowa had a vivid memory of fallen comrades and displayed typical naval officer qualities in combat.

Having served as a section leader on ships such as Akagi, Yamashiro, and Mutsu, he became the deputy gun director aboard Mutsu in November 1942 (Shōwa 17). In 1943 (Shōwa 18), he attended the Naval Gunnery School’s advanced course. That same year, the battleship Mutsu was sunk by an explosion, and his Gunnery Chief, Lieutenant Commander Kitaro Haji, was also killed. The same year, his naval classmate Hirohide Fushimi also died in action.

Killed in Action

Desiring to be deployed to the front lines before graduating from the Gunnery School, he served as a staff officer with the 6th Base Force and participated in the Battle of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. After five days of fierce fighting, he was killed in action on February 6, 1944.

He was 30 years old at the time of his death (31 by age reckoning), and upon his death, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.

On February 4 of the same year, the Navy Minister, Shigetaro Shimada, reported his status to Emperor Showa. On February 27, Tokugawa Yoshihiro was dispatched to the residence to pay condolences.

According to Prince Takamatsu-no-miya Norihito’s 'Takamatsu-no-miya Diary', the unexpected landings by U.S. forces were attributed to the increased troop strength and redeployments to the front lines, which caught the American forces off guard.