The First General Army was established on April 8, 1945, with the dissolution of the
General Defense Command into the First and
Second General Army. It was essentially a
home guard and
garrison, responsible for
civil defense,
anti-aircraft defenses, and for organizing
guerilla warfare cells in anticipation of the projected
Allied invasion of the
Japanese home islands in
Operation Downfall (or in Japanese terminology). Although its territory encompassed all of northern Japan, its primary mission was to ensure the security of the heavily populated
Kantō region, which included Tokyo. Its forces consisted mostly of poorly trained and poorly armed
reservists,
conscripted students and
home guard militia. The First General Army remained active for several months after the
surrender of Japan to help maintain public order until the arrival of the
American occupation forces, and to oversee the final
demobilization and dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Army. ==Commanders==