During the Pacific War of 1941–1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service placed into service an increasing number of "air fleets" — airborne combat units attached to the Navy. The 1st Air Fleet was the primary carrier unit, while other Air Fleets were for defence, training or supporting naval operations in particular theatres.

1st Air Fleet

The formed the primary carrier fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), a grouping of naval aircraft and aircraft carriers that at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet. As losses mounted, the carriers were removed and the 1st Air Fleet was transformed into a land based Naval aviation force forward based on islands and land masses along the perimeter of the Japanese controlled sphere.

2nd Air Fleet The was organized late in the War to defend the National Defence Zone along with 1st Air Fleet. Their area of responsibility was based in the Kyūshū-Okinawa-Formosa district. In October 1944 Vice admiral Shigeru Fukudome moved his HQ from Taiwan to Manila. There he was reinforced and charged with a share of the air defense of the Philippines. However, most of the airplanes and pilots disappeared in November 1944 as a result of fighting against the Halsey Fleet from the front during the Philippines campaign. Soon thereafter, in Jan 1945, the 2nd Air Fleet was dissolved and merged into the 1st Air Fleet.

Structure (extract) Date Higher unit Lower units 15 June 1944 (original) Imperial General Headquarters 141st NAG,NAG = . The same shall apply hereinafter. 345th NAG, 762nd NAG 10 July 1944 Combined Fleet 21st Air Flotilla, 25th Air Flotilla, 141st NAG, 221st NAG, 341st NAG, 762nd NAG, 763rd NAG,Kyūshū NAGDescription by the italic type character shows that they are . They defended the air base with anti-aircraft arms. 8 January 1945 disbanded

Commander in chief Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Vice-Admiral Shigeru Fukudome 15 June 1944

Chief of staff Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Rear-Admiral Ushie Sugimoto 15 June 1944 2 Rear-Admiral Tomozō Kikuchi 27 October 1944

3rd Air Fleet The was in charge of air defense of Eastern Japan.

Structure (extract) Date Higher unit Lower units 10 July 1944 (original) Combined Fleet 27th Air Flotilla 15 December 1944 Combined Fleet 25th Air Flotilla, 27th Air Flotilla, 131st NAG, 210th NAG, 252 NAG, 343rd NAG, 601st NAG, 706th NAG, 722nd NAG, 752nd NAG, 801st NAG 1023rd NAG 25 May 1945 Combined Fleet 13th Air Flotilla, 25th Air Flotilla, 27th Air Flotilla 15 October 1945 disbanded

Commander in chief Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Vice-Admiral Shun'ichi Kira 10 July 1944 2 Vice-Admiral Kinpei Teraoka 17 November 1944 3 Vice-Admiral Sadayoshi Yamada 26 August 1945 x vacant post 1 October 1945

Chief of staff Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Rear-Admiral Kanzō Miura 10 July 1944 WIA on 30 July 1944x vacant post 31 July 1944 2 Captain Tarō Taguchi 1 August 1944 x vacant post 26 December 1944 3 Captain Chūzaburō Yamazumi 1 January 1945 4 Captain Chihaya Takahashi 26 August 1945 x vacant post 1 October 1945

5th Air Fleet The was in charge of the air defense of Western Japan.

Structure (extract) Date Higher unit Lower units 10 February 1945 (original) Combined Fleet 203rd NAG, 701st NAG, 721st NAG, 762nd NAG, 801st NAG, 1022nd NAG,Kyūshū NAG, Nansei-Shotō NAG 25 May 1945 Combined Fleet 12th Air Flotilla, 72nd Air Flotilla, Takuma NAG, 171st NAG, 634th NAG, 701st NAG, 721st NAG, 762nd NAG, 801st NAG, 931st NAGKyūshū NAG, San'in NAG, Nansei-Shotō NAG, Naikai NAG, Saikai NAG 10 October 1945 disbanded

Commander in chief Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Vice-Admiral Matome Ugaki 10 February 1945 KIA on 15 August 1945x vacant post 16 August 1945 2 Vice-Admiral Ryūnosuke Kusaka 17 August 1945

Chief of staff Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 CaptainRear-Admiral Toshiyuki Yokoi 10 February 19451 May 1945

10th Air Fleet The was a training unit.

Structure (extract) Date Higher unit Lower units 1 March 1945 (original) Combined Fleet 11th CAG,CAG = . The same shall apply hereinafter. 12th CAG, 13th CAG 1 June 1945 Combined Fleet Kasumigaura NAG, Yatabe NAG, Hyakurihara NAG, Jinmachi NAG, 2nd Kōriyama NAG, Matsushima NAG, Tōkyō NAG, Genzan NAG 10 October 1945 disbanded

Commander in chief Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Vice-Admiral Minoru Maeda 1 March 1945 x vacant post 1 October 1945

Chief of staff Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Rear-Admiral Chikao Yamamoto 1 March 1945 2 CaptainRear-Admiral Shigenori Kami 20 June 194515 September 1945 LODD on 15 September 1945x vacant post 16 September 1945

11th Air Fleet

The was a grouping of naval aviation and surface units based in Formosa that moved through the Philippines and New Guinea then supported the Solomon Islands campaign during the Japanese advance at the start of the war. Heavily engaged in the Guadalcanal Campaign. From the end of 1942 they provided air cover to the Southeast Area Fleet.

