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IJA rank names, used during the Pacific war, were product of recent changes and were different from previous history.
From the beginning of the IJA names of offices’ ranks of the non-combat services were markedly different from the names of offices’ ranks of combat arms, as it was customary in European armies of that period. For example, there was no “Veterinarian captain”, there was “Veterinarian 1st class”. Situation below officer ranks was even more complicated, as every specialist category – from smith to shoemaker – had its own rank names.
Situation definitely called for the simplification and from 15 February 1937 the same short rank names for all IJA military personnel were introduced. Full rank names of the officers now differed by the addition of the name of arm or service, while warrant officers and non-commissioned officers added name of their specialty (which were greatly reduced in number) to their full rank names.
Big war with China apparently showed even this simplified system is not simple enough, so from 15 September 1940 even more simple system was adopted. Now the only arm, which retained its name in the full rank name, was Military Police. Number of specialist categories with separate rank names was reduced even more. On the other hand, separate Technical branch was created, being neither arm nor service, which composed of technicians and aviation technicians.
1940-system also introduced new rank of lance-corporal, which was intermediate rank between privates and NCOs: it belonged to the privates’ category, yet wore NCO collar patches (but without stars).
During the Pacific War changes in the 1940-system were as following. In April 1942 Construction engineers and lawyers were included in the list of military persons and received appropriate rank names. In August 1944 Technical branch was reduced to single category. And finally in June 1945 Army judges were added to the Legal branch with separate rank names.
Besides officially established ranks there were two honorary titles, which had separate rank insignia and stood apart in military seniority, which make them ranks in all but name. Generalissimo was the title Japanese Emperor received as the Commander in chief of the Japanese armed forces. The title of Field marshal (or Fleet admiral in the IJN) was given to the most deserving Army generals and Navy admirals. Peculiarity of either title is, in Japanese language they were not service-specific as their holders considered belonged to the military elite as a whole. So full title of “Gensui” from the IJA could be called “Field marshal” or “Field marshal – Army general”, but not “Army field marshal”. As there could be only one Emperor, there could be only one “Dai gensui”.
The table of IJA full rank names by the end of the Pacific War is included below. For simplicity the word “Army”, which preceded each full rank name in the IJA, is omitted in rank names in English.
|
Rank category |
Name and spelling in Japanese (for combat arms) |
Combat Branch (arms) |
Technical Branch |
Accounting Branch |
Medical Branch |
Veterinary Branch |
Legal Branch |
Military music Branch |
|||||||||
|
Title given to the Emperor as the Commander-in-chief |
大元帥 (Dai gensui) |
Generalissimo |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|||||||||
|
Title given to the most deserving Army generals |
元帥 (Gensui) |
Field marshal |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|||||||||
|
General officers |
陸軍大將 (Rikugun taishō) |
General |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|||||||||
|
陸軍中將 (Rikugun chūjō) |
Lieutenant general |
Technician lieutenant general |
Accountant lieutenant general |
Construction lieutenant general |
Surgeon lieutenant general |
Pharmacist lieutenant general |
-- |
Veterinary surgeon lieutenant general |
-- |
Judicial lieutenant general |
-- |
||||||
|
陸軍小將 (Rikugun shōshō) |
Major general |
Technician major general |
Accountant major general |
Construction major general |
Surgeon major general |
Pharmacist major general |
Dentist major general |
-- |
Veterinary surgeon major general |
-- |
Judicial major general |
-- |
|||||
|
Senior officers |
陸軍大佐 (Rikugun taishō) |
Colonel |
Military police colonel |
Technician colonel |
Accountant colonel |
Construction colonel |
Surgeon colonel |
Pharmacist colonel |
Dentist colonel |
Veterinary surgeon colonel |
