The was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
History The Japanese 12th Area Army was formed on February 2, 1945 under the First General Army as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of Allied forces in central Honshū during Operation Downfall (or in Japanese terminology).Skates, The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb Downfall The Japanese 12th Area Army was responsible for the Kantō region of Japan and was headquartered in Tokyo.
It consisted mostly of poorly trained reservists, conscripted students and home guard militia. In addition, the Japanese had organized the Volunteer Fighting Corps — which included all healthy men aged 15–60 and women 17–40 — to perform combat support, and ultimately combat jobs. Weapons, training, and uniforms were generally lacking: some men were armed with nothing better than muzzle-loading muskets, longbows, or bamboo spears; nevertheless, they were expected to make do with what they had.Frank, Downfall, p. 188–9. Bauer and Coox, OLYMPIC VS KETSU-GO.
The 12th Area Army was demobilized at the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945 without having seen combat.
List of Commanders
Commanding officer Name From To1 General Keisuke Fujie February 1, 1945 March 9, 19452 General Shizuichi TanakaMarch 9, 1945 August 24, 19453 General Kenji DoiharaAugust 25, 1945 September 2, 1945
Chief of Staff Name From To1 Lieutenant General Eiichi Tatsumi February 1, 1945 March 1, 19452 Major General Tatsuhiko TakashimaMarch 1, 1945 August 25, 1945
Notes
References
External links