Gunichi Mikawa (29 August 1888 – 25 February 1981) was a Vice-Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, leading the Japanese 8th Fleet.
Biography[]
Gunichi Mikawa was born on 29 August 1888 in Hiroshima, Japan. Mikawa joined the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1910 and rose to the rank of Vice-Admiral by 1940, and in 1941 he took part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor as the commander of the Support Force. Mikawa then took charge of the Japanese 8th Fleet based at Rabaul in the Southweest Pacific, and his fleet became embroiled in a number of naval battles off Guadalcanal in 1942, including the victroy at the Battle of Savo Island. He was later based in the Philippines in command of both air and naval forces, and after the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 he was reassigned to shore duty. He retired in May 1945 and lived a quiet life until dying at the age of 92 in 1981.