# General Defense Command

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{{short description|Military command}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = General Defense Command
| native_name                   = {{langx|ja|防衛総司令部}}<br>''Bōei Soshireibu''
| image                         = 
| caption                       = 
| dates                         = July 5, 1941 – April 8, 1945
| country                       = [Empire of Japan](/source/Empire_of_Japan)
| allegiance                    = [Emperor of Japan](/source/Emperor_of_Japan)
| branch                        = [Imperial Japanese Army](/source/Imperial_Japanese_Army)
| type                          = [General Army](/source/Armies_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_Army)
| garrison                      = Tokyo
| nickname                      = 
}}
The {{nihongo|'''General Defense Command'''|防衛総司令部|''Bōei Soshireibu''}} was a headquarters organization and [general army](/source/Armies_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_Army) of the [Imperial Japanese Army](/source/Imperial_Japanese_Army), established to control all land and [air](/source/Imperial_Japanese_Army_Air_Force) units stationed within [Japan proper](/source/Japanese_home_islands), [Korea](/source/Korea_under_Japanese_rule) and [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).

==History==
The General Defense Command was established on July 5, 1941 under the direct command of the [Emperor](/source/Emperor_of_Japan) via the [Imperial General Headquarters](/source/Imperial_General_Headquarters). For administrative, recruiting and accounting purposes, Japan was divided into six army districts, each with a [garrison](/source/garrison) force equivalent to an [army corps](/source/corps):

*[Eastern District Army](/source/Eastern_District_Army_(Japan)) – HQ in Tokyo and responsible for the [Kantō region](/source/Kant%C5%8D_region) and northern [Honshū](/source/Honsh%C5%AB)
*[Western District Army](/source/Western_District_Army_(Japan)) – HQ in [Fukuoka](/source/Fukuoka%2C_Fukuoka) and responsible for southwestern Honshū, [Shikoku](/source/Shikoku) and the [Ryukyu Islands](/source/Ryukyu_Islands).
*[Northern District Army](/source/Northern_District_Army_(Japan)) – HQ in [Sapporo](/source/Sapporo) and responsible for [Hokkaidō](/source/Hokkaid%C5%8D) and [Karafuto](/source/Karafuto).
*[Central District Army](/source/Central_District_Army_(Japan)) – HQ in [Osaka](/source/Osaka) and responsible for central Honshū.
*[Chosen Army](/source/Chosen_Army_of_Japan) – HQ in [Keijo](/source/Keij%C5%8D) and responsible for [Korea](/source/Korea)
*[Taiwan Army](/source/Taiwan_Army_of_Japan) – HQ in [Taihoku](/source/Taihoku) and responsible for [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan).

The General Defense Command was also responsible for [anti-aircraft](/source/anti-aircraft) defenses, and for organizing [civil defense](/source/civil_defense) training.

On April 8, 1945, in preparation for [Operation Downfall](/source/Operation_Downfall) (or {{nihongo|Operation Ketsugō|決号作戦|Ketsugō sakusen}} in Japanese terminology), the General Defense Command was dissolved, and its duties assumed by the new [First General Army](/source/First_General_Army_(Japan)) and [Second General Army](/source/Second_General_Army_(Japan)).

==List of Commanders==

===Commanding officer===
{| class=wikitable
!  || Name || From || To
|-
|1 || General [Otozō Yamada](/source/Otoz%C5%8D_Yamada) ||7 July 1941 || 9 December 1941
|-
| 2 || General [Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko](/source/Prince_Higashikuni_Naruhiko)||9 December 1941 || 15 April 1945
|-
|}

===Chief of Staff===
{| class=wikitable
!  || Name || From || To
|-
| 1 || Lieutenant General [Torashirō Kawabe](/source/Torashir%C5%8D_Kawabe)||31 July 1941 || 1 December 1941
|-
| 2 || Lieutenant General [Asasaburo Kobayashi](/source/Asasaburo_Kobayashi)||1 December 1941 || 10 June 1943
|-
| 3 || Lieutenant General [Tadayoshi Sano](/source/Tadayoshi_Sano)||10 June 1943 || 29 March 1944
|-
| 4 || Lieutenant General [Asasaburo Kobayashi](/source/Asasaburo_Kobayashi)||28 March 1944 || 1 February 1945
|-
| 5 || Lieutenant General [Einosuke Sudo](/source/Einosuke_Sudo)||1 February 1945 || 6 April 1945
|-
|}

==See also==
*[Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army](/source/Armies_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_Army)

==References==

===Books===
*{{cite book
 | last = Drea
 | first = Edward J.
 | author-link = 
 | year = 1998
 | chapter = Japanese Preparations for the Defense of the Homeland & Intelligence Forecasting for the Invasion of Japan
 | title = In the Service of the Emperor:  Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army
 | publisher = University of Nebraska Press
 | location = 
 | isbn = 0-8032-1708-0
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Frank
 | first =  Richard B
 | year = 1999
 | title = Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
 | publisher = Random House 
 | location = New York
 | isbn =  0-679-41424-X 
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Jowett
 | first =  Bernard
 | year = 1999
 | title = The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45)
 | publisher = Osprey Publishing 
 | location = 
 | isbn =  1-84176-354-3
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Madej
 | first =  Victor
 | year = 1981
 | title = Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945  
 | publisher = Game Publishing Company
 | location = 
 | id =  ASIN: B000L4CYWW
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Marston
 | first =  Daniel
 | year = 2005
 | title = The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima
 | publisher = Osprey Publishing 
 | location = 
 | isbn =  1-84176-882-0
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Skates
 | first =  John Ray 
 | year = 1994
 | title = The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb Downfall
 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press 
 | location = New York
 | isbn =  0-87249-972-3 
}}

==External links==
*{{cite web
| last = Wendel
| first = Marcus
| url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=6754
| title = Axis History Factbook
| work = General Defense Command
}}

Category:Army groups of Japan
Category:Military units and formations established in 1941
Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [General Defense Command](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Defense_Command) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Defense_Command?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.