The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia

Initial Japanese Army Order of Battle

Unit	Commander	Start	Administrative Assignment	Operational Assignment	Notes
Imperial General Headquarters	Hirohito	Tokyo			Imperial General Headquarters was almost completely ineffectual, being divided into separate Army and Navy sections that were not even located together. There was no ultimate decision maker short of the Emperor, who was ill-equipped to fill this role.
Army General Staff	Sugiyama Gen	Tokyo	Imperial General Headquarters
4 Division	Kitano Kenzo	Shanghai	Army General Staff		"Osaka." Activated 1881-5-14, and acquired a reputation as an unlucky division lacking in intrepidity. General reserve. Seriously understrength, with just 11,000 men. Homma considered this the worst-equipped division in the Japanese Army. Its infantry group was composed of 8 Regiment, 37 Regiment (from Osaka), and 61 Regiment. Redeployed to Luzon 1942-2, where it carried out the assault on Corregidor. Returned to Japan 1943-8, and redeployed to Sumatra 1944-8 and Thailand 1944-12.
1 Amphibious Landing Group	Ito Shinobu		Army General Staff		Exact assignment unknown. Redesignated as 1 Amphibious Brigade in 1944-1.
General Defense Command	Yamada Otozo	Tokyo	Army General Staff
Ship Transport Command			General Defense Command		Responsible for the Army merchant shipping pool
Northern District Army	Hamamoto Kisaburo	Obihiro	General Defense Command		Redesignated 5 Area Army on 1944-3-10.
7 Division	Koito Koichi	Asahikawa	Northern District Army		"Asahikawa". Activated 19 October 1886. Participated in the Siberian Intervention in 1918. The bulk of the division (26 and 27 Regiments) never left Japan, and so a 7 Depot Division was never active. THe division was not yet triangularized in December 1941 and still included 25 Regiment in its organization.
28 Regiment		Aslito	7 Division		Ichiki Detachment, 2328 men. Formed in 1875 and credited with taking 203 Meter Height during the siege of Port Arthur in 1905. Destroyed in the Battle of the Tenaru (Ilu) River at Guadalcanal on 21 August 1942.
8 Depot Division		Hirosaki	Northern District Army
Karafuto Independent Mixed Brigade	Imamura Toyojiro	Karafuto	Northern District Army
Karafuto Reserve Brigade		Karafuto	Northern District Army
Chishima Regiment		Kuriles	Northern District Army
Central District Army	Fujii Yoji	Osaka	General Defense Command		Redesignated 13 Area Army in 1945-1.
53 Depot Division	Baba Masao	Kyoto	Central District Army		53 Division was authorized on 1940-7-10 but not formally activated until 1943-11-19. Until then it was rated as a depot division. Mostly older men from the Kyoto area. Composed of 119, 128, and 151 Regiments.
54 Division	Katamura Shihachi	Himeji	Central District Army		Activated 1940-7-10 as a Type B division. Composed of 111, 121, and 154 Regiments. Deployed to Burma 1943-8.
4 Depot Division	Kan Hararoku?	Osaka	Central District Army		Supporting at least 5 divisions and 5 brigades by the end of the war.
5 Depot Division	Hasegawa Miyoji	Hiroshima	Central District Army		Supporting at least 5 divisions and 3 brigades by the end of the war.
55 Depot Division	Nagami Shuntoku	Zentsuji (133.783E 34.233N)	Central District Army		Supporting at least 3 divisions and 3 brigades by the end of the war.
1 Air Division	Abe Tetsujo		Central District Army		A training unit. From 1944-2 on, it was used as an antisubmarine unit for coastal patrol around the home islands.
64 Independent Infantry Group	Matsuyama Yuzo	Osaka	Central District Army		Deactivated 1944-1 to provide cadre for 49 Division. Consists of 106, 153, and 168 Regiments.
13 Air Regiment		Taisho	1 Air Division		9 Ki-27 Nate Participated in the New Georgia, Wewak, and second Philippines campaigns.
Western District Army	Fujie Keisuke	Fukuoka	General Defense Command
6 Depot Division	Kayashima Taka	Kumamoto	Western District Army		Supporting at least 7 divisions and a brigade by the end of the war.
56 Depot Division	Sakai Yasushi	Kurume	Western District Army		Supporting at least 4 divisions and 2 brigadesby the end of the war.
66 Independent Infantry Group		Kumamoto	Western District Army		Composed of 123, 145, and 147 Regiments. Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 46 Division.
26 Engineer Regiment			Western District Army
Eastern District Army	Tanaka Shizuichi	Tokyo	General Defense Command
52 Depot Division	Mugikura Shunsaburo	Kanazawa	Eastern District Army		52 Division was authorized 1940-7-10 but not formally activated until 1943-8-10, and rated as a depot division until that time. Composed of 69, 107, and 150 Regiments.
2 Depot Division	Terakura Shozo	Sendai	Eastern District Army		Supporting at least 5 divisions and 6 brigades by the end of the war.
3 Depot Division	Kushibuchi Senichi	Nagoya	Eastern District Army		Supporting at least 6 divisions and 4 brigades by the end of the war.
