was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War who was convicted of war crimes. Forces under his command committed the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. Tani was tried in the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal and executed. Biography Early military career Tani was born to a farming family in Okayama Prefecture. He graduated from the 15th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1903, placing 16th in his class. One of his classmates, Yasusuke Nogi, was the younger son of General Nogi Maresuke, and later died in combat during the Russo-Japanese War. Tani also saw combat during that war as a second lieutenant in the Guard's First Infantry Battalion, although his training at the academy had been in artillery. After the war, he graduated in third place from the 24th class of the Army War College in 1912. Tani later wrote an account of his experiences in the war, together with first-hand accounts of survivors, which was published under the tile . The book became a required textbook for the Army Staff College, although it was criticized by Field Marshal Uehara Yusaku for inaccuracies. Tani was posted to Great Britain as a military attaché from 1915, and from August 1917 he was embedded in the front lines as an official military observer for the Japanese government on the combat situation on the Western Front in World War I. After his return to Japan, in April 1919 he served as an instructor at the Army Staff College, and was reappointed to that position in February 1924. In February 1927 he was promoted to colonel and made commander of the IJA 61st Infantry Regiment. In August 1928, he became chief-of-staff of the Nagoya-based IJA 3rd Division. In May 1930, Tani was named to the League of Nations Standing Committee on Military Aviation. He was promoted to major general in August 1930. He returned to Japan in 1932 to become Chairman of Military Investigation, and from August 1933 was commander of the Guards 2nd Brigade. he was promoted to lieutenant general in August 1934. He served as commander of Tokyo Bay Fortress from August 1934 to December 1935. He was then sent to Kumamoto to oversee the reconstruction of the IJA 6th Division. World War II In July 1937, the IJA 6th Division was assigned to the Japanese China Garrison Army, and immediately began combat operations in the Second