List of Armies of the Japanese Army
Encyclopedia
The term in the Imperial Japanese Army
was used in a different ways to designate a variety of large military formations, corresponding to the army group
, field army
and corps
in the militaries of western nations.
in western military terminology. Intended to be self-sufficient for indefinite periods, the general armies were commanded by either a field marshal or a full general
.
The initial General Army was the Japanese Manchurian Army, formed from 1904-1905 during the Russo-Japanese War
as a temporary command structure to coordinate the efforts of several Japanese armies in the campaign against Imperial Russia.
In terms of a permanent standing organization, the Japanese Army created the Kantōgun, usually known in English as the Kwantung Army, to manage its overseas deployment in the Kwantung Territory
and Manchukuo
from 1906.
Subsequent general armies were created in response to the needs of the Second Sino-Japanese War
and World War II
, in which increased overseas deployment called for an organizational structure that could respond quickly and autonomously from the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff in Tokyo
. As a result, Japanese forces were re-organized into three separate overseas operational commands: (Manchuria
, China
and Southeast Asia
), with the Japanese home islands forming a fourth.
Towards the end of World War II, the home island command (i.e. the General Defense Command) was restructured geographically into the First General Army in the east, Second General Army in the west, and the Air General Army in charge of military aviation
.
With the official Japanese surrender
in September 1945, all of the general armies were dissolved, except for the First General Army, which continued to exist until November 30, 1945 as the 1st Demobilization Headquarters.
in western militaries. Area Armies were normally commanded by a lieutenant general
. There is much confusion between the similarly numbered Area Armies and Armies in historical records, as many writers often did not make a clear distinction when describing the units involved.
in American or British military terminology. It was usually commanded by a lieutenant general
.
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
was used in a different ways to designate a variety of large military formations, corresponding to the army group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
, field army
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
and corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
in the militaries of western nations.
General Armies
The was the highest level in the organizational structure of the Imperial Japanese Army. It corresponded to the army groupArmy group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
in western military terminology. Intended to be self-sufficient for indefinite periods, the general armies were commanded by either a field marshal or a full general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.
The initial General Army was the Japanese Manchurian Army, formed from 1904-1905 during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
as a temporary command structure to coordinate the efforts of several Japanese armies in the campaign against Imperial Russia.
In terms of a permanent standing organization, the Japanese Army created the Kantōgun, usually known in English as the Kwantung Army, to manage its overseas deployment in the Kwantung Territory
Kwantung Leased Territory
The Kwantung Leased Territory was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in Inner Manchuria that existed from 1898 to 1945. It was one of the numerous territorial concessions that the Empire of China was compelled to award to foreign countries at the end of the 19th century...
and Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
from 1906.
Subsequent general armies were created in response to the needs of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in which increased overseas deployment called for an organizational structure that could respond quickly and autonomously from the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. As a result, Japanese forces were re-organized into three separate overseas operational commands: (Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
), with the Japanese home islands forming a fourth.
Towards the end of World War II, the home island command (i.e. the General Defense Command) was restructured geographically into the First General Army in the east, Second General Army in the west, and the Air General Army in charge of military aviation
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
.
With the official Japanese surrender
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
in September 1945, all of the general armies were dissolved, except for the First General Army, which continued to exist until November 30, 1945 as the 1st Demobilization Headquarters.
| Name | Active | Operational Area | |
| 1 | 1906-1945 | Manchukuo | |
| 2 | 1939-1945 | China | |
| 3 | 1941-1945 | Southeast Asia, Southwest Pacific | |
| 4 | 1941-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 5 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 6 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 7 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
Area Armies
in Japanese military terminology were equivalent to field armiesField army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
in western militaries. Area Armies were normally commanded by a lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. There is much confusion between the similarly numbered Area Armies and Armies in historical records, as many writers often did not make a clear distinction when describing the units involved.
| Name | Active | Operational Area | |
| 1 | 1942-1945 | Manchukuo | |
| 2 | 1942-1945 | Manchukuo | |
| 3 | 1942-1945 | Manchukuo | |
| 4 | 1944-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 5 | 1944-1945 | China | |
| 6 | 1944-1945 | British Malaya British Malaya British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries... , Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... , Sumatra Sumatra Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538... |
|
| 7 | 1942-1945 | Solomon Islands Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal... , New Guinea New Guinea New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago... |
|
| 8 | 1944-1945 | Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
|
| 9 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 10 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 11 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 12 | 1942-1945 | Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
|
| 13 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 14 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 15 | 1945-1945 | Korea Korea under Japanese rule Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II.... |
|
| 15 | 1943-1945 | Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
|
| 16 | 1943-1945 | Burma | |
| 17 | 1937-1938 | China | |
| 18 | 1937-1945 | China | |
| 19 | 1940-1941 | China | |
| 19 | 1940-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 20 | 1923-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 22 | 1937-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 21 | 1945-1945 | Japanese home islands | |
| 22 | 1932, 1937-1938 | China | |
Armies
The Japanese corresponded to an army corpsCorps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
in American or British military terminology. It was usually commanded by a lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
-
- First ArmyJapanese First ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was raised and demobilized on three separate occasions.-History:The Japanese 1st Army was initially raised during the First Sino-Japanese War from September 1, 1894 to May 28, 1895 under the command of General Yamagata Aritomo...
- China - Second ArmyJapanese Second ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was raised and demobilized on four separate occasions.-History:The Japanese 2nd Army was initially raised during the First Sino-Japanese War from September 27, 1894 to May 14, 1895 under the command of General Ōyama Iwao.It was revived for the...