51 Depot Division	Ueno Kenichiro	Utsunomiya	Eastern District Army		Supporting at least 7 divisions and 3 brigades by the end of the war.
57 Depot Division	Osako Michisada	Hirosaki	Eastern District Army		Supporting at least 5 divisions and 4 brigades by the end of the war.
Imperial Guards Mixed Brigade	Teshima Fusataro	Tokyo	Eastern District Army		Or Imperial Guards Depot Division. Composed of 1 and 2 Imperial Guards Regiments.
61 Independent Infantry Group		Tokyo	Eastern District Army		Deactivated 1943-3 to provide cadre for 61 Division. Composed of 101, 149, and 157 Regiments.
62 Independent Infantry Group		Sendai	Eastern District Army		Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 42 Division. Composed of 129, 130, and 158 Regiments.
63 Independent Infantry Group		Nagoya	Eastern District Army		Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 43 Division. Composed of 118, 135, and 136 Regiments.
67 Independent Infantry Group		Hirosaki	Eastern District Army		Composed of 105, 125, and 131 Regiments. Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 47 Division.
107 Brigade	Hitomi Hidezo		Eastern District Army		Existence and assignment uncertain
17 Air Brigade	Nakanishi Ryosuke	Chofu	Eastern District Army
5 Air Regiment		Kashiwa	17 Air Brigade		25 Ki-27 Nate Participated in western New Guinea campaign.
144 Air Regiment		Chofu	17 Air Brigade		19 Ki-27 Nate. Redesignated 244 Air Regiment 1942-4 Participated in the Okinawa campaign.
Korea Army	Nakamura Kotaro	Seoul	General Defense Command		Redesignated Korea District Army 1945-2-1
19 Division	Kozuki Yoshio	Rashin	Korea Army		"Ranan." Activated 1915-12-24. Composed of 73, 75, and 76 Regiments. May still have been a square division in December 1941 with 74 Regiment. Redeployed to Luzon 1944-12 and destroyed.
20 Division	Nagatsu Sadashige	Pusan	Korea Army		"Keijo." Activated 1915-12-24. Square division. Composed of 77, 78, 79, and 80 Regiments. Redeployed to New Guinea 1943-1 and triangularized 1943-6, giving up 77 Regiment. Suffered heavy casualties in Lae campaign.
23 Independent Engineer Regiment			Korea Army		Specially trained in river crossing and use of landing craft. It was deployed to 14 Army in time for the Corregidor assault.
Formosa Army	Ando Rikichi	Taipeh	Army General Staff		No combat formations were assigned in December 1941. Redesignated as Formosa District Army 1945-2-1
China Expeditionary Army	Hata Shunroku	Nanking	Army General Staff		Controlled all army units in central and southern China. These were the areas of active operations against the Kuomintang.
11 Army	Anami Korechika	Hankow	China Expeditionary Army		The "cutting edge" of the Japanese Army in China, acting as its chief operational force. Organized in July 1938 to conduct the Wuhan campaign. Preparing to attack Changsha with 120,000 men supported by 600 artillery pieces and 200 aircraft of 1 Air Brigade.
3 Division	Takahashi Takaji	Changsha	11 Army		"Nagoya." Activated 1881-5-14. Composed of 6, 34, and 68 Regiments.
6 Division	Kanda Masatane		11 Army		"Kumamoto." Activated 1881-5-14. Had an excellent reputation as one of the toughest divisions in the Japanese Army, but was involved in the Rape of Nanking. Redeployed to Bougainville 1943-1 and isolated for the remainder of the war. Infantry group consisted of 13, 23 and 45 Regiments.
13 Division	Uchiyama Eitaro	I'chang	11 Army		Activated 1937-9-9 as a "special" or wartime division primarily composed of reservists. Recruited from Sendai. Composed of 65, 104, and 116 Regiments. May still have been a square division in December 1941 with 58 Regiment.
34 Division	Oga Shigeru	Nanchang	11 Army		From Osaka. Activated 1939-2-7 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 216, 217, and 218 Regiments.
39 Division	Sumida Raishiro	Tangyang (111.789E 30.829N)	11 Army		From Hiroshima. Activated 1939-6-30 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 231, 232, and 233 Regiments. Redeployed to Manchuria 1945-7
40 Division	Aoki Seiichi	I'chang	11 Army		Activated 1939-6-30 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 234, 235, and 236 Regiments.
14 Independent Mixed Brigade	Nakayama Tomodu	Along Kiukiang-Nanchang railroad?	11 Army
18 Independent Mixed Brigade	Tsutsumi Fusaki		11 Army		Deactivated to provide cadre for 56 Division 1942-2
13 Tank Regiment			11 Army
2 Engineer Regiment			11 Army
8 Engineer Regiment			11 Army
13 Army	Sawada Shigeru	Shanghai	China Expeditionary Army		Organized at Shanghai in late 1939, primarily as a peacekeeping force for the Shanghai-Nanking area.
15 Division	Sakai Naoji	Wuhu	13 Army		Activated 1938-4-4 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Recruited from Kyoto. Composed of 51, 60, and 67 Regiments. Redeployed to Thailand 1943-8, where it was employed mostly in roadbuilding, and to Burma 1944-2.
