World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAsasaburo Kobayashi was born in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 1891. In the early 1930s, he was attached to the Imperial Household. In 1935, he became an instructor at the army infantry school. Between 1936 and 1937, he was the chief of staff of the Imperial Guards Division. Between 1937 and 1938, he was the commanding officer of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. Between Nov 1938 and Dec 1939, he was the chief of staff of the 12th Army. His next position was the chief of the 1st Section of the Inspectorate-General of Military Training of the Army General Staff, which he held until Jul 1941. In Jul 1941, he was made the chief of staff of the 4th Army. Between Dec 1941 and 1943, he was the chief of staff of General Defense Command. Between Jun 1943 and Mar 1944, he was the commanding officer of the 30th Division. He then became the chief of staff of General Defense Command once again until Feb 1945. In the spring of 1945, he was sent to China as the chief of staff of the Japanese China Expeditionary Army. After Japan surrendered, he, at the rank of lieutenant general, was a member of the Japanese delegation that surrendered in the Chinese capital of Nanjing. He passed away in Japan in 1974.

Asasaburo Kobayashi Interactive Map

Photographs

Asasaburo Kobayashi Timeline