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Imperial Japanese Armed Forces
日本軍
Flag of Imperial Japan
Founded3 January 1868[1]
DisbandedNovember 1945
Service branches
HeadquartersImperial General Headquarters
Leadership
Emperor of JapanMeiji (1868–1912)
Taishō (1912–1926)
Hirohito (1926–1945)
Personnel
Conscription18–35
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of Japan
RanksArmy ranks
Navy ranks

The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces (IJAF) were the unified forces of the Empire of Japan. Formed during the Meiji Restoration in 1868,[1] they were disbanded in 1945, shortly after Japan's defeat to the Allies of World War II; the revised Constitution of Japan, drafted during the Allied occupation of Japan, replaced the IJAF with the present-day Japan Self-Defense Forces.[2]

The Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy functioned as the IJAF's primary service branches, with the country's aerial power being split between the Army Air Service under the former and the Navy Air Service under the latter.

History

Main article: Japanese military modernization of 1868–1931
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2021)

The IJAF was founded with an edict emanated on 3 January 1868, as part of the Japanese reorganization of the army and the application of innovations during the Meiji Restoration. The reorganization of the army and the navy during the Meiji period boosted Japanese military strength, allowing the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy to achieve major victories, such as during the First Sino-Japanese war and the Russo-Japanese War.

The IJAF also served in WW1 and WW2. It was operational until the Surrender of Japan after World War II in 1945.

Organization

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2021)

During the pre-war era the army and navy had separate school branches.[3] Since the Meiji era, the Choshu Domain from Yamaguchi Prefecture dominated the IJA.[3] The IJN was dominated by the Satsuma Domain from Kagoshima Prefecture.[3] This resulted in that they operated separately rather than a single umbrella strategy.[3]

During the Showa period, the IJA and IJN had different outlooks on allies and enemies.[3] The IJA considered Nazi Germany as a natural partner and the Soviet Union as a threat, while the IJN stressed that collaboration with Nazi Germany would hurt relations with the United Kingdom and the United States.[3]

Some equipment was also procured separately.[3] For example, the IJA secured its own ships and self-designed submarines in World War 2.[3] Former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida criticized the sectionalism of the IJAF.[3]

Interservice rivalry

Main article: Interservice rivalry § Japan

The Imperial Army and Navy had a fierce interservice rivalry centering around how the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces ought to secure territories containing valuable natural resources not available at home to fuel and grow the Japanese economy. The Army mainly supported the Hokushin-ron doctrine, which called for expansion into Manchuria and Siberia and would have the army take on a prime role, while the Navy supported the Nanshin-ron doctrine, which stated that Japan ought to expand into Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and would be reliant on the navy to do so.

Main chronology

Under Emperor Meiji

Under Emperor Taishō

Under Emperor Shōwa

References

  1. ^ a b "One can date the 'restoration' of imperial rule from the edict of 3 January 1868." Jansen, Marius B. (2000). The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. p. 334.
  2. ^ "Chronological table 5 1 December 1946 - 23 June 1947". National Diet Library. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Junnosuke Kobara (14 November 2021). "Taiwan threat tears down silos at Japan's Self-Defense Forces". Nikkei. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021.
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