17 Division	Hirabayashi Morito		13 Army		"Kimeji." Activated 1938-4-4 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 53 54, and 81 Regiments. Redeployed to New Britain 1943-9. Reorganized in 1943 or 1944, dropping 81 Regiment and activating 2 and 6 Mixed Regiments from local units to give a square structure.
22 Division	Ota Katsumi	Hangchow	13 Army		From Sendai. Activated 1938-4-4 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 84, 85, and 86 Regiments. Redeployed to French Indochina 1945-1
116 Division	Takeuchi Toshijiro	Kiukiang	13 Army		Activated 1938-5-15 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Square division with brigades shown below. Triangularized 1943-3 with removal of 138 Regiment.
119 Brigade	Yamagata Gyoichi		116 Division		Composed of 109 and 120 Regiments.
130 Brigade	Uzawa Katsunobu		116 Division		Composed of 133 and 138 Regiments.
11 Independent Mixed Brigade	Tsutsumi Mikio	West of Shanghai	13 Army		Deactivated 1942-4 to provide cadre for 60 Division.
12 Independent Mixed Brigade	Nanbu Johkichi		13 Army		Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 64 Division.
13 Independent Mixed Brigade	Akashika Tsutomu	Anhwei-Kiangsu area	13 Army		Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 65 Division.
17 Independent Mixed Brigade	Tagami Hachiro		13 Army
20 Independent Mixed Brigade	Nozoe Masanori	Nanchang	13 Army		Deactivated 1942-4 to provide cadre for 70 Division.
23 Army	Sakai Takashi	Canton	China Expeditionary Army
51 Division	Nakano Hidemitsu		23 Army		Activated 1940-9-1 at Utsunomiya as a Type B division. Composed of 66, 102, and 115 Regiments. Redeployed to New Guinea 1943-1 and destroyed.
104 Division	Komoda Koichi		23 Army		Activated 1938-6-15 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 108, 137, and 161 Regiments. May have retained a square structure with 170 Regiment.
? Independent Mixed Brigade			23 Army
19 Independent Mixed Brigade	Matsui Kanichi	Swatow	23 Army
45 Air Regiment		Tien Flo	23 Army		34 Ki-32 Mary
1 Air Brigade	Mori Shigeki	Hankow	China Expeditionary Army		Assigned to support 11 Army at Changsha
44 Air Regiment		Tien Flo	1 Air Brigade		24 Ki-51 Sonia
18 Squadron		Hankow	1 Air Brigade		11 Ki-15 Babs
54 Air Regiment		Hankow	1 Air Brigade		12 Ki-27 Nate (at Nanking) 24 Ki-27 Nate (at Hankow) Participated in the second Philippine and Okinawa campaigns.
10 Squadron		Hankow	1 Air Brigade		10 Ki-27 Nate
8 Air Regiment		Nanchang	1 Air Brigade		12 Ki-51 Sonia
83 Squadron		Taiyuan	1 Air Brigade		10 Ki-15 Babs
66 Squadron		Hankow	China Expeditionary Army		12 Ki-30 Ann
North China Area Army	Okamura Yasutsuga	Peiping	Army General Staff		Controlled army units in north China, where there were no active operations against the Kuomintang. However, antiguerrilla operations against Mao's Chinese Communists were ongoing.
27 Division	Tominaga Nobusama		North China Area Army		From Tokyo. Activated 1938-6-21 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 1, 2, and 3 China Garrison Regiments.
35 Division	Harada Kumakichi	Kaifeng (114.3E 34.8N)	North China Area Army		Activated 1939-2-7 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 219, 220, and 221 Regiments. Redeployed to New Guinea 1944-4 and destroyed.
110 Division	Yamada Tetsujirou	Hopeh	North China Area Army		Activated 1938-6-16 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Square division. Composed of 108 Brigade (139 and 140 Regiments) and 133 Brigade (110 and 163 Regiments.) Triangularized by 1942-4 by detachment of 140 Regiment.
1 Independent Mixed Brigade	Suzuki Teiji	Along Peiping-Hankow railroad	North China Area Army		Originally an experimental combined arms formation with a large tank component, but most of the armor was pulled from the brigade in 1938.
7 Independent Mixed Brigade	Hayashi Yoshitaro	Hopeh-Shantung border	North China Area Army		Deactivated 1944-7 to provide cadre for 115 Division
8 Independent Mixed Brigade		Between Peiping and Tientsin	North China Area Army
15 Brigade	Fukei Shinpei		North China Area Army
15 Tank Regiment			North China Area Army
1 Army	Iwamatsu Yoshio	Taiyuan	North China Area Army
36 Division	Izeki Mitsuru	south of Taiyuan	1 Army		From Hirosaki. Activated 1939-2-7 as a "special" or wartime division compsed mostly of reservists. Composed of 222, 223, and 224 Regiments. Converted to ocean division 1943-10. Redeployed to New Guinea 1943-12 and destroyed.
37 Division	Nagano Yuichiro		1 Army		From Kumamoto. Activated 1939-2-7 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 225, 226, and 227 Regiments. Reorganized as a Type C "security division." Redeployed to French Indochina 1945-1
41 Division	Shimizu Tsunenori	Tsingtao	1 Army		From Utsunomiya. Activated 1939-6-30 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 237, 238, and 239 Regiments. Redeployed to New Guinea 1943-2 and destroyed.
