:Jinichi Kusaka

A native of Ishikawa Prefecture, Kusaka graduated from the 37th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy, ranked 21st in a class of 179 cadets. He served as midshipman on the cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Soya||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chiyoda||2}}, and after being commissioned as ensign was assigned to the cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Tokiwa||2}} and battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Aki||2}}. As a lieutenant during World War I, he served on the cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Asama||2}}, followed by the battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kashima||2}} and destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Hamakaze|1916|2}}, but was not on any combat missions. After the end of the war, he attended the Naval Staff College, emerging in 1921 as a lieutenant commander. He was assigned to the battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}} as Vice Chief Gunnery Officer, and to the battleships {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Yamashiro||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Nagato||2}} as Chief Gunnery Officer.

After Kusaka's promotion to captain on 1 December 1930, he was sent overseas to the United States and Europe for one year. After his return, he received his first command, the cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Kitakami||2}}. He was subsequently captain of the battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Fusō||2}}. On 1 December 1936, Kusaka was promoted to rear admiral, and became commandant of the Naval Gunnery School. On 15 November 1940, he was promoted to vice admiral.

At the beginning of the Pacific War, Kusaka commanded the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy. On 28 September 1942, he took command of the 11th Air Fleet located at the major Japanese base of Rabaul on New Britain in the South Pacific.Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 288. Throughout the Guadalcanal campaign Kusaka's air units battled the Allied Cactus Air Force for control of the air around Guadalcanal, a battle that the Allied air forces eventually won. The 11th Air Fleet also supported Japanese military operations in the New Guinea Campaign.

File:Kusaka and Yamamoto at Rabaul.jpg (left) at Rabaul in April 1943 during Operation I-Go shortly before Yamamoto's death.]]

On 24 December 1942, all naval forces in New Guinea and Solomon Islands area were combined into the newly designated Southeast Area Fleet with Kusaka in command. As commander, Kusaka directed the employment of naval ships and combat personnel involved in the fighting against Allied forces advancing up the Solomon Islands chain and New Guinea and New Britain towards Rabaul.Frank, p. 498.

On 6 September 1945, Kusaka, acting as the senior officer for Japanese naval forces in the Rabaul area, along with General Hitoshi Imamura, the senior Imperial Japanese Army commander for the area, surrendered Rabaul to Allied forces.Sakaida, Siege of Rabaul, p. 87-88.

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book | last = Altobello | first = Brian | year = 2000 | title = Into the Shadows Furious | publisher = Presidio Press | isbn = 0-89141-717-6 }}
• {{cite book | last = Bergerud | first = Eric M. | year = 2000 | title = Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific | publisher = Westview Press | location = Boulder, CO, USA | isbn = 0-8133-3869-7 }}
• {{cite book | last = D'Albas | first = Andrieu | year = 1965 | title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II | publisher = Devin-Adair Pub | isbn = 0-8159-5302-X }}
• {{cite book | last = Frank | first = Richard B. | author-link = Richard B. Frank | year = 1990 | title = Guadalcanal : The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle | publisher = Penguin Group | location = New York | isbn = 0-14-016561-4 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/guadalcanal00rich }}
• {{cite book | last = Gailey | first = Harry A. | year = 1991 | title = Bougainville, 1943-1945: The Forgotten Campaign | publisher = University Press of Kentucky | location = Lexington, Kentucky, USA | isbn = 0-8131-9047-9 }} - neutral review of this book here:[http://www.sonic.net/~bstone/archives/030504.shtml]
• {{cite book | last = Miller | first = Thomas G. | year = 1969 | title = Cactus Air Force | publisher = Admiral Nimitz Foundation | isbn = 0-934841-17-9 }}
• {{cite book | last = Morison | first = Samuel Eliot | author-link = Samuel Eliot Morison | year = 1958 | title = The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II | publisher = Little, Brown and Company | location = Boston | isbn = 0-316-58305-7 }} - Online views of selections of the book:[https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0785813063]
• {{cite book | last = Morison | first = Samuel Eliot | author-link = Samuel Eliot Morison | year = 1958 | title = Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, vol. 6 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II | publisher = Castle Books | isbn = 0-7858-1307-1 }}
• {{cite book | last = Sakaida | first = Henry | year = 1996 | title = The Siege of Rabaul | publisher = Phalanx | location = St. Paul, MN, USA | isbn = 1-883809-09-6 }}

• {{cite web | last = Naval History via Flix | url = http://navalhistory.flixco.info/G/121794x19846(a5557z1naZJinichi%20Kusaka)/259869/j0.htm | title = Kusaka Jinichi | access-date = 2006-12-08 }}
• {{cite web | last = Nishida | first = Hiroshi | url = http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px37.htm#v008 | title = Imperial Japanese Navy | access-date = 2006-12-08 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130130030631/http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px37.htm%23v013#v008 | archive-date = 2013-01-30 | url-status = dead }}
• {{cite web | last = Rentz | first = John | year = 1952 | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-CSol/USMC-M-CSol-5.html | title = Marines in the Central Solomons | publisher = Historical Branch, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps | access-date = May 30, 2006 }}

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{{s-ttl|title=Commander-in-chief of the Southeast Area Fleet|years=24 December 1942 - 6 September 1945}}

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Category:Japanese admirals of World War II

Category:Imperial Japanese Navy admirals

Category:Military personnel from Ishikawa Prefecture

Category:1888 births

Category:1972 deaths

Category:Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service