- China - Third ArmyJapanese Third ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army based in Manchukuo as a garrison force under the overall command of the Kwantung Army during World War II, but its history dates to the Russo-Japanese War.-History:...
- Manchukuo - Fourth ArmyJapanese Fourth ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army based in Manchukuo from the Russo-Japanese War until the end of World War II.-Russo-Japanese War:The Japanese 4th Army was initially raised on June 24, 1904 in the midst of the Russo-Japanese War under the command of General Nozu Michitsura out of...
- Manchukuo - Fifth ArmyJapanese Fifth ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army based in Manchukuo as a garrison force during World War II under the overall command of the Kwantung Army.-History:...
- Manchukuo - Sixth ArmyJapanese Sixth ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army initially based in Manchukuo as a garrison force under the overall command of the Kwantung Army. At the end of World War II] it was active in east China.-History:...
- Manchukuo - Tenth Army - China
- Eleventh Army - China
- Twelfth Army - China
- Thirteenth Army - China
- Fourteenth Army - China
- Fifteenth Army - Burma
- Sixteenth Army - JavaJavaJava is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
- Seventeenth Army - Solomon Islands
- Eighteenth Army - New Guinea
- Nineteenth Army – eastern Netherlands East Indies
- Twentieth Army - China
- Twenty-First Army - China
- Twenty-Second Army - China
- Twenty-Third ArmyJapanese Twenty-Third ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.-History:The Japanese 23rd Army was formed on June 26, 1941 under the Imperial General Headquarters. It was transferred to the control of the China Expeditionary Army on August 12 of the same year...
- China - Twenty-Fifth ArmyJapanese Twenty-Fifth ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, noted for its role in the Battle of Malaya and Battle of Singapore.-History:The Japanese 25th Army was formed on 5 July 1941 under the Imperial General Headquarters...
- Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra - Twenty-Seventh Army - Chishima Islands
- Twenty-Eighth Army - Burma
- Twenty-Ninth Army - British Malaya
- Thirtieth Army – Manchukuo
- Thirty-First Army – Truk
- Thirty-Second ArmyJapanese Thirty-Second ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the final stages of World War II.-History:The Japanese 32nd Army was formed on March 13, 1944 as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of Allied forces in Okinawa and the surrounding Ryukyu...
- Okinawa - Thirty-Third Army - Burma
- Thirty-Fourth ArmyJapanese Thirty-Fourth ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the final stages of World War II.-History:The IJA 34th Army was formed in Hopei province, in Japanese-occupied China on July 3 1944 from the , a force created out of reserve elements of the IJA 11th Army to protect Japanese rear lines when the...
- Manchukuo - Thirty-Fifth Army - Philippines
- Thirty-Sixth Army - Japanese home islands
- Thirty-Seventh Army - BorneoBorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
- Thirty-Eighth Army -IndochinaIndochinaThe Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
- Thirty-Ninth Army -Thailand
- Fortieth Army – Japanese home islands
- Forty-First Army – Japanese home islands
- Forty-Third Army – China
- Forty-Fourth Army - Manchukuo
- Fiftieth Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-First Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-Second Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-Third Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-Fourth Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-Fifth Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-Sixth Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-Seventh Army – Japanese home islands
- Fifty-Eighth Army – Korea
- Fifty-Ninth Army – Japanese home islands
- China Garrison ArmyJapanese China Garrison ArmyThe was formed 1 June 1901 as the , as part of Japan's contribution to the international coalition in China during the Boxer Rebellion. It was renamed the China Garrison Army on 14 April 1912.-History:...
- China - Mongolia Garrison ArmyMongolia Garrison ArmyThe was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.-History:The Japanese Mongolia Garrison Army was raised on December 27, 1937 as a garrison force Japanese-dominated Inner Mongolia and adjacent areas of north China. From July 4, 1938, the Mongolia Garrison Army came under the...
- Inner MongoliaInner MongoliaInner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
- First Army
- Imperial Japanese Army Air Force
- First Air Army – HQ TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, basing in the Kanto PlainKanto PlainThe ' is the largest plain in Japan located in the Kanto Region of central Honshū. The total area 17,000 sq km covers more than half of the Region extending over Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, and Tochigi Prefecture.The northern limit borders on...
covering the Japanese home islands, TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Karafuto. - Second Air Army - HQ Hsinking, covering ManchukuoManchukuoManchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
- Third Air Army - HQ SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, covering Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic... - Fourth Air ArmyFourth Air Army (Japan)The Fourth Air Army was a land-based aviation force of the Imperial Japanese Army. Formed in Rabaul in June 1943, consisting of the 6th and 7th Air Divisions. The air army was responsible for covering the Solomon Islands, Dutch New Guinea and the Territories of Papua and New Guinea areas of...
- HQ RabaulRabaulRabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, covering the Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago... - Fifth Air Army - HQ Nanking, covering Japanese-occupied portions of southern and eastern ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. - Sixth Air Army – HQ KyūshūKyushuis the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
covering Taiwan and Okinawa
- First Air Army – HQ Tokyo
Auxiliaries
- Manchukuo Imperial ArmyManchukuo Imperial ArmyThe Manchukuo Imperial Army was the armed force of the Japanese dominated puppet state of Manchukuo, serving as the land forces, along with the Manchukuo Imperial Guards...
- Mengjiang National Army
- Indian National ArmyIndian National ArmyThe Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II. The aim of the army was to overthrow the British Raj in colonial India, with Japanese assistance...
- Burmese National Army
- KempeitaiKempeitaiThe was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. It was not an English-style military police, but a French-style gendarmerie...