The Japanese 21st Army was formed on September 19, 1938 under the
Imperial General Headquarters. It was transferred to the control of the
China Expeditionary Army on September 23, 1939 and assigned the primary role in the
Canton Operation (the invasion of
Guangdong Province in southern
China), together with the
Imperial Japanese Navy’s
5th Fleet. On October 12, the
18th and
104th Divisions landed, followed by command units the following day. By October 21, the provincial capital of
Guangzhou was under Japanese control. The
IJA 5th Division continued to advance up the
Pearl River and by November 5 had taken the city of
Foshan. By the end of November, the entire province was under Japanese control. The Japanese 21st Army was disbanded on February 9, 1940. Its command staff joined the staff of the
Japanese Southern China Area Army, and its divisions were reassigned to other areas. ==List of Commanders==