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IJA rank names 1937-1945

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.

 

Table of IJA full rank names from 1 June 1945 until the abolition

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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