Japanese North China Area Army

1937–1945 Imperial Japanese Army formation

Japanese Northern China Area Army

Active| August 21, 1937 – August 15, 1945
Country| Empire of Japan
Allegiance| Emperor of Japan
Branch| Imperial Japanese Army
Type| Area Army
Garrison/HQ| Beijing
Engagements| Second Sino-Japanese War

Military unit

Japanese Northern Area Army (31 August 1937)

Parent unit|

China Expeditionary Army

Components|

* 5th division
* 109th division
* 12 infantry battalions
* 109\. Anti-aircraft company
* 109\. Signals company
* 1st independent mixed regiment
* Provisional air division
* Anti-aircraft unit
* Imperial guard division 7th AA company
* Imperial guard division 8th AA company
* Imperial guard division 9th AA company
* 1st division 5th AA company
* 1st division 6th AA company[1]

Japanese Northern Area Army (1945)

Parent unit|

China Expeditionary Army

Components|

* IJA 1st Army
* IJA 12th Army
* IJA 43rd Army
* 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)

The Japanese North China Area Army (北支那方面軍, Kita Shina hōmen gun) was an area army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

## History

[edit]

The Japanese North China Area Army was formed on August 21, 1937 under the control of the Imperial General Headquarters. It was transferred to the newly formed China Expeditionary Army on September 23, 1939. Headquartered in Beijing, it was responsible for direction and coordination of the Japanese military activity in all of north China. It was demobilized in Beijing at the surrender of Japan.

## List of Commanders

[edit]

### Commanding officers

[edit]

| Name | From | To

|
|
|

1 | General Hisaichi Terauchi | 26 August 1937 | 9 December 1938
2 | General Hajime Sugiyama | 9 December 1938 | 12 September 1939
3 | Lieutenant General Hayao Tada | 12 September 1939 | 7 July 1941
4 | General Yasuji Okamura | 7 July 1941 | 25 August 1944
5 | General Naozaburo Okabe | 25 August 1944 | 22 November 1944
6 | General Sadamu Shimomura | 22 November 1944 | 15 August 1945

### Chiefs of Staff

[edit]

| Name | From | To

|
|
|

1 | Major General Naozaburo Okabe | 26 August 1937 | 15 July 1938
2 | Major General Tomoyuki Yamashita | 15 July 1938 | 23 September 1939
3 | Major General Yukio Kasahara | 23 September 1939 | 1 March 1941
4 | Lieutenant General Moritake Tanabe | 1 March 1941 | 6 November 1941
5 | Lieutenant General Hatazō Adachi | 6 November 1941 | 9 November 1942
6 | Lieutenant General Sanji Okido | 9 November 1942 | 14 October 1944
7 | Major General Gaku Takahashi | 14 November 1944 | 15 August 1945

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Japanese North China Area Army 31 August 1937" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2016.

* Dorn, Frank (1974). The Sino-Japanese War, 1937–41: From Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor. MacMillan. ISBN 0-02-532200-1.
* Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN B000L4CYWW.