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IJA ranks’ names, with which it fought 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 “Army Veterinarian Captain” there was “Army 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 that 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, because it belonged to the privates’ category, yet wore NCO collar patches (without stars).
During the Pacific War big changes in the 1940-system were as following. In April 1942 Army 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.
The table of IJA full rank names by the end of the Pacific War is included below.
Note, that 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”.
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Table of all IJA full rank names from 1 June 1945 until the abolition |
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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 |
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|
Title given to the Emperor as the Commander-in-chief |
大元帥 (Dai gensui) |
Generalissimo |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
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|
Title given to the most deserving Army generals |
元帥 (Gensui) |
Field marshal |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
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|
General officers |
陸軍大將 (Rikugun taishō) |
Army general |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
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|
陸軍中將 (Rikugun chūjō) |
Army lieutenant general |
Army technician lieutenant general |
Army accountant lieutenant general |
Army construction lieutenant general |
Army surgeon lieutenant general |
Army pharmacist lieutenant general |
-- |
Army veterinary surgeon lieutenant general |
-- |
Army judicial lieutenant general |
-- |
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|
陸軍小將 (Rikugun shōshō) |
Army major general |
Army technician major general |
Army accountant major general |
Army construction major general |
Army surgeon major general |
Army pharmacist major general |
Army dentist major general |
-- |
Army veterinary surgeon major general |
-- |
Army judicial major general |
-- |
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|
Senior officers |
陸軍大佐 (Rikugun taishō) |
Army colonel |
Army military police colonel |
Army technician colonel |
Army accountant colonel |
Army construction colonel |
Army surgeon colonel |
Army pharmacist colonel |
Army dentist colonel |
Army veterinary surgeon colonel |
-- |
Army judicial colonel |
-- |
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|
陸軍中佐 Rikugun chūsa) |
Army lieutenant colonel |
Army military police lieutenant colonel |
Army technician lieutenant colonel |
Army accounting lieutenant colonel |
Army construction lieutenant colonel |
Army surgeon lieutenant colonel |
Army pharmacist lieutenant colonel |
Army dentist lieutenant colonel |
-- |
Army veterinary surgeon lieutenant colonel |
Army judicial lieutenant colonel |
-- |
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|
陸軍小佐 (Rikugun shōsa) |
Army major |
Army military police major |
Army technician major |
Army accountant major |
Army construction major |
Army surgeon major |
Army pharmacist major |
Army dentist major |
-- |
Army veterinary surgeon major |
Army veterinarian major |
Army judicial major |
Army legal affairs major |
Army military music major |
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|
Junior officers |
陸軍大尉 (Rikugun tai-i) |
Army captain |
Army military police captain |
Army technician lieutenant |
Army accountant captain |
Army construction captain |
Army surgeon captain |
Army pharmacist captain |
Army dentist captain |
Army sanitary captain |
Army veterinary surgeon captain |
Army veterinarian captain |
Army judicial captain |
Army legal affairs captain |
Army military music captain |
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|
陸軍中尉 (Rikugun chū-i) |
Army first lieutenant |
Army military police first lieutenant |
Army technician first lieutenant |
Army accountant first lieutenant |
Army construction first lieutenant |
Army surgeon first lieutenant |
Army pharmacist first lieutenant |
Army dentist first lieutenant |
Army sanitary first lieutenant |
Army veterinary surgeon first lieutenant |
Army veterinarian first lieutenant |
Army judicial first lieutenant |
Army legal affairs first lieutenant |
Army military music first lieutenant |
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|
陸軍小尉 (Rikugun shō-i) |
Army second lieutenant |
Army military police second lieutenant |
Army technician second lieutenant |
Army accountant second lieutenant |
Army construction second lieutenant |
Army surgeon second lieutenant |
Army pharmacist second lieutenant |
Army dentist second lieutenant |
Army sanitary second lieutenant |
Army veterinary surgeon second lieutenant |
Army veterinarian second lieutenant |
Army judicial second lieutenant |
Army legal affairs second lieutenant |
Army military music second lieutenant |
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|
Warrant officers |
陸軍准尉 (Rikugun jun-i) |
Army warrant officer |
Army military police warrant officer |
Army technician warrant officer |
Army accountant warrant officer |
Army tailor warrant officer |
Army construction warrant officer |
-- |
Army sanitary warrant officer |
Army medical technician warrant officer |
-- |
Army veterinarian warrant officer |
-- |
Army legal affairs warrant officer |
Army military music warrant officer |
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|
Noncommissioned officers |
陸軍曹長 (Rikugun sōchō) |
Army sergeant major |
Army military police sergeant major |
Army technician sergeant major |
Army accountant sergeant major |
Army tailor sergeant major |
Army construction sergeant major |
-- |
Army sanitary sergeant major |
Army medical technician sergeant major |
-- |
Army veterinarian sergeant major |
-- |
Army legal affairs sergeant major |
Army military music sergeant major |
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|
陸軍軍曹 (Rikugun gunsō) |
Army sergeant |
Army military police sergeant |
Army technician sergeant |
Army accountant sergeant |
Army tailor sergeant |
Army construction sergeant |
-- |
Army sanitary sergeant |
Army medical technician sergeant |
-- |
Army veterinarian sergeant |
-- |
Army legal affairs sergeant |
Army military music sergeant |
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|
陸軍伍長 (Rikugun gochō) |
Army corporal |
Army military police corporal |
Army technician corporal |
Army accountant corporal |
Army tailor corporal |
Army construction corporal |
-- |
Army sanitary corporal |
Army medical technician corporal |
-- |
Army veterinarian corporal |
-- |
Army legal affairs corporal |
Army military music corporal |
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|
Privates |
兵長 (Rikugun heichō) |
Army lance corporal |
Army military police lance corporal |
Army technician lance corporal |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Army sanitary lance corporal |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Army legal affairs lance corporal |
Army military music lance corporal |
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|
陸軍上等兵(Rikugun jōtōhei) |
Army superior private |
Army military police superior private |
Army technician superior private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Army sanitary superior private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Army legal affairs superior private |
Army military music superior private |
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|
陸軍一等兵 (Rikugun ittōhei) |
Army first class private |
-- |
Army technician first class private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Army sanitary first class private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
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|
陸軍二等兵 (Rikugun nitōhei) |
Army second class private |
-- |
Army technician second class private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Army sanitary second class private |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
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