The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
History The Japanese 16th Army was formed on November 5, 1941, under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group to coordinate the infantry divisions and other Japanese ground forces in the Invasion of Java in the Netherlands East Indies. It remained based on Java throughout the Pacific War as a garrison force.
On March 27, 1944, with the threat of possible landings of Allied forces to retake the Dutch East Indies increasing, the organizational structure of the Southern Expeditionary Army changed and the IJA 16th Army was reassigned to the Japanese Seventh Area Army. It remained headquartered in Jakarta as a garrison force as before. The Japanese 16th Army was demobilized at the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945.
List of commanders
Commanding officer Name From To1 General Hitoshi Imamura6 November 19419 November 19422 Lieutenant General Kumakichi Harada9 November 194226 April 19453 Lieutenant General Yuichiro Nagano26 April 1945 September 1945
Chief of Staff Name From To1 Lieutenant General Seizaburo Okazaki6 November 194110 June 19432 Lieutenant General Shinshichiro Kokubu10 June 194314 November 19443 Major General Shigeichi Yamamoto14 November 1944 September 1945
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