3 Independent Mixed Brigade	Mori Suehiro	Paoteh (111.127E 39.017N)	1 Army
5 Independent Mixed Brigade	Uchida Ginnosuke	Between Tsingtao and Weihsien	1 Army
6 Independent Mixed Brigade	Iwai Torajiro	Along Tientsin-Pukov railroad	1 Army		Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 62 and 63 Divisions.
9 Independent Mixed Brigade	Ikenoue Kenkichi	Hankow	1 Army		Participated in third Changsha campaign
16 Independent Mixed Brigade	Wakamatsu Heiji	Taiyuan	1 Army		Deactivated 1942-4 to provide cadre for 69 Division.
12 Army	Tsuchihashi Kazutsugu	Tsinan	North China Area Army
32 Division	Ide Tetsuzo	Tsinan	12 Army		Activated 1939-2-7 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 210, 211, and 212 Regiments. Redeployed to Halmahera 1944-4
4 Independent Mixed Brigade	Tsuda Yoshitake	Along Chengtain railway in Shansi	12 Army		Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 62 Division.
10 Independent Mixed Brigade		Shantung	12 Army		Deactivated 1942-2 to provide cadre for 59 Division.
15 Independent Mixed Brigade	Tanaka Tsutomu	West of Peiping	12 Army		Deactivated 1943-6 to provide cadre for 63 Division.
Mongol Army	Akamasu Shigetaro	Kalgan	North China Area Army		Or Mongolia Garrison Army. A puppet formation
36 Cavalry Group	Nishihara Issaku		Mongol Army		Nine divisions of puppet cavalry
26 Division	Yano Otosaburo	Tatung	Mongol Army		From Nagoya. Activated 1939-9-30 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Redeployed to Philippines 1944-8 and destroyed at Leyte by 1944-12. The infantry group is listed by some sources as 26 Brigade, and it consisted of 11, 12, and 13 Independent Regiments.
4 Cavalry Brigade	Ogura Tatsuji		Mongol Army		Japanese cavalry. Remained on horseback until the final surrender.
2 Independent Mixed Brigade	Mano Goro	Kalgan	Mongol Army		Assigned to 109 Division 1944-2 and destroyed in the battle of Iwo Jima
Kwantung Army	Umezu Yoshijiro	Changchun	Army General Staff
Manchurian Area Army		Changchun	Kwantung Army
10 Division	Sogawa Jiro		Manchurian Area Army		"Himeji." Activated 1898-10-1. Composed of 10, 39, and 63 Regiments. This division got clobbered at Taierhchuang in 1938. It was destroyed again after redeploying to Luzon 1944-11.
28 Division	Ishiguro Teizo		Manchurian Area Army		From Tokyo. Activated 1940-6-3 as a Type A division. Composed of 3, 30, and 36 Regiments, all from regular divisions undergoing triangularization. Redeployed to Ryukyu Islands 1944-7. Never saw combat.
29 Division	Uemura Toshimichi	Liaoyang (123.183E 41.267N)	Manchurian Area Army		From Nagoya. Activated 1941-4-1 as a Type A division. Composed of 18, 38 and 50 Regiments, all from regular divisions undergoing triangularization. Reorganized as ocean division, redeployed to Marianas 1944-2 and destroyed on Guam.
Kwantung Defense Army	Kusaba Tatsumi		Manchurian Area Army		Redesignated 44 Army on 1945-5-30.
Kwantung Air Brigade		Mukden	Manchurian Area Army		36 Ki-57 Topsy
3 Army	Kawabe Masakazu	Yeho (130.430E 45.398N)	Kwantung Army
9 Division	Higuchi Kiichiro	Yeho (130.430E 45.398N)	3 Army		"Kanazawa". Activated 1898-10-1. Composed of 7, 19, and 35 Regiments. A veteran division that participated in the First Shanghai Incident. Moved to Okinawa in 1944-2 and to Formosa in 1945-2. Never saw combat in the Pacific.
12 Division	Kasahara Yukio	Tungning	3 Army		"Kurume." Activated 1898-10-1. From southern Kyushu. Composed of 24, 46, and 48 Regiments. Participated in the Siberian Intervention in 1918. Regarded as an elite division. Redeployed to Formosa 1944-11. Never saw combat.
1 Tank Group	Yamada Kunitaro		3 Army		Composed of 3, 5, and 9 Tank Regiments. Absorbed into 1 Armored Division 1942-8.
9 Engineer Regiment			3 Army
27 Engineer Regiment			3 Army
4 Army	Yokoyama Isamu	Beian	Kwantung Army
1 Division	Nakazawa Mitsuo	Beian	4 Army		"Tokyo". Activated 1881-5-14. "Exiled" to Manchuria in 1936 for its part in the attempted coup d'état of 26 February 1936. Composed of 1, 49, and 57 Regiments. Redeployed to the Philippines 1944-9 and destroyed in the Leyte campaign by 1945-1.
14 Division	Kawanami Mitsu	Tsitsihar	4 Army		"Utsunomiya". Activated 6 Kuly 1905. Composed of 2, 15, and 59 Regiments. Reorganized as an ocean division, deployed to Palaus 1944-4 and isolated on Babelthuap.
