IJA flag
The Imperial Japanese Army are the armed forces of Japan. From 1941 to 1945, they fought in World War II, while they had began fighting the Chinese Nationalists in 1937. The Japanese Army was the only branch of Japan's armed forces that was not completely destroyed by WWII.
History[]
Japanese soldier
The Japanese Army was founded in 1868 when the Shogunate was overthrown and the Empire of Japan was founded. The Japanese adopted European military style after the war ended, as European military advisors had assisted the Japanese emperor formulate his army. They fought against China in the 1890s, and the Russians from 1904 to 1906, earning experience in foreign combat, something never witnessed by Japan since 1598. The Japanese began to create new rifles, including the Arisaka, Type 44, Type 100, and Type 99 LMG.
In 1933, they invaded the Republic of China, starting the Sino-Japanese War. They took over Manchuria, and in 1937, warfare broke out again, and the Japanese took over all of eastern China, occupying Manchuria and the coastline. The United States supported the Chinese, but did not go to war with Japan until December 1941, after the Battle of Pearl Harbor. The IJA experienced its greatest campaign that month, taking over all of Britain's interests in China, taking over almost all of the United States' Pacific territories, and by seizing New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies, and much of Burma. The Imperial Japanese Army had approximately 5,500,000 troops by 1945, mobilizing rapidly following the campaign for the Pacific Islands, which encouraged young men to enlist. The Japanese wore tan uniforms at first, but soon, they began to wear a black helmet with a yellow star on it, while they wore a white tunic with grey pants. The Japanese Army was supplied by its several factories, that rapidly produced the Type 100, Type 99, and Arisaka weapons. The Japanese Army also produced some tanks, which were not extensively used in the Pacific Theatre (the tanks had to be transported by ships, many of which were sunk), and were mainly used in China. The Imperial Japanese Army was fanatically loyal to its generals and to Hirohito, and many committed suicide rather than surrender or be captured, shown famously at the Battle of Saipan, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa, when they either jumped off of cliffs, or committed seppuku.
Weapons[]
