ISOROKU YAMAMOTO

BACKGROUND

• Born on April 4, 1884 in Nagaoka, Japan
• Former name "Isoroku Takano"
• Adopted by the Yamamoto family
• Died on April 18, 1943 at age 59

RISE IN POWER

• Traveled to the USA to study economics in Harvard
• In 1923 he was appointed head of the air training base at Kasumiguara
• Became a naval attaché in Washington, DC
• Returned to Japan and became Vice-Minister of the Navy
• Promoted to full admiral & became commander-in-chief of Japan's Combined Naval Fleet

WORK IN PROGRESS

• He was not keen on going into war, but devoted himself to the Pearl Harbor Attack
• Yamamoto was the mastermind behind the Japanese's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 7, 1941
• After the loss of the Battle of Midway, Yamamoto knew Japan had no chance of winning against the US

SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS

• Yamamoto opposed the Tripatite Pact of 1939
• This opposition formed the alliance between militarist Japan, Nazi Germany, and Fascist Italy
• Toured the Soloman Islands and took over the naval operations in the Battle of Guadalcanal
• He was appointed Admiral of the Combined Fleet after his death in 1943

U.S. forces finally caught up with Yamamoto, they ambushed his plane and shot him down over Bougainville Island in 1943. Yamamoto died having been right about two things: the effectiveness of aircraft carriers in long-range naval attacks and that Japan would lose a drawn-out struggle with the United States.

Untitled Slide

SOURCES

• http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs-for/japan/japrs-xz/i-yamto.htm
• http://dailytrh.tripod.com/0404.html