Hata Shunroku

Hata was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army in 1944, overseeing Japanese operations in China during the final years of the war. He launched Operation Ichigo, a major offensive that captured key Chinese cities but failed to force China's surrender.

Hata was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in June 1944, the highest rank in the Imperial Japanese Army. This honor recognized his long service and command responsibilities during the war.

Field Marshal Hata Shunroku, as Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army, formally surrendered all Japanese forces in China to General He Yingqin of the Chinese Nationalist government on September 9, 1945, in Nanjing. This ended eight years of war between Japan and China.

Hata was tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and convicted of war crimes, including waging aggressive war and failing to prevent atrocities. He was sentenced to life imprisonment but was paroled in 1954.