12th Air Fleet The was in charge of air cover for the Northeast Area Fleet.

Structure (extract) Date Higher unit Lower units 18 May 1943 (original) Combined Fleet No units, they were existence only in the documents. 5 August 1943 Northeast Area Fleet 24th Air Flotilla, 27th Air Flotilla, 51st Air Flotilla,Horomushiro Communication Unit, 5th Weather Observation Unit 1 April 1944 Northeast Area Fleet 27th Air Flotilla, 51st Air Flotilla, Horomushiro Communication Unit, 5th Weather Observation Unit, 41st Air Base Unit 5 December 1944 Combined Fleet 452nd NAG, Hokutō NAG, Chishima Base Force 1 March 1945 Combined Fleet Hokutō NAG, Chishima Base Force 30 November 1945 disbanded

Commander in chief Rank Name Date Note, additional post1Vice-AdmiralMichitarō Tozuka 18 May 1943 5 August 1943 Commander in chief of the Northeast Area Fleet2Vice-AdmiralEiji Gotō 15 September 1944 Commander in chief of the Northeast Area Fleet 5 December 1944 15 February 1945 Commander in chief of the Ōminato Guard District 3 Vice-Admiral Kanji Ugaki 15 March 1945 Commander in chief of the Ōminato Guard District x vacant post 1 October 1945

Chief of staff Rank Name Date Note, additional post1Rear-AdmiralYoshiyuki Ichimiya 18 May 1943 5 August 1943 Chief of staff of the Northeast Area Fleet 5 December 1944 2 Rear-Admiral Tsuyoshi Matsumoto 6 February 1945 3 Rear-Admiral Zensuke Kanome 15 February 1945 Chief of staff of the Ōminato Guard DistrictCommander of the Ōminato Transportation Department x vacant post 1 October 1945

13th Air Fleet The was in charge of air cover for the Southwest Area Fleet.

Structure (extract) Date Higher unit Lower units 20 September 1943 (original) Combined Fleet No units, they were existence only in the documents. 1 January 1944 Southwest Area Fleet 23rd Air Flotilla, 28th Air Flotilla, 732nd NAG 15 August 1944 Southwest Area Fleet 28th Air Flotilla, 381st NAG, 102nd Air Base Unit, 104th Air Base Unit 15 December 1944 Southwest Area Fleet 28th Air Flotilla, Malay NAG, Tōin NAG 5 February 1945 10th Area Fleet 23rd Air Flotilla, 28th Air Flotilla, 11th AG,AG = . The same shall apply hereinafter. 12th AG, 13th AG, 31st AG, 936th NAG, Malay NAG, Tōin NAG 1 June 1945 10th Area Fleet 28th Air Flotilla, 31st AG, 381st NAG 12 September 1945 Surrendered to United Kingdom in Singapore.

Commander in chief Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Vice-AdmiralAdmiral Shirō Takasu 20 September 19431 March 1944 Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet2Vice-AdmiralGun'ichi Mikawa 18 July 1944 Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet 15 August 1944 Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet3 Vice-Admiral Denshichi Ōkawachi 1 November 1944 Commander in chief of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet4 Vice-Admiral Minoru Tayui 8 January 1945 Commander in chief of the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet5Vice-AdmiralShigeru Fukudome 13 January 1945 IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet 5 February 1945 Commander in chief of the 10th Area Fleet and the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet

Chief of staff Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Rear-AdmiralVice-Admiral Takeo Tada 20 September 19431 November 1943 Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet2 Rear-AdmiralVice-Admiral Hidehiko Nishio 1 March 194415 October 1944 Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet 3Rear-AdmiralKaoru Arima 1 November 1944 Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 3rd Southern Expeditionary FleetCommander of the 31st Special Base Force 17 November 1944 Chief of staff of the Southwest Area Fleet and 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet4Rear-AdmiralBunji Asakura 8 January 1945 Chief of staff of the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet 5 February 1945 Chief of staff of the 10th Area Fleet and the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet

14th Air Fleet The was in charge of air cover for the Central Pacific Area.

Structure (extract) Date Higher unit Lower units 4 March 1944 (original) Central Pacific Area Fleet 22nd Air Flotilla, 26th Air Flotilla, Seaplane tender Akitsushima 5 May 1944 Central Pacific Area Fleet Seaplane tender Akitsushima 8 July 1944 HQ was annihilated 18 July 1944 disbanded

Commander in chief Rank Name Date Note, additional post1 Vice-AdmiralAdmiral Chūichi Nagumo 4 March 19448 July 1944 Commander in chief of the Central Pacific Area FleetKIA on 8 July 1944x vacant post 9 July 1944

Chief of staff Rank Name Date Additional post1 Rear-AdmiralVice-Admiral Hideo Yano 4 March 19448 July 1944 Chief of staff of the Central Pacific Area FleetKIA on 8 July 1944x vacant post 9 July 1944

Footnotes