Biography
Nagata was born in Suwa city in Nagano Prefecture. He graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy at the top of the list in October 1904, and from the Army Staff College in November 1911. He served as military attaché to several Japanese embassies in Europe, including Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany both before and during World War I.
On Nagata's return to Japan in February 1923, he was assigned to the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, where he served as administrator of various departments. Promoted to colonel in March 1927, he received command of the IJA 3rd Infantry Regiment, and was promoted to major general in 1932, and became the commander of the IJA 1st Infantry Brigade in 1933.
Nagata was considered a leading member of the moderate Tōseiha political faction within the military, and was also regarded as an expert on Germany.
Nagata was responsible for planning Japan's national mobilization strategy as Chief of Mobilization Section, Economic Mobilization Bureau, Ministry of War, to put both the military and the civilian economy on a total war footing in times of national emergency. His ideas earned him the violent animosity of the radical Kōdōha faction within the army who charged him with collusion with the zaibatsu.
Nagata was murdered in August 1935 (the Aizawa Incident), by Lieutenant Colonel Saburo Aizawa with a sword, for supposedly putting the Army "in the paws of high finance". Nagata was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general, and his assassin was shot by firing squad.
Read more about this topic: Tetsuzan Nagata
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