57 Division	Osako Michisada	Beian	4 Army		Activated 1940-7-10 as a Type B division. Composed of 52, 117, and 132 Regiments. Returned to Japan 1945-4
1 Border Guard Brigade	Okamoto Yasayuki		4 Army
5 Border Guard Brigade		Holomoching	4 Army
6 Border Guard Brigade		Nencheng	4 Army
7 Border Guard Brigade			4 Army
8 Border Guard Brigade			4 Army		Manchurian puppet troops. Participated in the Nomonhan campaign.
13 Border Guard Brigade			4 Army
5 Army	Iimura Jo	Tungan	Kwantung Army
11 Division	Takamori Takashi	Hulin (132.950E 45.764N)	5 Army		"Zentsuji." Activated 1898-10-1. Recruited from Shikoku. Composed of 12, 43, and 44 Regiments. 44 Regiment was recruited from Kochi and saw combat at Shanghai. Returned to Japan 1945-4 and saw no combat thereafter.
24 Division	Nemoto Hiroshi	Tungan	5 Army		From Asahigawa. Activated 1939-10-7 as a regular division. Composed of 22, 32, and 89 Regiments. 22 and 32 Regiments were available from triangularization of regular divisions. Redeployed to Okinawa 1944-4 and destroyed.
2 Tank Group	Yamaji Hideo		5 Army		10 and 11 Tank Regiments. Absorbed into 2 Armored Division 1942-6.
4 Border Guards Brigade			5 Army
6 Border Guards Brigade			5 Army
12 Border Guards Brigade			5 Army
3 Cavalry Brigade	Kataoka Tadasu	Paoching (132.211E 46.332N)	5 Army		Deactivated 1945-2-28
7 Engineer Regiment			5 Army
22 Engineer Regiment			5 Army
24 Engineer Regiment			5 Army
6 Army	Kita Seiichi	Hailar	Kwantung Army
23 Division	Nishihara Kanji	Hailar	6 Army		Activated 1938-7-11 as a regular division for permanent service in western Manchuria. Composed of 64, 71, and 72 Regiments. Nearly destroyed at Nomonhan. Redeployed to Luzon 1944-11 and destroyed.
20 Army	Seki Genroku	Keinei	Kwantung Army		Relocated to Hengyang by 1945.
8 Division	Hondo Masaki	Suiyang	20 Army		"Hirosaki." Activated 1898-10-1. Recruited from northern Honshu. Composed of 5, 17, and 31 Regiments. Redeployed to Luzon 1944-8 and destroyed in the second Philippines campaign.
25 Division	Akashiba Yaezo		20 Army		From Osaka. Activated 1940-7-29 as a Type A division. Composed of 14, 40, and 70 Regiments, all from regular divisions undergoing triangularization. Returned to Japan 1945-3
2 Border Guards Brigade			20 Army
3 Border Guards Brigade			20 Army
10 Border Guards Brigade			20 Army
11 Border Guards Brigade			20 Army
2 Air Division	Teramoto Kumaichi	Changchun	Kwantung Army
2 Air Brigade	Nakamura Yoshiaki	Chiamussu	2 Air Division
6 Light Air Regiment		Chiamussu	2 Air Brigade		27 Ki-57 Topsy
9 Air Regiment		Pyongyang	2 Air Brigade		36 Ki-27 Nate Spent most of the war in China. The most successful fighter unit versus the B-29 in China.
65 Light Air Regiment		Tunhua	2 Air Brigade		36 Ki-30 Ann
8 Air Brigade	Tazoe Noboru		2 Air Division		Redesignated 8 Air Division on 1942-6-1.
32 Light Air Regiment		Tunhua	8 Air Brigade		27 Ki-32 Mary
33 Air Regiment		Hsingshu	8 Air Brigade		36 Ki-27 Nate Participated in Burma, New Guinea, and second Philippine campaigns. Took heavy losses in New Guinea.
58 Heavy Air Regiment		Sui-hua	8 Air Brigade		27 Ki-21 Sally
9 Air Brigade	Hashimoto Hidenobu	Tsitsihar	2 Air Division		Redesignated 9 Air Division in 1944-8.
6 Heavy Air Regiment		Hailar	9 Air Brigade		27 Ki-21 Sally
7 Heavy Air Regiment		Kungchunling	9 Air Brigade		27 Ki-21 Sally
13 Air Brigade		Hailang	2 Air Division
70 Air Regiment		Tungchingcheng	13 Air Brigade		36 Ki-27 Nate
85 Air Regiment		Hailang	13 Air Brigade		36 Ki-27 Nate Participated in Ichi-go campaign
87 Air Regiment		Tuanshanzi	13 Air Brigade		36 Ki-27 Nate Participated in second Burma and Palembang campaigns
28 Independent Air Regiment		Hailang	2 Air Division		20 Ki-15 Babs
Southern Expeditionary Army	Terauchi Hisaichi	Saigon	Army General Staff		Responsible for executing the major land operations of the Centrifugal Offensive by which Japan hoped to seize southeast Asia before the Allies could react. This offensive was completely successful, achieving all of its objectives ahead of schedule and at smaller loss than anticipated. Subsequently renamed Southern Army
1 Parachute Brigade "Dash Forward"		Nyutabaru, Kyushu	Southern Expeditionary Army		Deployed to Southeast Asia in December 1941 following the outbreak of war.
