The 1st Tank Brigade was created out of four separate armored regiments based in
Manchukuo on June 24, 1942. With the addition of one infantry regiment, it was soon raised to the status of a full armored division. Stationed in
Ning'an in northern Manchukuo, it was tasked primarily with
border patrol of Manchukuo's eastern frontier with the
Soviet Union under the overall command of the
Japanese First Area Army. As the situation in the
Pacific War against the
Allies deteriorated for Japan, in March 1944, the IJA 9th Armored Regiment of the 1st Tank Division was reassigned to the
IJA 31st Army, and sent to
Saipan, where it was annihilated at the subsequent
Battle of Saipan and
Battle of Guam. The remaining three regiments participated in
Operation Ichi-Go in
mainland China. The IJA
3rd Armored Regiment of the 1st Tank Division was reassigned to China and attached to the 11th Army until the end of the war. In March 1945, the 1st Tank Division with its 5th Armored Regiment was reassigned to the
Japanese home islands in preparation for the expected
invasion by Allied forces. It gained the IJA 1st Armored Regiment from the
3rd Tank Division, and formed part of the
IJA 36th Army under the
Japanese Twelfth Area Army. The headquarters unit and IJA 1st Armored Regiment were based in
Sano, Tochigi, with the IJA 5th Armored Regiment stationed at
Ōtawara, Tochigi (and later relocated to
Kazo, Saitama, and the IJA 1st Mechanized Infantry Regiment and the Division’s mechanized artillery stationed at
Tochigi. Anticipating that Allied forces would land at
Kujūkuri Beach, the 1st Tank Division was to hold a defensive line stretching from
Mount Tsukuba to the
Tama River, with forward units deployed to
Choshi, Chiba. The
surrender of Japan came before the landing, and the 1st Armored Division did not see any combat on Japanese soil. The 1st Tank Division was
demobilized in September 1945 with the rest of the Imperial Japanese Army. == Commanding officer ==