vice admiral rear admiral
What military rank did Shigeyoshi Inoue have from 1939 to Oct 1946?
Shigeyoshi Inoue Biography . Early career . Inoue was a native of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture , in the Tōhoku region of Japan . He attended the 37th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy , graduating second out of a class of 179 cadets in 1909 . As a midshipman , he was assigned to the cruiser on its 1909 cruise from Dairen to Chemulpo , Chinkai , Sasebo and Tsu . He stayed with Soya on its cruise the following year to Manila , Ambon , Townsville , Brisbane , Sydney , Hobart , Melbourne , Fremantle , Batavia , Singapore , Hong Kong , Makung , and Keelung . On his return , he was assigned to the battleship , and then the cruiser . Overseas experience . Shortly after his promotion to ensign on December 15 , 1910 , he was reassigned to the cruiser and attended the coronation ceremonies for King George V in London in 1911 . In 1912 , he returned to school to study latest naval artillery and submarine warfare techniques and was promoted to sub-lieutenant at the end of that year . In 1913 , he served on the cruiser , followed by the battleship . He was promoted to lieutenant at the end of 1915 , and transferred to the battleship . Although Fusō participated in operations in World War I against the Imperial German Navy , Inoue was not in any combat situations . At the end of 1918 , Inoue was appointed military attaché to Switzerland , and ordered by the Navy to learn German . In 1919 , he was part of the Japanese diplomatic delegation to the Paris Peace Conference , where this knowledge proved to be useful . In 1920 , he was appointed military attaché to France , and was then ordered to learn French . In December 1921 , he received a promotion to lieutenant commander , and was permitted to return to Japan . After serving as executive officer on the in 1923 , Inoue enrolled in the Naval Staff College , graduating 3rd in a class of 21 the following year from the 22nd class . On December 1 , 1925 , he was promoted to commander . Inoue remained in staff positions for the next several years , including an appointment as naval attaché to Italy from 1927–1929 , after which he was promoted to captain . As admiral . On November 15 , 1933 , Inoue was given command of Hiei . However , his administrative talents could not be overlooked , and he returned to shore duties after slightly over a year and a half . Inoue was a protégé of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto , and was strongly opposed to the Tripartite Pact with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany . Inoue was a leader of the leftist clique within the Japanese military , which opposed Japans increasing trend towards fascism and overseas expansionism . Promoted to rear admiral on November 15 , 1935 , Inoue was made vice commander of the IJN 3rd Fleet , which covered the China theater of operations in 1939 and further promoted to vice admiral the same year . As with Yamamoto , he was a strong proponent of naval aviation . Inoue was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun ( first class ) in 1940 . In 1940 , Inoue became commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau , and submitted his thesis for a radical restructuring of the Imperial Japanese Navy to Naval Minister Koshirō Oikawa early in 1941 . He was highly critical of the Navys shipbuilding programme , with its emphasis on battleships over aircraft carriers . Inoue was given command of the IJN Fourth Fleet later the same year , based out of Truk . He was thus in command of Japanese naval forces during the Battle of Guam and Battle of Wake Island . He subsequently relocated his headquarters to Rabaul for Operation Mo , intended to occupy Port Moresby . However , after the Japanese defeat at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 , he was relieved of his command in October , and returned to Japan to become commander of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy . He became Vice Minister of the Navy in the closing stages of World War II , was promoted to full admiral on May 15 , 1945 ( one of the last two promotions made to this rank ) , and officially retired on October 15 of the same year . After the war , Inoue became an English and music teacher to children at his house in Yokosuka . The site of his home is now a public park . His grave is at Tama Cemetery in Fuchū , Tokyo , Japan . Further reading . - - Online views of selections of the book : External links . - – Translation of the official record by the Japanese Demobilization Bureaux detailing the Imperial Japanese Army and Navys participation in the Southwest Pacific area of the Pacific War . - 井上成美