The 2nd Division was formed in
Sendai, Miyagi, in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Sendai Garrison had responsibility for northern
Honshū (the
Tohoku region), ranging from
Fukushima Prefecture in the south to
Aomori Prefecture in the north. The six regional commands were transformed into divisions under the army reorganization of 14 May 1888. The headquarters of the 2nd Division was located in the
Ni-no-maru of
Sendai Castle, where the campus of
Tohoku University is now located. Its original composition included the 4th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Sendai), 5th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Aomori), 16th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Shibata) and the 17th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Akita). In the reorganization prior to
World War II, the 29th Infantry Regiment (raised in
Wakamatsu) was added.
First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War The 2nd Division saw
combat during the
First Sino-Japanese War at the
Battle of Weihaiwei. Following the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, elements of the 2nd Division were used to form the core of the new
IJA 7th Division based in
Hokkaido and the
IJA 8th Division based in
Hirosaki, Aomori. Likewise, the 2nd Division was active in most of the major battles of the
Russo-Japanese War as part of General
Kuroki Tamemoto's
First Army, including the
Battle of Liaoyang,
Battle of Shaho and
Battle of Mukden, and gained a reputation for excellence in night operations. Some of its more noteworthy commanders included
Sakuma Samata,
Nogi Maresuke,
Nishi Kanjiro, HIH Prince
Higashikuni Naruhiko, and
Umezu Yoshijiro.
Second Sino-Japanese War and Soviet–Japanese border conflicts From 1930 to 1933, the 2nd Division was under the command of Lieutenant-General
Jiro Tamon. In 1931, it was transferred to the
Kwantung Army in
Manchuria, it took the lead in the initial operations of the
invasion of Manchuria, then in the
Jiangqiao Campaign,
Jinzhou Operation, and in overcoming the
defense of Harbin, following the
Mukden Incident. After the
Second Sino-Japanese War started in July 1937, 15th Mixed Brigade from the 2nd Division saw combat in the
invasion of
Chahar, in August 1937, and in the
Battle of Xuzhou (March 1938) where 3rd Infantry Brigade was temporarily assigned to the
North China Area Army. Later in 1939, the 2nd Division was under
3rd Army which was facing the southern half of the border of the
Maritime province of the
Soviet Union from
Korea northward. The
Katayama Detachment from 2nd Division, (consisting of the 15th Infantry Brigade, with 16th and 30th Infantry Regiments, and a field artillery battalion) fought small actions near Akiyama heights, or Heights 997 on 6–10 September 1939, in the closing stages of the
Battle of Khalkhin Gol 2nd Division (and the 4th Division) as part of the
Japanese Sixth Army. Because the projected counterattack that was canceled when a ceasefire was signed 16 September 1939, the fighting ceased.
Pacific War The 2nd Division, led by
Masao Maruyama, was reassigned to the southern front under Field Marshal
Terauchi Hisaichi's
Southern Area Army, and was one of the divisions which occupied the
Dutch East Indies. In particular, it landed in the
Port of Merak on western
Java 1 March 1942, proceeding to
Bandung on 9 March 1942. After the surrender of Dutch forces, the
2nd Division was transferred to
Rabaul 13 September 1942. The
Aoba Detachment split from the division and was briefly considered for deployment during the
New Guinea Campaign in late August 1942, but it soon rejoined the division as the situation at
Guadalcanal deteriorated. On 1–5 October 1942, the division landed on the west coast of
Matanikau River on Guadalcanal, resulting in the
Actions along the Matanikau. The
2nd Division lost at least 700 troops at that time. The
Battle for Henderson Field which started 24 October 1942, resulted in crippling losses for the division, as all Japanese attacks were repulsed. The division's total losses in the disastrous
Battle of Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands was over 7,000 men. Afterwards, the
2nd Division was assigned to garrison duties in occupied
Malaya and
Singapore. In 1944, its Guadalcanal losses replaced, the division was ordered to
Burma to resist the British reoccupation. After performing coastal duties in
Arakan the division was reassigned directly to
Burma Area Army in May. Used as a strategic reserve it was largely annihilated in the subsequent conflict. Its remnants were assigned to the
Japanese 38th Army in
French Indochina, and disbanded at the end of
World War II in
Saigon. == Assignments ==