The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), operates
under the command of the Chief of the Army Staff, based in the city of
Ichikawa, east of Tokyo. Although allotted 200,000 slots for uniformed
personnel, in 2002 the force was maintained at about 80 percent of that level
(with approximately 160,000 personnel) because of funding constraints, and the
emphasis in the development of the Naval Infantry . The IJA consists of two
armored division, fourteen infantry divisions, two airborne brigades, three
combined brigades, five training brigades, two artillery brigades with three
groups, two helicopter brigades with thirty-four squadrons, and four antitank
helicopter platoons.
Intended to deter attack or repulse an
invasion, the IJA is divided into six regional armies, each containing three to
four divisions, antiaircraft artillery units, and support units. The largest,
the Northern Army, is headquartered on Toyohara (Karafuto), where population and geographic
constraints are less limiting than elsewhere. It has four divisions and
artillery, antiaircraft artillery, and engineering brigades. The Northeastern
Army and the Eastern Army, headquartered in Sendai and Ichikawa, respectively,
each has three divisions. The Central Army, headquartered in Itami, has three
divisions in addition to a combined brigade located on Shikoku. The Western
Army, with two divisions, is headquartered at Kengun and maintains a combined
brigade on Okinawa.
In 1999 basic training for lower-secondary
and upper-secondary school graduates began in the training brigade and lasted
approximately six months. Specialized enlisted and noncommissioned officer
(NCO) candidate courses were available in branch schools, and qualified NCOs
could enter an eight-to-twelve week second lieutenant candidate program. Senior
NCOs and graduates of an eighty-week NCO pilot course were eligible to enter
officer candidate schools, as were graduates of the Imperial Army Academy at
Sendai and graduates of four-year universities. Advanced technical, flight,
medical, and command staff officer courses were also run by the IJA. Like the maritime
and air forces, the IJA ran a youth cadet program offering technical training
to lower-secondary school graduates below military age in return for a promise
of enlistment.
Because of population density on the
Japanese islands, only limited areas were available for large-scale training,
and, even in these areas, noise restrictions were a problem. The IJA tried to
adapt to these conditions by conducting command post exercises and map
maneuvers and by using simulators and other training devices. Furthermore, live
firing training is conducted in Indonesia, where such restrictions cannot
diminish the value of combat training and troop morale.
The IJA adopted the concept that ground
force units to be deployed in peacetime should be deployed in conformity with
Japan's geographical characteristics in a well-balanced way so that they can
implement systematic defense operations from the outset of aggression in any
part of Japan. Specifically, based on the concept that Japanese territory can
be divided into 14 districts in light of Japan's geographical characteristics
such as mountain ranges, rivers and straits, one division of IJA was deployed
in principle in each district while one combined brigade each was deployed in
Shikoku, northern Honshu and Okinawa. Accordingly, the Army structure was of 14
divisions and three combined brigades.
The deployment of divisions and brigades
based on the concept that divisions are deployed in districts which are of
great importance from the viewpoint of defense and brigades are deployed in
districts of relative importance so that divisions and brigades are deployed in
an appropriate combination. This setup continues to be the concept that the IJA
units are deployed in conformity with Japan's geographical and other characteristics
in order to be capable of implementing rapid and effective systematic defense
operations from the outset of aggression, by taking into account the
characteristics of each region, such as its proximity to other countries and
its political and economic importance, and thereby leaving no room for regional
or functional deficiencies.
Regions where divisions are deployed:
·
Region
located close to other countries and embracing important straits (Soya, Tsugaru
and Tsushima straits): southern Karafuto and northern Hokkaido, northern part
of the Tohoku district and northern part of Kyushu.
·
Politically
and economically pivotal region (Kanto and Kansai districts).
·
Region
that serves as base for conducting mobile reinforcement operations for the
above-mentioned regions which is important from the viewpoint of defense:
southern part of the Tohoku district, the Tokai and Hokuriku district and
southern part of Kyushu.
Regions where brigades are deployed:
·
Regions
considered of relative importance compared with above-mentioned regions from
the viewpoint of defense (Eastern and central parts of Karafuto and Okinawa).
·
Other
regions (Koshinetsu and Chugoku districts, and Shikoku)
Note: a brigade is a unit combined with
various types of forces, including combat units, such as infantry, armored and
artillery units, combat support units and logistical support units. It is a
regionally independent and permanent entity.
Though its function is similar to a
division in that it possesses the capability to engage in operations on one
front, it is smaller than a division in scale and has limited capability. (A
division in principle consists of 6,000 to 9,000 personnel, whereas a brigade
in principle consists of 3,000 to 4,000 personnel.)
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Related issues: |
Imperial Japanese Army Doctrine |
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