Second Area Army

Second Area Army
Active	July 4, 1942 - June 13, 1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Field Army
Nickname(s)	Ki (輝, Gleaming)

The Second Area Army (第2方面軍, Dai ni hōmen gun) was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

History

The Japanese 2nd Area Army was formed on July 4, 1942 under the control of the Kwantung Army as a reserve and garrison force to maintain security and public order in Manchukuo. It was disbanded on June 13, 1945, and its various components were reassigned to other commands.

The 2nd Area Army was transferred to the Davao in the Philippines in late 1943, and tasked with defending western New Guinea and the eastern part of the occupied Netherlands East Indies.

List of Commanders

Commanding officer

	Name	From	To
1	General Korechika Anami	1 July 1942	26 December 1944
2	Lieutenant General Jo Iimura	26 December 1944	29 May 1945

Chief of Staff

	Name	From	To
1	Major General Kane Yoshihara	4 July 1942	9 November 1942
2	Major General Yo Watanabe	9 November 1942	29 October 1943
3	Lieutenant General Takazo Numata	29 October 1943	26 December 1944
4	Major General Ryozo Sakuma	26 December 1944	29 May 1945

References

• Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3.
• Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.
• Marston, Daniel (2005). The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-882-0.