Iwane Matsui

Who They Were

Iwane Matsui (松井石根, Matsui Iwane) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary force sent to China in 1937. He was convicted of war crimes and executed by the Allies for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre. He lived from July 27, 1878, to December 23, 1948, and was born in Makinochō, Nagoya.

Matsui belonged to the Tōtōmi Matsui clan and served during the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Civil War, and the Second Sino-Japanese War. He reached the rank of general and was part of the group known as the Seven Martyrs, a designation applied to convicted war criminals executed after World War II.

Life and Career

Born in 1878 during the Meiji period (1868–1912), Matsui chose a military career and saw combat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). He graduated from the Army War College in 1906 and shortly afterward volunteered for an overseas assignment. Over the following decades he rose through the ranks and became known as the Japanese Army's foremost expert on China.

Matsui was an ardent advocate of pan-Asianism, the idea that Asian nations should unite under Japanese leadership against Western imperialism. He played a key role in founding the Greater Asia Association, an influential organisation that promoted this ideology. His expertise on China and his political convictions made him a prominent figure within the army's China faction.

Matsui retired from active duty in 1935, but the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War brought him back into service. In August 1937 he was called up to lead the Japanese forces engaged in the Battle of Shanghai. After winning that battle, Matsui succeeded in convincing Japan's high command to advance on the Chinese capital, Nanjing. The troops under his command captured the city on December 13, 1937, and were responsible for the Nanjing Massacre that followed.

Matsui finally retired from the army in 1938. After Japan's defeat in World War II, he was tried at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), convicted of war crimes, and executed by hanging at Sugamo Prison on December 23, 1948.

Why They Matter

Matsui matters because he commanded the forces that carried out the Nanjing Massacre, one of the most documented atrocities of the Second Sino-Japanese War. His conviction at the IMTFE established a legal precedent for holding senior commanders responsible for the actions of troops under their authority, even when those commanders were not present at the scene of the crimes.

His career also illustrates the ideological currents that drove Japan's expansion into China. Matsui's pan-Asianism and his role in founding the Greater Asia Association show how military officers shaped policy beyond the battlefield. His successful push to advance on Nanjing, despite the high command's initial hesitation, demonstrates the influence a single commander could exert over strategic decisions.

The Name in Japanese

The name is written 松井石根 in Japanese.

• Kana reading: まつい いわね
• Romaji: Matsui Iwane

The family name comes first, as is standard in Japanese. It is 松井 (Matsui), and the given name is 石根 (Iwane).

Character by character:

• 松 (まつ, matsu) — "pine tree." The character depicts a tree beside a public square, and it carries connotations of longevity and resilience in Japanese culture.
• 井 (い, i) — "well," as in a water well. The character shows the cross-beams of a well frame. Together, 松井 (Matsui) literally means "pine well," a common place name that became a surname.
• 石 (い, i) — "stone" or "rock." The character combines a cliff radical with a mouth, suggesting a stone at the base of a cliff.
• 根 (ね, ne) — "root." The character combines the tree radical with a component that suggests something firm and grounded. Together, 石根 (Iwane) literally means "stone root," evoking an image of a rock anchored deep in the earth.

The given name 石根 is read with the native Japanese readings of both characters: い (i) for 石 and ね (ne) for 根. The full name, Matsui Iwane, thus carries a natural imagery of pines, wells, stones, and roots — a name rooted in the landscape of rural Japan.

Legacy

Matsui's legacy is dominated by the Nanjing Massacre and his execution. In 1978, he and other convicted war criminals were enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, an act that has stirred controversy ever since. The enshrinement has complicated Japanese relations with China and South Korea, where the shrine is seen as a celebration of wartime aggression.

Within Japan, Matsui's memory is contested. Some nationalist figures have sought to rehabilitate him, arguing that he was unfairly scapegoated for the actions of subordinates. The historical record, however, shows that Matsui commanded the forces that took Nanjing and that he remained in command during the weeks the massacre unfolded. His conviction at the IMTFE stands as the official legal judgment on his role.

For students of Japanese history, Matsui's career offers a case study in how a professional soldier with deep expertise in a foreign country can become the instrument of that country's devastation. His pan-Asianist ideals, sincerely held, did not prevent the atrocities committed under his command.