During the Russo-Japanese War, under the command of Lieutenant General Tsuchiya Mitsuharu, this division was assigned to General Nogi's 3rd Army, and thus saw considerable combat (and casualties) at the bloody Siege of Port Arthur. It subsequently formed the core of General Kawamura Kageaki’s 5th Army, where (under the command of Lieutenant General Samejima Shigeo, it played a significant role in securing the Japanese victory at the Battle of Mukden. The division remained stationed in Manchuria as a garrison force for two years after the end of the Russo-Japanese War, and only returned to Zentsuji 7 May 1911.