Eitaro Hata (28 August 1872 – 31 May 1930) was the commander of the Kwantung Army from 1 July 1929 to 31 May 1930, succeeding Chotaro Muraoka and preceding Takashi Hishikari.
Biography[]
Eitaro Hata was born on 28 August 1872 in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan to a family of samurai from the Aizu Domain. In 1896, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, and he served as a logistics officer during the Russo-Japanese War. Hata served as a military attaché to the United Kingdom in British India, and on 1 July 1929 he was appointed as the commander of the Kwantung Army in China. Hata died while leading the army, passing away on 31 May 1930 of acute nephritis in Port Arthur (Lushunkou).