Nobutaka Shiōden四王天 延孝

by Jenny Chan

Shioden Nobutaka was a retired Japanese Army lieutenant general turned politician who played a key role in Japan’s wartime propaganda and pan-Asian diplomacy. After a military career that included leadership roles in the War Ministry, he entered politics in 1942 under the ruling Imperial Rule Assistance Association. With connections to groups like the Black Dragon Society, Shioden became a leading promoter of Japanese outreach to Muslim communities across Asia, serving as President of the Dai Nippon Muslim Association and using radio broadcasts and public events to bolster Japan’s image as a protector of Islam. The following is a biographical report prepared by the U.S. Department of State on October 4, 1945.

Name
Shioden Nobutaka, Lt. General (retired)
Major Positions
Member of House Representatives, April 1942[2]
President of Dai Nippon Muslim Association and of Greater East Asia Muslim Association, March 1943[4]
Family History
Born 1879; younger brother of Nishimura Mohe; adopted by Shioden Seihin
Career
Entered Army, 1900
Appointed Lieutenant in Army, 1900
Chief of Military Affairs Bureau of War Ministry
Chief of Aviation Bureau of War Ministry
Representative of Japan at League of Nations
Attached to Hoyo Garrison
Attached to Sixteenth Division
Promoted to Lieutenant General, 1929
Retired from active service, 1929
Listed as Director General of Imperial Aviation Association[1]
Elected to House of Representative, April 1942[2] from Tokyo, Fifth District[3]
Appointed Vice Chairman of East Indies Progress Council at inaugural directors' meeting held at Japan Industrial Society Building in Tokyo, 30 May 1942
Vice President of Dai Nippon Muslim Association and Greater East Asia Muslim Association to March 1943
​Became President of Dai Nippon Muslim Association and Greater East Asia Muslim Association in March 1943, succeeding Gen. Hayashi Senjuro who died.[4]
Member of Post-War Planning Committee, formed June 1944[6] mentioned as such in enemy broadcast of 27 June 1944[5]
Appointed as a director of the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Society, August 1944[6]
Listed as a director of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, February 1945[5]
Comments
The Japan Weekly Chronicle relates that in July 1933, Shioden was among the promoters of an organization which was then in the process of formation in Tokyo and the object of which was to combat Communism in Japan. According to the Aikoku Undo Nenkan of 1936, he was Director of the San Roku Kurabu )Three-Six Club), which was organized in preparation for the 1936 crisis. The same source states that in 1936, the members of this club began working for a Showa reform, their aims being purification of politics through the promotion of Kodo rule, national advancement through a union of the people and the military, and improvement of local conditions in village communities. According to the same source, he was an advisor to the Kenkoku Koen-kai (Society for Lectures on National Establishment), which was founded in September 1923 and stood for the idea of one Emperor over all people, imperialization of the world, perfection of national defense, promotion of martial spirit, and the establishment of an economic policy based on the Imperial nation, the same source explains.[8] According to a confidential source, he is one of three militarists (the other two being Generals Araki Sadao and Matsui Iwane) who are known as the great trio in the religious field; they are all sincere Shintoist believers in the inferiority of all other beliefs, according to this source. It was reported confidentially in July 1944 that Shioden, together with the late, Gen. Hayashi Senjuro, and Gen. Araki Sadao, had been active in Japanese infiltration among Mohammedans. Besides being President of the Dai Nippon Muslim Association and of the Greater East Asia Muslim Association, he was President of the Japanese Residents' Muslim League, according to the same report.[4] On 17 June 1943, Shioden Spoke to the Muslims of Java over the Tokyo radio. In January `1944, he interpellated in the House of Representatives concerning the "national policy" toward Mohammedans, according to an enemy broadcast. The Japanese radio furthermore reported that on 2 September 1944, he attended funeral services for Hadji Abdullah Rashid Ibrahim at the Islamic Mosque in Tokyo. Another enemy broadcast informs us that he attended a special preview of the film "Muslims in Tokyo" on 2 February 1945.[5]
In the 1930's he was connected with the Indian Independence movement in Japan, according to a confidential source.[4] He was listed in December 1944 as one of two Vice Presidents of the Greater East Asia League.[6] Various sources assert that he is a member of the Kokuryukai(Black Dragon Society) and a confidential source states that he was associated in the publication of Young Asia, a Buddhist Periodical published in the 1930's, but since discontinued. The same source reports that he was connected with the Zenrin Kyokai(Good Neighbor Association) which was organized in 1934 but had really existed since 1885, and engaged in training agents for Asia. The same source adds that in 1938 the Zenrin Kyokai was given control over the Central Asiatic Research Association and over the finances of the Japanese Institute of Islamic Studies. From 1938 to 1939, Shioden was connected with the magazine Central Asia, according to this source.
Shioden has frequently been referred to as an authority on espionage and as an active militarist.[4] He was elected to the House of Representatives in April 1942 for the first time, and his candidacy was endorsed by the IRAA. He polled the largest number of votes in the entire country, namely 76,045, the Japan Times and Advertiser reports.[2]
At the time of his election he was hailed by the Germans as pro-Fascist and anti-Semitic, according to a confidential source.[4] An enemy broadcast stated that on 4 February 1944, he attended a dinner given by Joseph Lanz Spann, head of the Nazi Party in Tokyo. According to the Japanese radio, he was the author of a talk on "The Fighting Spirit and Vision of Japan and Germany" which was broadcast from Tokyo in October 1944. He addressed a National Militia rally in April 1945, according to an enemy broadcast.[5]
Summary
Shioden Nobutaka entered the Army as a Lieutenant in 1900 and retired from active service in 1929, with the rank of Lieutenant General. At one time he headed the Military Affairs Bureau and later the Aviation Bureau of the War Ministry. In April 1942 he was elected to the House of Representatives. His candidacy was endorsed by the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, of which he later became a director. He has been a member of many organizations, including the Kokuryukai (Black Dragon Society), In March 1943, he became President of the Dai Nippon Muslim Association and of the Greater East Asia Muslim League. He has frequently displayed an interest in Mohammedan affairs and is said to have been active in Japanese infiltration among Muslims. He has been described as a Fascist with anti-Semitic leanings, an authority on espionage, and an active militarist.
Sources: 1. Jinji Koshin Roku, 1937
2. Japan Times and Advertiser, 2 May 1942
3. Domei Jiji Nenkan, 1943
4. OSS Source S
5. Enemy broadcasts
6. OSS Source X
7. Japan Weekly Chronicle, 27 July 1933
8. Aikoku Undo Nenkan, 1936

Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.