The Japanese Army: Where It Came From, Why It Was Called the Kwantung Army, and What Remains of It
The Imperial Japanese Army existed from 1871 to 1945: it began with the goshinpei, units drawn from the former domains of Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa and placed under the direct command of the emperor. The Kwantung Army was named not after the Kanto region but after the Kwantung Leased Territory on the Liaodong Peninsula. After 1945 the army was disbanded; since 1954 its place has been taken by the Ground Self-Defense Force.
"Why was it called the Kwantung Army?" is a question most often answered incorrectly, with a nod to Tokyo's Kanto region, even though the name came from the other side of the continent. We look at where the regular army of 1871 came from — the warrior bands of three former domains — what lies behind the character 軍, and how today's Ground Self-Defense Force differs by law from the prewar army.
Where the Regular Army Came From: 1871 and the Units of Three Domains
The Imperial Japanese Army existed from 1871 to 1945. It began with the goshinpei (御親兵) — units raised in 1871 from the former domains of Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa and placed under the direct command of the emperor. In other words, the country's regular army grew not out of a new structure but out of the warrior bands of the former daimyo houses, which entered the service of the central government after the domains were abolished.
Who Was Conscripted and How
The class-based army was quickly replaced by universal conscription: the Conscription Ordinance (徴兵令) was issued on January 10, 1873. From that moment, service formally extended to men regardless of class — previously the army had been recruited from the samurai. True, in the first decades the law provided for a broad list of deferments and exemptions. In 1889 it was rewritten entirely — as a full-fledged act rather than a temporary decree.
Why It Was Called the Kwantung Army
The Kwantung Army (関東軍) was not the entire Imperial Army but one of its formations, responsible for the Kwantung Leased Territory (関東州) that Japan leased on the Liaodong Peninsula around Port Arthur. The word 関東 here means "east of the pass" — from Shanhaiguan, the eastern end of the Great Wall — which was historically the name for Manchuria. It has nothing to do with the Japanese Kanto region, where Tokyo is located, although it is written with the same characters.
A Pass on the Great Wall, Not a District of Tokyo
The army was created in April 1919: its headquarters was established in Ryojun (Port Arthur) on April 12, and it began operations on April 13. The Kwantung Army was disbanded in August 1945. It is associated with the assassination of Zhang Zuolin in 1928 and the Liutiaogou Incident of 1931, which began the Manchurian Incident: the staff officers acted on their own decision, contrary to the government's policy of not expanding the conflict.
軍 — The Character in Both "Army" and "Shogun"
軍 — значение: army, troops, forces — онъёми: グン — кунъёми: いくさ — 9 штрих(ов). 軍 — "army, troops": 9 strokes. The character appears in 陸軍 (rikugun), "land army", and in 将軍 (shōgun), "general", the title of the military ruler of the shogunate era.
How 陸軍 and 海軍 Differ
軍 means "army, troops": with 陸 "land" it gives 陸軍 — literally "land army" — and with 海 "sea" it gives 海軍, "sea army". The same character appears in the second syllable of the title 将軍, "general", used for the military rulers of the shogunate era, and in the ordinary word 軍人, "serviceman".
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 陸軍 | rikugun · rikugun | Army, land forces |
| 海軍 | kaigun · kaigun | Navy |
| 軍人 | gunjin · gunjin | Serviceman, soldier |
| 将軍 | shōgun · shōgun | General — the title of a military ruler |
| 軍隊 | guntai · guntai | Army, armed forces |
Write 軍 along the guides — the character that appears in 陸軍, "army", and in 将軍, "general".
How It All Ended and What Exists Today
After the surrender in 1945 the army was disbanded: on November 30, 1945, an imperial decree abolished the Ministry of the Army (陸軍省) and transformed it into the First Ministry of Demobilization, which dealt only with returning servicemen to their homeland. Japan had no armed forces of its own until 1950.
| What we compare | Imperial Army (1871–1945) | Ground Self-Defense Force (since 1954) |
|---|---|---|
| Name in Japanese | 陸軍 — "land army" | 陸上自衛隊 — "land self-defense force" |
| Under whose command | The Ministry of the Army and the emperor as supreme commander | The Ministry of Defense and the prime minister as the highest body of civilian control |
| How people are recruited | By conscription — the Conscription Ordinance of 1873 | Only by contract; conscription does not exist |
| What the law permits | Waging war as a right of the state | Defending the country under Article 9 of the constitution, without the right to declare war |
Article 9 and the Term "Self-Defense Forces"
Article 9 of the 1947 constitution renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation, as well as the threat or use of force to settle international disputes. The second paragraph of the same article renounces the maintenance of land, sea, and air forces. Because of this wording, today's units are officially called not an army but the Self-Defense Forces (自衛隊): they appeared in 1954 on the basis of the police reserve units and security forces created in 1950 and 1952.
FAQ
- What is the Japanese army and when did it exist?
- The Imperial Japanese Army existed from 1871 to 1945. It began with the goshinpei — units raised in 1871 from the former domains of Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa and placed under the direct command of the emperor; already in 1873 the class-based army was replaced by universal conscription under the Conscription Ordinance. After the surrender in 1945 the army was disbanded.
- Why was the Japanese army called the Kwantung Army?
- This refers not to the entire army but to one of its formations — the Kwantung Army (関東軍), created in April 1919 to guard the Kwantung Leased Territory on the Liaodong Peninsula, which Japan leased. The word 関東 here means "east of the pass" — from Shanhaiguan, the eastern end of the Great Wall — which was the name for Manchuria. It has nothing to do with the Japanese Kanto region, where Tokyo stands.
- Does Japan have an army today?
- Formally, no: Article 9 of the 1947 constitution prohibits maintaining land, sea, and air forces, so today's units are called the Self-Defense Forces (自衛隊). The Ground Self-Defense Force appeared in 1954 on the basis of the 1950 police reserve units and the 1952 security forces; service in them is only by contract, without conscription.
- What does 陸軍 literally mean?
- 陸軍 is read りくぐん (rikugun) and is made up of 陸 "land, continent" and 軍 "army": literally — "land army". The same model underlies 海軍, "sea army", the navy: the only difference is the first character — land versus sea.
- How did the Japanese army differ from the Japanese navy?
- Both existed from 1871 and were subordinate to their own ministries, the Army and the Navy, but they were responsible for different things. The army conducted land operations, including through garrisons such as the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. The navy was responsible for the sea and major warships. After 1945 both departments were disbanded separately, each by its own decree of November 30.
- Who was conscripted into the Japanese army?
- Under the Conscription Ordinance issued on January 10, 1873, service formally extended to men regardless of class — before that the army had been recruited from the samurai class. The law was revised many times: in 1889 it was rewritten in a new form as a full-fledged law rather than a temporary decree, and the list of deferments and exemptions changed along with it.
Sources
Updated: 2026-09-22