Masao Horie
Imperial Japanese Army (IJN) 18th Army

Background
Masao Horie was born 1915. He enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and served in China commanding a mountain gun. During December 1942 entered the Army Military Academy and studied and lectured for a year.

Wartime History
During late 1943 arrived in New Guinea after the Allied landings at Lae and Finschafen. Lt. Horie was assigned to the 51st Division as a staff officer as they began retreating from Sattleberg and Finschafen along the north coast of New Guinea via Sio then were forced to detour inland to bypass Saidor after the U.S. landing on January 2, 1944 then onward to reach the Japanese garrison at Madang.

In May 1944 assigned as a staff officer for the 18th Army Headquarters under General Hatazō Adachi at Wewak. During April 1945, he withdrew with the headquarters to Maprik then further inland to Kiarivu until the official surrender of Japan and the end of the Pacific War.

On September 13, 1945 Lt. Horie attended the Japanese surrender ceremony at Cape Wom Airfield near Wewak. Afterwards, Horie became a Prisoner Of War (POW) detained on Muschu Island until repatriated to Japan.

Postwar
Horie was a member of the House of Councilors, the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. He also became president of the Bereaved Families of the War Dead in East New Guinea. Also, he was an honorary advisor and member of the Japan Papua New Guinea Association and involved with charitable work between Japan and Papua New Guinea and supported efforts to recover the remains of Japanese war dead from New Guinea battlefields.

On July 12, 2014 Horie was part of the entourage that accompanied Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his visit to the Japanese War Memorials at Wewak and atop Mission Hill (Boy's Town).



Memorials
On March 20, 2022 Horie passed away at age 106. A private funeral for family including his son was held March 24, 2022.

References
AWM 096234 Japanese officers surrender their swords to Australian Army officer from 6th Division at Cape Wom Airfield near Wewak
Japan's Pacific War (2021) by Peter Williams pages 92-93, 115-119, 162, 162, 169-171, 174, 183-184, 191, 221 (index Horie)
YouTube Japanese Prime Minister In Wewak July 12, 2014 (1:14 Horie talking to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe)
Japan Papua New Guinea Association Email Newsletter March 27, 2022
"既に新聞等で既報のとおり、当協会名誉顧問　堀江正夫氏が3月20日に106歳でお亡くなりになりました。 御子息より次の通り訃報を頂戴いたしましたので、謹んで会員の皆様に御連絡させていただきます。 とても悲しいです"
[As already reported in newspapers, Masao Horie, Honorary Advisor of the Association, passed away on March 20th at the age of 106. We have received the following obituary from his son, and we would like to contact all the members.]
Thanks to Masao Horie for additional information