Mako Guard District


The Mako Guard District was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Taiwan before and during World War II. Located in Mako ,, the Mako Guard District was responsible for control of the strategic Straits of Taiwan and for patrols along the Taiwan and China coastlines and in the South China Sea. It was disbanded in 1943, and reestablished as the Takao Guard District at Takao on the Taiwan main island.

History

The Guard Districts were second tier naval bases, similar to the first tier Naval Districts, with docking, fueling and resupply facilities, but typically lacked a shipyard or training school. They tended to be established by strategic waterways or major port cities for defensive purposes. In concept, the Guard District was similar to the United States Navy Sea Frontiers concept. the Guard District maintained a small garrison force of ships and Naval Land Forces which reported directly to the Guard District commander, and hosted detachments of the numbered fleets on a temporary assignment basis.
The port of Mako in the Pescadores Islands was an area with a long association with the Imperial Japanese Navy, having been the first portion of Taiwan captured during the Japanese invasion of Taiwan in the First Sino-Japanese War. Mako was designated a third echelon naval port, or yokobu on 4 July 1901. It served as a staging point and refueling base in the Russo-Japanese War, and especially during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Mako was upgraded to full Guard District status on 20 November 1941, and served as a staging group and supply base for the invasion of the Philippines and other naval operations in Southeast Asia after the start of the Pacific War. In 1943, the base was relocated to Takao on the Taiwanese mainland.

Order of Battle at time of the [attack on Pearl Harbor]

  • Mako Guard District
  • *PG Akitsu Maru
  • *PG Chiyo Maru
  • *PG Chohakusan Maru
  • *AK Kure Maru No.5
  • Mako Air Group
  • *3x Aichi D1A Susie
  • *Minesweeper Division 44
  • *Minesweeper Division 45
  • *Minesweeper Division 46

    List of Commanders

Commanding Officer

  • Vice-Admiral Hikonojō Kamimura
  • Vice-Admiral Tomomichi Onomoto
  • Vice-Admiral Nagataka Uemura
  • Vice-Admiral Baron Masaaki Hashimoto
  • Vice-Admiral Baron Tokioki Nashiba
  • Vice-Admiral Baron Yunoshin Kano
  • Vice-Admiral Chikakata Tamari
  • Vice-Admiral Hikojiro Ijichi
  • Vice-Admiral Kotaro Koizumi
  • Vice-Admiral Baron Shinrokuro Nishi
  • Vice-Admiral Tadamichi Kamaya
  • Vice-Admiral Rinroku Eguchi
  • Admiral Teijiro Kuroi
  • Vice-Admiral Tatsuo Matsumura
  • Vice-Admiral Tomojiro Chisaka
  • Vice-Admiral Kazuyoshi Yamaji
  • Rear-Admiral Shigeushi Nakagawa
  • Admiral Naomi Taniguchi
  • Vice-Admiral Kiyokaze Yoshida
  • Vice-Admiral Hisatsune Iida
  • Vice-Admiral Shiro Yamauchi
  • Vice-Admiral Tadatsugu Tajiri
  • Vice-Admiral Eizaburo Fujiwara
  • Vice-Admiral Nobutaro Iida
  • Rear-Admiral Kesaichi Hitsuda
  • Vice-Admiral Eijiro Hamano
  • Vice-Admiral Shusei Yuchi
  • Vice-Admiral Akira Goto
  • Rear-Admiral Toyonaka Yamauchi
  • Vice-Admiral Yoshiyuki Niyama
  • Vice-Admiral Hiroshi Ono
  • Vice-Admiral Senzo Wada
  • Vice-Admiral Shunzo Mito
  • Vice-Admiral Goro Hara
  • Vice-Admiral Ibo Takahashi
  • Vice-Admiral Koki Yamamoto
  • Admiral Takeo Takagi

    Chief of Staff

  • Vice-Admiral Baron Shinrokuro Nishi
  • Vice-Admiral Baron Mitsukane Tsuchiya
  • Rear-Admiral Sango Obana
  • Rear-Admiral Kanetane Imai
  • Rear-Admiral Juntaro Hirose
  • Rear-Admiral Yushichi Kanno
  • Rear-Admiral Koki Hirose
  • Rear-Admiral Eitaro Kataoka
  • Vice- Admiral Kotaro Tanaka
  • Rear-Admiral Shigeushi Nakagawa
  • Rear- Admiral Moshiro Iwasaki
  • Rear- Admiral Hisamori Taguchi
  • Rear-Admiral Yoshitada Mikami
  • Rear-Admiral Morie Tokiwa
  • Rear-Admiral Shinichi Oguri
  • Rear-Admiral Junzo Yoshitake
  • Rear-Admiral Tadashi Kurata
  • Rear-Admiral Seizaburo Mitsui
  • Vice- Admiral Shunzo Mito
  • Rear-Admiral Shinji Suzuki
  • Rear-Admiral Tsuyoshi Kobata
  • Vice- Admiral Shigeyoshi Miwa
  • Rear-Admiral Raizo Tanaka
  • Rear-Admiral Akira Matsuzaki
  • Vice- Admiral Toshio Shimazaki