1 Parchute Regiment		Chiai	1 Parachute Brigade		Also known as 1 Raiding Regiment.
2 Parachute Regiment		Saigon	1 Parachute Brigade		Also known as 2 Raiding Regiment. Conducted airborne attack on Palembang
21 Division	Tanaka Hisaichi	Hanoi	Southern Expeditionary Army		From Kanazawa. Activated 1938-4-4 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 62, 82, and 83 Regiments. Had seen two years' service in China. Redeployed to Indochina 1943-8.
38 Division	Sano Tadayoshi	near Hong Kong	Southern Expeditionary Army		From Nagoya. Activated 1939-6-30 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. 20,000 men with motorized transport. Infantry group consisted of 228, 229, and 230 Regiments. Assigned to Southern Expeditionary Army from 23 Army for the attack on Hong Kong. The commander of 23 Army, Sakai Takashi, seems to have personally supervised the Hong Kong operation. Redeployed to Netherlands East Indies 1942-1, Guadalcanal 1942-10, and New Britain 1943-2. Reorganized 1944-7, dropping 230 Regiment and replacing it with 3 Mixed Regiment.
21 Independent Mixed Brigade	Yamagata Kurihanao	Haiphong	Southern Expeditionary Army		Eventually committed to New Guinea.
21 Air Regiment		Gia Lam	Southern Expeditionary Army		May not have been activated until 1942-10, but was formed from units listed below. Participated in the first Philippines, second Burma, and Morotai campaigns.
82 Light Squadron		Tien Flo	21 Air Regiment		12 Ki-48 Lily
84 Squadron		Nha Trang	21 Air Regiment		9 Ki-27 Nate
83 Air Regiment		Sanya	Southern Expeditionary Army
71 Squadron		Sanya	83 Air Regiment		10 Ki-51 Sonia
73 Squadron		Sanya	83 Air Regiment		9 Ki-51 Sonia
89 Squadron		Dau Mot	83 Air Regiment		12 Ki-32 Mary
7 Air Regiment		Chiai	Southern Expeditionary Army		Transport for 1 Parachute Brigade?
1 Squadron		Chiai	7 Air Regiment		6 Ki-59 Theresa
2 Squadron		Chiai	7 Air Regiment		6 Ki-59 Theresa
13 Squadron		Chiai	7 Air Regiment		12 Ki-57 Topsy (at Chiai) 6 Ki-59 Theresa (at Dau Mot)
10 Independent Air Squadron		Tien Flo	Southern Expeditionary Army		Ki-27 Nate. Redesignated 25 Air Regiment 1942-10. Participated in the Hong Kong and Ichi-go campaigns.
47 Squadron		Saigon	Southern Expeditionary Army		9 Ki-44 Tojo. Experimental squadron testing the new aircraft design. Redesignated 47 Air Regiment 1943-10. Participated in Malaya, Burma, and Okinawa campaigns.
14 Army	Homma Masaharu	Magong	Southern Expeditionary Army		Responsible for taking the Philippines. Redesignated 14 Area Army on 1944-7-28.
16 Division	Morioka Susumu		14 Army	Lamon Bay Force	"Kyoto." Activated 1905-7-18. Participated in the Rape of Nanking. The infantry group consisted of 20 Regiment plus those listed below. The main body embarked with Lamon Bay Force numbered about 9000 men. This division had been recently triangularized and had not seen recent combat. Homma did not rate it very highly. Destroyed at Leyte in 1944-12.
9 Regiment			16 Division	Lingayen Gulf Force	Kamijima Detachment (later Takahashi Detachment).
33 Regiment			16 Division	4 Surprise Attack Force	Kimura Detachment (2500 men). Responsible for seizing Legaspi. Included the infantry group headquarters from 16 Division. One battalion from the regiment was with the division main body at Naze.
48 Division	Tsuchihashi Yuitsu		14 Army	Lingayen Gulf Force	Composed of 1 and 2 Formosa Regiments and 47 Regiment. Activated 1940-11-30 in Formosa as a Type A division. Lacked battle experience, but 47 Regiment was a regular regiment released by the triangularization of 6 Division, and Homma considered 48 Division the best division in 14 Army. It was partially motorized and reinforced with artillery. Redeployed to Celebes and Timor 1942-4.
2 Formosa Regiment			48 Division	1 Surprise Attack Force	Tanaka Detachment. 2200 men.
3 Battalion, 2 Formosa Regiment			2 Formosa Regiment	2 Surprise Attack Force	Reinforced to 2200 men
65 Brigade	Nara Akira	Magong	14 Army		"Summer." From Hiroshima. 6500 mostly older reservists. Considered totally unprepared for combat by its own commander. Intended for garrison duty. Composed of 122, 141, and 142 Regiments.