-- |
Judicial colonel |
-- |
||||
|
陸軍中佐 Rikugun chūsa) |
Lieutenant colonel |
Military police lieutenant colonel |
Technician lieutenant colonel |
Accountant lieutenant colonel |
Construction lieutenant colonel |
Surgeon lieutenant colonel |
Pharmacist lieutenant colonel |
Dentist lieutenant colonel |
-- |
Veterinary surgeon lieutenant colonel |
Judicial lieutenant colonel |
-- |
|||||
|
陸軍小佐 (Rikugun shōsa) |
Major |
Military police major |
Technician major |
Accountant major |
Construction major |
Surgeon major |
Pharmacist major |
Dentist major |
-- |
Veterinary surgeon major |
Veterinarian major |
Judicial major |
Legal affairs major |
Military music major |
|||
|
Junior officers |
陸軍大尉 (Rikugun tai-i) |
Captain |
Military police captain |
Technician lieutenant |
Accountant captain |
Construction captain |
Surgeon captain |
Pharmacist captain |
Dentist captain |
Sanitary captain |
Veterinary surgeon captain |
Veterinarian captain |
Judicial captain |
Legal affairs captain |
Military music captain |
||
|
陸軍中尉 (Rikugun chū-i) |
First lieutenant |
Military police first lieutenant |
Technician first lieutenant |
Accountant first lieutenant |
Construction first lieutenant |
Surgeon first lieutenant |
Pharmacist first lieutenant |
Dentist first lieutenant |
Sanitary first lieutenant |
Veterinary surgeon first lieutenant |
Veterinarian first lieutenant |
Judicial first lieutenant |
Legal affairs first lieutenant |
Military music first lieutenant |
|||
|
陸軍小尉 (Rikugun shō-i) |
Second lieutenant |
Military police second lieutenant |
Technician second lieutenant |
Accountant second lieutenant |
Construction second lieutenant |
Surgeon second lieutenant |
Pharmacist second lieutenant |
Dentist second lieutenant |
Sanitary second lieutenant |
Veterinary surgeon second lieutenant |
Veterinarian second lieutenant |
Judicial second lieutenant |
Legal affairs second lieutenant |
Military music second lieutenant |
|||
|
Warrant officers |
陸軍准尉 (Rikugun jun-i) |
Warrant officer |
Military police warrant officer |
Technician warrant officer |
Accountant warrant officer |
Tailor warrant officer |
Construction warrant officer |
-- |
Sanitary warrant officer |
Medical technician warrant officer |
-- |
Veterinarian warrant officer |
-- |
Legal affairs warrant officer |
Military music warrant officer |
||
|
Noncommissioned officers |
陸軍曹長 (Rikugun sōchō) |
Sergeant major |
Military police sergeant major |
Technician sergeant major |
Accountant sergeant major |
Tailor sergeant major |
Construction sergeant major |
-- |
Sanitary sergeant major |
Medical technician sergeant major |
-- |
Veterinarian sergeant major |
-- |
Legal affairs sergeant major |
Military music sergeant major |
||
|
陸軍軍曹 (Rikugun gunsō) |
Sergeant |
Military police sergeant |
Technician sergeant |
Accountant sergeant |
Tailor sergeant |
Construction sergeant |
-- |
Sanitary sergeant |
Medical technician sergeant |
-- |
Veterinarian sergeant |
-- |
Legal affairs sergeant |
Military music sergeant |
|||
|
陸軍伍長 (Rikugun gochō) |
Corporal |
Military police corporal |
Technician corporal |
Accountant corporal |
Tailor corporal |
Construction corporal |
-- |
Sanitary corporal |
Medical technician corporal |
-- |
Veterinarian corporal |
-- |
Legal affairs corporal |
Military music corporal |
|||
|
Privates |
兵長 (Rikugun heichō) |
Lance corporal |
Military police lance corporal |
Technician lance corporal |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Sanitary lance corporal |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Legal affairs lance corporal |
Military music lance corporal |
||
|
陸軍上等兵(Rikugun jōtōhei) |
Senior private |
Military police senior private |
Technician senior private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Sanitary senior private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Legal affairs senior private |
Military music senior private |
|||
|
陸軍一等兵 (Rikugun ittōhei) |
Private first class |
-- |
Technician first class private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Sanitary first class private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|||
|
陸軍二等兵 (Rikugun nitōhei) |
Private second class |
-- |
Technician private second class |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Sanitary private second class |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|||
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