Editing Soemu Toyoda (section)

==Biography==
===Early career===
Toyoda was born in what is now part [[Kitsuki, Ōita|Kitsuki city]], [[Ōita Prefecture]]. He graduated from the 33rd class of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Academy]] in 1905, ranked 26th out of 176 cadets. He served his [[midshipman]] duty aboard the [[cruiser]]s {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Hashidate||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Nisshin||2}}, and after being commissioned as an [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] on 20 December 1906, he was assigned to the [[destroyer]] {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Asatsuyu||2}}. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 25 September 1908.

Toyoda returned to school, becoming a [[torpedo]] and [[naval artillery]] expert. As a [[lieutenant]] from 1 December 1911, he served on the [[battlecruiser]] {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kurama||2}}. He graduated from the [[Naval War College (Japan)]] with honors in 1915, and was promoted to [[lieutenant commander]] on 1 April 1917. From 1917 to 1919, he was ''[[aide-de-camp]]'' to [[Admiral]] [[Motaro Yoshimatsu]] ([[:ja:吉松茂太郎]]). From 1919 to 1922, he was sent as [[naval attaché]] to the [[United Kingdom]], during which time he was promoted to [[Commander#Commander as a naval and air force rank|commander]] on 1 December 1921.

After his return to Japan, Toyoda was assigned as [[executive officer]] on the cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kuma||2}}. He subsequently served in a number of staff positions, was promoted to [[Captain (naval)|captain]] on 1 December 1925, and received his first command: the cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Yura||2}} in 1926. In December 1930, he became captain of the [[battleship]] {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Hyūga||2}}. During the [[London Naval Treaty|London Naval Conference]], he accompanied Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] to London in 1931. On 1 December 1931, Toyoda was promoted to [[rear admiral]].

From December 1931 to February 1933, Toyoda was chief of the Second Section of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff]], and promoted to [[Vice Admiral|vice admiral]] on 15 November 1935.

From 1935 to 1937, Toyoda was Director of the Bureau of Naval Affairs, and on 20 October 1937, became [[Commander in Chief|Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[IJN 4th Fleet]]. He subsequently became Commander in Chief of the [[IJN 2nd Fleet]] on 15 November 1938. Both fleets were active in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] in support of the invasion of China. From 1939 to 1941, he was Director of Naval Shipbuilding Command.

===World War II===
Promoted to full [[admiral]] on 18 September 1941, at the time of the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], Toyoda was Commander-in-Chief of the [[Kure Naval District]]. Toyoda was strongly opposed to the war with the [[United States]], which he viewed from the start as "unwinnable".<ref>Utah State Library, Toyoda Trial Transcripts</ref>

On 10 November 1942, Toyoda became a member of the [[Supreme War Council (Japan)|Supreme War Council]], where he made a strong (but mostly unsuccessful) effort to increase funding and the capacity of Japan's industry toward [[naval aviation]], over the opposition to the Army-dominated [[Imperial General Headquarters]]. On 21 April 1943, Toyoda was reassigned (i.e. demoted) from the Supreme War Council to command of [[Yokosuka Naval District]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

After the death of Admiral [[Mineichi Koga]], Toyoda was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the [[Combined Fleet]] on 3 May 1944. In June of the same year, he drafted and implemented "Plan ''A-Go''" which resulted in the decisive defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy under the command of Admiral [[Jisaburō Ozawa]] in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]]. He followed with "Plan ''Sho-Go''", which again resulted in another major defeat at the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]. Toyoda was aware that both strategies had significant risks, but because the fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy was nearing the point of being unusable due to a lack of gasoline and other essential supplies, he believed that the possibility of profit outweighed the danger of losing the fleet. In the end, however, Toyoda's aggressive defensive strategy did not pay off. Nonetheless, Toyoda continued with the same strategy, approving [[Operation Ten-Go|"Plan ''Ten-Go''"]] to send the battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}} on its one-way final mission to [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Toyoda replaced [[Koshirō Oikawa]] as Chief of the Navy General Staff, after the latter resigned, and was the final supreme commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 29 May 1945 onward.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Toyoda participated in numerous [[Gozen Kaigi|Imperial Conference]]s concerning the [[surrender of Japan]]. Initially, the [[Minister of the Navy of Japan|Navy Minister]], [[Mitsumasa Yonai]], hoped that Toyoda would be able to exert a moderating influence over Army Chief of Staff [[Yoshijirō Umezu]] (since both came from the same district of Japan). However, Toyoda joined Umezu in his protestations against the [[Potsdam Proclamation]] of 26 July. Toyoda was for termination of the war but insisted that the government push for more favorable terms. After the [[atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]], Toyoda's position became even more hardline. He argued that the Japanese people should defend the [[Japanese home islands]] until the last man.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Post-war===
After the war, Toyoda was interrogated by Rear Admiral [[Ralph A. Ofstie]] in Tokyo on 14 November 1945. He was viewed as "highly intelligent and widely informed", and was observed to be a strong critic of the amount of political power the Army held in the Japanese government. He also expressed his opinion that the war with China should have been ended "even at some sacrifice" so that the men and resources could be redeployed to the Pacific theater.<ref>Utah State Library, Toyoda Trial Transcripts</ref>

Toyoda was subsequently arrested by [[Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers|SCAP]] occupation authorities and held in [[Sugamo Prison]]. In 1948, Toyoda was charged with war crimes "for violating the laws and customs of war". He pleaded 'not guilty' to all of the charges. He was acquitted and later released in 1949. He was the only member of the Japanese armed forces charged with war crimes to be acquitted.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}

Toyoda published his memoirs in 1950, and died in 1957 of a [[heart attack]] at the age of 72.