4 Tank Regiment			14 Army	48 Division	Equipped with light tanks.
7 Tank Regiment			14 Army	48 Division	80-100 tanks, including "heavy" 13-ton tanks.
3 Independent Engineer Regiment		Takao	14 Army
21 Independent Engineer Regiment			14 Army	3 Surprise Attack Force
24 Airfield Battalion			14 Army	3 Surprise Attack Force
15 Army	Iida Shojiro	Phnom Penh?	Southern Expeditionary Army		Responsible for taking Burma.
33 Division	Sakurai Shozo	central China	15 Army		Activated 1939-3-25 as a "special" or wartime division composed mostly of reservists. Composed of 213, 214, and 215 Regiments. From Sendai
55 Division	Takeuchi Hiroshi	on Thai border	15 Army		From Shikoku. Activated 1940-7-10 as a Type B division. Composed of 112 Regiment; 143 Regiment, which was assigned to 25 Army; and 144 Regiment which was assigned to Imperial General Headquarters with the infantry group headquarters, 55 Brigade Group
16 Army	Imamura Hitoshi	Tokyo	Southern Expeditionary Army		Responsible for taking the Netherlands East Indies. Would not deploy to the combat zone until the Philippines and Singapore were isolated.
2 Division	Maruyama Masao	Cam Ranh	16 Army		"Sendai." Activated 1881-5-14, and acquired a regional stereotype as solid and imperturbable but sluggish on the offensive. Composed of 4, 16, and 29 Regiments. Redeployed to Guadalcanal 1942-9 and nearly destroyed. Rebuilt and redeployed to southeast Asia 1945-1. Part of the division was committed to Burma 1945-3.
8 Tank Regiment			16 Army
1 Engineer Regiment			16 Army
25 Army	Yamashita Tomoyuki	Cam Ranh	Southern Expeditionary Army		Responsible for taking Malaya
5 Division	Matsui Takuro		25 Army	Singora Attack Force	"Hiroshima." Activated on 1881-5-14. One of the finest and most heavily mechanized divisions in the Japanese Army with specialist training in amphibious assault and experience with the Hangchow landings. Also one of the largest, since it was still a square division. Three of its four regiments were assigned to land at Singora and the fourth at Patani and drive down the west coast of Malaya. Redeployed to the Netherlands East Indies 1943-8.
9 Brigade	Kawamura Saburo		5 Division	Singora Attack Force
11 Regiment		Cam Ranh	9 Brigade		Would deploy as second echelon to Singora by 1941-12-16.
41 Regiment			9 Brigade	Singora Attack Force	Recruited from Fukuyama. Formed the vanguard of 5 Division at Singora. Detached for service in the Philippines in early 1942, which had the effect of triangularizing 5 Division.
21 Brigade	Sugiura Eikichi	Cam Ranh	5 Division
21 Regiment		Shanghai	21 Brigade		Did not deploy to Thailand until January 1942.
42 Regiment			21 Brigade	Patani Attack Force	Responsible for securing Patani.
18 Division	Mutaguchi Renya	Canton	25 Army		"Chrysanthemum." From Kurume. Activated 1937-9-9 as a "special" or watime division composed mostly of reservists, but considered itself one of the best divisions in the Japanese Army. Had considerable combat experience in China and had specialist training in amphibious assault. A square division, but one of its brigade headquarters was detached with one regiment to operate under 16 Army, leaving the other brigade headquarters and three regiments with the main body of the division. Redeployed to Burma 1942-4. Formally triangularized 1943-4.
23 Brigade		Canton	18 Division
55 Regiment		Canton	23 Brigade
56 Regiment			23 Brigade	Kota Baharu Attack Force	Responsible for seizing Kota Baharu.
35 Brigade	Kawaguchi	Canton	18 Division	Southern Expeditionary Army	Kawaguchi Detachment was built around the brigade headquarters and 124 Regiment and was responsible for seizing points in west Borneo: Miri, Kuching, Brunei. It later fought at Guadalcanal.
114 Regiment		Canton	35 Brigade	18 Division	In reserve for probable deployment to Malaya.
124 Regiment		Canton	35 Brigade		Formally detached from 18 Division 1943-4
56 Division	Watanabe Masao	Fukuoka	25 Army		From Fukuoka and Nagasaki. This division was activated on 1940-7-10 as a Type B division but was slow to organize, and the brigade designated to become its infantry group (56 Brigade) was operating with 16 Army. Yamashita left the headquarters in Japan, where it was effectively part of the area army reserve. Deployed to Burma 1941-12, by which time it had been assigned 113 and 148 Regiments. The division became so accustomed to garrison life on the Yunnan border that the soldiers began to think and act like immigrant settlers.
56 Brigade	Sakaguchi Shizuo	Palau	56 Division	16 Army	Designated to become the infantry group of 56 Division. Built around the brigade headquarters and 146 Regiment. Responsible for seizing Tarakan and Balikpapan.
Imperial Guards Division	Nishimura Takuma	on Thai border	25 Army		Organized 1871-3 from 6200 samurai as the nucleus of the modern Japanese Army. Infantry group consisted of 3, 4 and 5 Imperial Guards Regiments. Responsible for securing Thailand and the Kra Peninsula before joining the rest of 25 Army in Malaya. Redesignated 2 Imperial Guards Division on 1943-6, likely as a calculated insult for its behavior in Malaya.
