Chapter I: Recruitment and Training

Section I: General

1. ARMS AND SERVICES. The personnel of the Japanese Army is classified as follows:

a. Line branch (Heika). The various arms—Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Engineers, Air Service, and Transport—since 1940 have been grouped under the generic term of Line Branch. This change permits the easy shifting of personnel from one arm to another, but it has not changed the basic functions of the component arms. The personnel is listed without specific designation—that is, Army captain instead of Army Infantry captain.

b. Services (Kakubu). These include the Medical, Veterinary, Intendance, Technical, Judicial, and Military Band departments. Personnel is listed by service—for example, Army veterinary captain or Army technician corporal.

c. Military police branch (Kempei). Formerly listed with the arms, the Military Police branch continues to use a specific designation for personnel—for example, Army Military Police major.

d. Categories for assignment. The following table shows the official categories (Heishu) used for assignments in the Japanese Army. It will be noted that the categories differ slightly for officers and enlisted men—for example, privates are not assigned to chemical warfare, meteorological, and special motor transport, but are detached from other units for such service.

Officers		Warrant and noncommissioned officers		Privates
Arms
Infantry		In the Line Branch they are classified		Infantry.
Chemical warfare		according to the type of unit in		Tank.
Mechanized (including cavalry)		which they serve.		Cavalry.
Field and mountain (light) artillery				Field (light) artillery.
				Mountain (light) artillery.
				Horse (light) artillery.
				Intelligence.
Medium artillery				Medium artillery.
Heavy artillery				Heavy artillery.
Antiaircraft defense				Antiaircraft defense.
Balloon				Balloon.
Engineers				Engineers.
Air (Kōkū)				Air (Hikō).
Meteorological.
Railway				Railway.
Signal (Denshin)				Signal (Tsūshin).
Transport				Transport.
Special motor transport.
Infantry mortar				Infantry mortar.
Services
Technical department:		Technical department:		Technical department:
Technician		Technician		Technician
Air technician		Air technician		Air technician
Intendance department		Intendance department:
Finance		Finance.
		Construction technician.
		Intendance technician.
Medical department:		Medical department:		Medical department:
Surgeon.
Pharmacy.
Sanitary		Sanitary		Sanitary
Dental		Ward master.
Veterinary department:		Veterinary department:
Veterinary.
Veterinary duties		Veterinary duties.
Judicial department.
Military Band		Military Band.

2. RANKS. Below is a tabulation of the various grades in the Japanese Army, their Japanese names, and their normal command. It should be noted that the Japanese have no brigadier-general rank. It also will be noted that one new grade has been added for enlisted men, a rank corresponding to lance corporal but listed among privates (Hei) rather than among noncommissioned officers (Kashikan). The rank of field marshal (Gensui) is not included in the list, since it is an honorary rank granted by the Emperor to generals.

Grade		Name		Normal command
General		Taishō		Army commander.
Lieutenant general		Chūjo		Division commander.
Major general		Shōshō		Infantry group or brigade commander.
Colonel		Taisa		Regimental commander.
Lieutenant colonel		Chūsa		Second-in-command of regiment.
Major		Shōsa		Battalion commander.
Captain		Tai-i		Company commander.
First lieutenant		Chū-i		Platoon commander.
Second lieutenant		Shō-i		Platoon commander.
Warrant officer		Jun-i		Command and administrative duties.
Sergeant major		Sōchō		First sergeant.
Sergeant		Gunsō		Squad (section) leader.
Corporal		Gochō		Squad (section) leader.
Lance corporal (leading private)		Heichō
Superior private		Jōtōhei
First-class private		Ittōhei
Second-class private		Nitōhei

Back to Table of Contents