Tadashige Daigo Marquis was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II . Biography . Born in Chiyoda , Tokyo into a " kuge " family of court nobility related to the Fujiwara aristocracy , Daigo was a graduate of the " Gakushuin " Peers ' school . He went on to graduate from the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1912 . His rank on entering was only 126th out of 150 cadets , but he improved his scores , so that he graduated at 17th out of 144 . Daigo served as a midshipman on the cruiser and battleship . As an ensign , he was assigned to the cruiser . After his promotion to sub - lieutenant in 1913 , he took time out to attend a session of the House of Peers as was obligatory for members of his social class . He then returned to active service on the battleship and destroyer . Daigo was promoted to lieutenant in 1918 , and after taking courses in torpedo warfare , was assigned to submarine s , serving on , and then becoming captain of , followed by . He also served on the cruiser in 1924 . After promotion to lieutenant commander in 1924 , he was captain of in 1926 , and chief torpedo officer on the battleship later the same year . In the 1930s , Daigo was captain of a large number of cruisers in rapid succession : , , , , , and . He was promoted to rear admiral on 15 November 1940 . Daigo commanded Submarine Squadron 5 ( Subron 5 ) , with hisa flag on the light cruiser at the start of the Pacific War . At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor , Subron 5 was covering the first wave of the Malaya Invasion Force south of the Cape of Camau , French Indochina . On 9 December 1941 , Subron 5 was ordered to pursue and sink the Royal Navy Force Z ( battleship , battlecruiser and supporting destroyer s ) . Although " Yura " received word from that the British ships were spotted , due to poor wireless reception , the signal was unclear and the British vessels were overwhelmed by torpedo bomber s of the 22nd Air Flotilla from bases in Indochina before " Yura " and her submarines could take action . Subron 5 was then assigned to the invasion of Sarawak from 13 – 26 December , covering landings in Brunei , Miri , Seria , and Kuching . The 2 , 500 men of the " Kawaguchi Detachment " and the No . 2 Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force ( SNLF ) quickly captured Miri ' s airfield and oil fields . The operation was completed , and " Yura " returned to its base at Camranh Bay , Indochina by the end of the year . Subron 5 was also part of the advance screening force for the Battle of Midway . Daigo became vice admiral on 1 November 1943 . He was assigned command of the Eastern Attack Group which carried out midget submarine and merchant shipping attacks on the east coast of Australia . Daigo was Commandant of the Naval Submarine School from 23 August 1944 and final Commander in Chief of the IJN 6th Fleet from 1 May 1945 . During these assignments , he was involved in the " kaiten " human - torpedo program . After the end of the war , Daigo was arrested by SCAP authorities at the request of the Netherlands government , and was extradited to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies , where he was charged with war crime s in connection with the kidnapping , torture and massacre of 21 , 000 people ( including women and children ) by Japanese troops in Pontianak . After being held for several months under severe conditions , he was found guilty in a closed military tribunal at Pontianak after only three hours of testimony , during which time he was not allowed to speak in his own defense , and was executed with a rifle shot to the stomach on 6 December 1947 . As Daigo was commander of submarine forces , ( although from 8 November 1943 the 22nd Special Guard Division based at Balikpapan , Borneo fell nominally under his command ) , his connection ( if any ) with the events in Pontianak from 23 April 1943 – 28 June 1944 remain very unclear . Whereas other " Class B " war criminals found guilty of professional negligence for atrocities committed by junior staff under their nominal command were sentenced to several years in prison , the speed and secrecy surrounding his trial , and the severity and brutality of his punishment , have created questions which remain unanswered .