Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army
In the Imperial Japanese Army, the word Army (gun) was used for different large formations. It could mean an army group, a field army, or even a corps in Western terms.
General Army (Sō-gun) was the highest level, like an army group. They were commanded by a field marshal or full general. The first General Army was the Manchurian Army (1904–1905), created to coordinate several armies in the Russo-Japanese War.
The Kwantung Army (Kantōgun) was established in 1906 as a permanent General Army to manage overseas deployments in the Kwantung Territory and Manchukuo.
During the Sino-Japanese War and World War II, more General Armies were created so Japan could deploy overseas quickly and work independently from Tokyo. The overseas commands were three: Manchuria, China, and Southeast Asia, with the home islands forming a fourth General Army.
Near the end of World War II, the home island command was reorganized into the First General Army (east), the Second General Army (west), and the Air General Army (air power).
After Japan surrendered in September 1945, all General Armies were dissolved, except the First General Army, which continued as the 1st Demobilization Headquarters until November 30, 1945.
Area Armies (Hōmen-gun) were like field armies and were usually commanded by a general or lieutenant general. There is often confusion in records between Area Armies and Armies, because of similar numbering.
The term Army (gun) also referred to what Western militaries would call an army corps, typically commanded by a lieutenant general.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:09 (CET).