General Defense Command

Military command

General Defense Command

Japanese: 防衛総司令部
Bōei Soshireibu
Active| July 5, 1941 – April 8, 1945
Country| Empire of Japan
Allegiance| Emperor of Japan
Branch| Imperial Japanese Army
Type| General Army
Garrison/HQ| Tokyo

Military unit

The General Defense Command (防衛総司令部, Bōei Soshireibu) was a headquarters organization and general army of the Imperial Japanese Army, established to control all land and air units stationed within Japan proper, Korea and Taiwan during World War II.

## History

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The General Defense Command was established on July 5, 1941 under the direct command of the Emperor via the Imperial General Headquarters. For administrative, recruiting and accounting purposes, Japan was divided into six army districts, each with a garrison force equivalent to an army corps:

* Eastern District Army – HQ in Tokyo and responsible for the Kantō region and northern Honshū
* Western District Army – HQ in Fukuoka and responsible for southwestern Honshū, Shikoku and the Ryukyu Islands.
* Northern District Army – HQ in Sapporo and responsible for Hokkaidō and Karafuto.
* Central District Army – HQ in Osaka and responsible for central Honshū.
* Chosen Army – HQ in Keijo and responsible for Korea
* Taiwan Army – HQ in Taihoku and responsible for Taiwan.

The General Defense Command was also responsible for anti-aircraft defenses, and for organizing civil defense training.

On April 8, 1945, in preparation for Operation Downfall (or Operation Ketsugō (決号作戦, Ketsugō sakusen) in Japanese terminology), the General Defense Command was dissolved, and its duties assumed by the new First General Army and Second General Army.

## List of Commanders

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### Commanding officer

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| Name | From | To

|
|
|

1 | General Otozō Yamada | 7 July 1941 | 9 December 1941
2 | Field Marshal Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko | 9 December 1941 | 15 April 1945

### Chief of Staff

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| Name | From | To

|
|
|

1 | Lieutenant General Torashirō Kawabe | 31 July 1941 | 1 December 1941
2 | Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi | 1 December 1941 | 10 June 1943
3 | Lieutenant General Tadayoshi Sano | 10 June 1943 | 29 March 1944
4 | Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi | 28 March 1944 | 1 February 1945
5 | Lieutenant General Einosuke Sudo | 1 February 1945 | 6 April 1945

## See also

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* Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army

## References

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### Books

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* Drea, Edward J. (1998). "Japanese Preparations for the Defense of the Homeland & Intelligence Forecasting for the Invasion of Japan". In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-1708-0.
* Frank, Richard B (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41424-X.
* Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3.
* Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.
* Marston, Daniel (2005). The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-882-0.
* Skates, John Ray (1994). The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb Downfall. New York: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0-87249-972-3.

## External links

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* Wendel, Marcus. "Axis History Factbook". General Defense Command.