3 Tank Group			25 Army		Amounted to a full armored division, with four regiments. Three regiments (1, 2, and 6) were equipped with 37 M-97 and 20 M-95 tanks; the 14 Tank Regiment was equipped with 45 M-95 tanks.
143 Regiment		off Kra Isthmus	55 Division	25 Army	Detailed from its parent division to seize points along the Kra Isthmus. The regimental headquarters was embarked on a transport off Prachuap.Two battalions were embarked in two transports and one cargo ship off Jumbhorn. A third battalion was embarked in three transports off Nakhorn.
4 Independent Engineer Regiment			25 Army
5 Independent Engineer Regiment			25 Army
14 Independent Engineer Regiment			25 Army
15 Independent Engineer Regiment			25 Army		Later reassigned to South Seas Detachment
3 Air Division	Sugawara Michio	Kompong Trach	Southern Expeditionary Army
3 Air Brigade	Endo Saburo	Kompong Trach	3 Air Division
27 Light Air Regiment		Kompong Chanang	3 Air Brigade		23 Ki-51 Sonia
59 Air Regiment		Kompong Trach	3 Air Brigade		21 Ki-43 Oscar Participated in the Malaya, Netherlands East Indies, New Guinea, and Okinawa campaigns.
75 Light Air Regiment		Kompong Trach	3 Air Brigade		25 Ki-48 Lily
90 Light Air Regiment		Kompong Trach	3 Air Brigade		25 Ki-48 Lily
7 Air Brigade	Yamamoto Kenji	Phnom Penh	3 Air Division
12 Heavy Air Regiment		Phnom Penh	7 Air Brigade		21 Ki-21 Sally
60 Heavy Air Regiment		Phnom Penh	7 Air Brigade		39 Ki-21 Sally
51 Recon Squadron		Phnom Penh	7 Air Brigade		3 Ki-15 Babs 3 Ki-46 Dinah
64 Air Regiment		Duong Dong	7 Air Brigade		6 Ki-27 Nate 35 Ki-43 Oscar Participated in Malaya, Netherlands East Indies and Burma campaigns
98 Heavy Air Regiment		Saigon	7 Air Brigade		42 Ki-21 Sally
10 Air Brigade	Hirotaka Yutaka	Krakor	3 Air Division
31 Light Air Regiment		Siem Reap	10 Air Brigade		24 Ki-30 Ann
77 Air Regiment		Siem Reap	10 Air Brigade		27 Ki-27 Nate Participated in Thailand, Burma, and New Guinea campaigns. Annihilated at Wewak.
62 Heavy Air Regiment		Krakor	10 Air Brigade		22 Ki-21 Sally
70 Recon Squadron		Krakor	10 Air Brigade		8 Ki-15 Babs
12 Air Brigade	Aoki	Phiquoc	3 Air Division
1 Air Regiment		Kompong Trach	12 Air Brigade		42 Ki-27 Nate Participated in the Malaya, first Burma, New Georgia, Wewak, and second Philippines campaigns.
11 Air Regiment		Phiquoc	12 Air Brigade		39 Ki-27 Nate Participated in the Malaya, first Burma, New Georgia, Wewak, and second Philippines campaigns.
50 Recon Squadron		Kompong Trach	3 Air Division		3 Ki-15 Babs 2 Ki-46 Dinah
81 Recon Squadron		Phnom Penh	3 Air Division		9 Ki-15 Babs 7 Ki-46 Dinah
5 Air Division	Obata Hideyoshi	Heito	Southern Expeditionary Army		There is significant disagreement among various sources on the composition of this unit. We use the composition given by Francillon (1979).
4 Air Brigade	Kawahara Toshiaki	Chiai	5 Air Division		Redesignated 4 Air Division in 1943.
8 Light Air Regiment		Chiai	4 Air Brigade		27 Ki-48 Lily 9 Ki-15 Babs 2 Ki-46 Dinah
14 Heavy Air Regiment		Chiai	4 Air Brigade		18 Ki-21 Sally
16 Light Air Regiment		Chiai	4 Air Brigade		27 Ki-30 Ann
50 Air Regiment		Hengchun	4 Air Brigade		36 Ki-27 Nate Participated in the first Philippine, Burma, and New Guinea campaigns
52 Recon Squadron		Heito	10 Independent Air Squadron		13 Ki-51 Sonia
74 Recon Squadron		Heito	10 Independent Air Squadron		10 Ki-36 Ida
76 Recon Squadron		Heito	10 Independent Air Squadron		9 Ki-15 Babs 2 Ki-46 Dinah
11 Air Transport Squadron		Taichu	5 Air Division		9 Ki-57 Topsy
12 Air Transport Squadron		Phnom Penh	5 Air Division		9 Ki-57 Topsy. Not given in Francillon, but identified by Rottman and Takizawa (2005) as part of the parachute transport force.
4 Air Regiment		Heito	5 Air Division		Strength unknown, but equipped with Ki-27 Nate. Repeatedly raided for cadre and saw very little front-line service until the final homeland defense.
24 Air Regiment		Heito	5 Air Division		36 Ki-27 Nate Participated in the first Philippines, Wewak, Biak, Morotai, second Philippines, and Okinawa campaigns. Suffered heavily in both the Biak and Morotai campaigns.

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