Imperial Japanese Army

The Imperial Japanese Army (Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍, Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍, Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun), officially the Army of the Greater Japanese Empire, was the land force of Japan , created after Japan abandoned its isolationist policy and began to industrialize. Japan's rapid rise into a dominant eastern power fueled its need for raw materials, prompting the use of the Imperial Army to conquer nearby nations to exploit their resources. As a result, Japan lived an era of dominance until its crushing defeat in World War II, when in 1945, the Imperial Army was dissolved.
== History ==
=== War on China and Russia ===
In 1931, the Imperial Japanese Army had an overall strength of 198,880 officers and men, organized into 17 divisions. The Manchurian incident, as it became known in Japan, was a pretended sabotage of a local Japanese-owned railway, an attack staged by Japan but blamed on Chinese dissidents. Action by the military, largely independent of the civilian leadership, led to the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and, later, to the Second Sino-Japanese War, in 1937. As war approached, the Imperial Army's influence with the Emperor waned and the influence of the Imperial Japanese Navy increased. 
Nevertheless, by 1938 the Army had been expanded to 34 divisions. From 1932 to 1945 the Empire of Japan and the Soviet Union had a series of conflicts. Japan had set its military sights on Soviet territory as a result of the Hokushin-ron doctrine, and the Japanese establishment of a puppet state in Manchuria brought the two countries into conflict. The war lasted on and off with the last battles of the 1930s (the Battle of Lake Khasan and the Battles of Khalkhin Gol) ending in a decisive victory for the Soviets. The conflicts stopped with the signing of the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact on April 13, 1941. 
=== Fighting the Allied Powers ===
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA, out of fear that the United States would interfere with their conquest of Manchuria. This led to IJA forces fighting the United States of America, as well as Australia, India, and many other allied nations. During the Pacific Campaign of WWII, American forces engaged in "island hopping", gradually reclaiming islands that were held by the Imperial Army during Japan's rapid Pacific conquest.
One notable incident regarding alleged encounters between the Imperial Japanese Army and wild animals occurred during the Battle of Ramree Island, which began on January 14, 1945 and lasted until the 22nd of February that same year. According to Canadian naturalist and World War II veteran Bruce Wright, allied forces reported hearing scattered rifle shots and screams as the Imperial Japanese forces were attacked and devoured by saltwater crocodiles.
On August 5, 1945, the Soviet Union voided their neutrality agreement with Japan and declared war on Japan, invading Japanese-occupied China and starting the Soviet-Japanese War. 
== Weapons and equipment ==
=== Small arms ===
* Type 1 47 mm Anti-Tank Gun
* Type 5
* Type 100
* Type 99
* Type 38 Arisaka
* Type 99 Arisaka
* Nambu
* Triple 25 Anti-Aircraft Gun
* Type 97 Hand Grenade (Kiska)
* Type 93 Flamethrower
* Type 100 Flamethrower
* Katana
* Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun
* Type 94 90 mm Infantry Mortar
* Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun
* 200mm Coastal Gun
=== Vehicles ===
* Model 94 Isuzu truck
* Type 95 Scout Car
* Type 97 Tank
Category:Factions