Regular Infantry Division (triangular), Imperial Japanese Army, 8.12.1941

This depicts a typical organization. As can also be seen from the diagram above, actual organizations and equipment could vary from division by division. On paper, the triangular (three infantry regiment) Infantry Division had about 19,000 to 21,000 men. But the divisions were seldom as neat and tidy as this diagram. Elements were consistently being attached or detached, so that some divisions had as few as 14,000 men and some as others as many as 28,000.

The units in the divisions did not not always have the same size or configuration. A typical example would be the reconnaissance "regiment". In some divisions this was a cavalry-motorized unit, in others it was a battalion sized unit of horse cavalry, and in some divisions a reconnaissance element was missing altogether.

The artillery suffered similar variations being equipped with different types and numbers of guns, etc.

The size of the Transport Regiment also tended to vary, depending on the mission assigned to the division. The regiment itself could be issued with pack-horses, horse-drawn wagons and carts, or be partially or wholly equipped with motor vehicles.

Infantry Divisions (Triangular)
(Type)	Division Commanding General	Raised	Infantry					Artillery				Recon Rgt	Engineer Rgt	Transport		Other Units	Notes
(Type)	Division Commanding General	Raised	(Type)	Grp	Inf Rgt	Inf Rgt	Inf Rgt	(Type)	Grp	Art Rgt	Equipment	Recon Rgt	Engineer Rgt	(Type)	Rgt	Other Units	Notes
(A)	1 LTG Mitsuo NAKAZAWA	14.05.81	(A1)	1	1	49	57	(A2)	—	1 Fld	9× 75mm 18× 105mm 9× 150mm	1 Recon	—	(A1)	—	1	[1]
(A)	2 LTG Masao MARUYAMA	14.05.81	(A1)	2	4	16	29	(A1)	—	2 Fld	18× 75mm 9× 150mm	2 Recon	2	(A1)	2	2
(A)	4 LTG Norizo KITANO	14.05.81	(A1)	4	8	37	61	(A1)	—	4 Fld	24× 75mm 24× 105mm	4 Recon	4	(A1)	4	4
(A)	6 LTG Masatane KANDA	14.05.81	(A1)	6	13	23	45	(A1)	—	6 Fld	27× 75mm	6 Recon	6	(A1)	6	6
(A)	7 LTG Gyoichi KOITO	19.10.86	(A1)	7	26	27	28	(A1)	—	7 Mtn	36× 75mm	7 Recon	7	(A1)	7	7
(A)	8 LTG Masaki HONDA	01.10.88	(A1)	8	5	17	31	(A2)	8	8 Fld	12× 75mm 24× 105mm 12× 150mm	8 Recon	8	(A1)	8	8
(A)	9 LTG Kiichiro HIGUCHI	01.10.88	(A2)	9	7	19	35	(A1)	—	9 Mtn	36× 75mm	9 Cav	9	(A2)	9	9
(A)	10 LTG Jiro SOGAWA	01.10.88	(A1)	10	10	39	63	(A2)	—	10 Fld	12× 75mm 24× 105mm	10 Recon	10	(A1)	10	10
(A)	11 LTG Takashi TAKAMORI	01.10.88	(A2)	11	12	43	44	(A1)	11	11 Mtn	36× 75mm	11 Cav	11	(A2)	11	11
(A)	12 LTG Yukio KASAHARA	01.10.88	(A1)	12	24	46	48	(A2)	—	24 Fld	12× 75mm 24× 105mm	12 Recon	18	(A1)	18	12	[2]
(A)	14 LTG Mitsu KAWANAMI	06.07.05	(A1)	14	2	15	59	(A2)	14	20 Fld	12× 75mm 24× 105mm 12× 150mm	14 Recon	14	(A1)	14	14
(A)	16 LTG Susumu MORIOKA	18.07.05	(A1)	16	9	20	33	(A2)	—	22 Fld	36× 75mm	16 Recon	16	(A1)	16	16	[3]
(A)	23 LTG Kanji NISHIHARA	11.07.38	(A3)	23	64	71	72	(A3)	23	17 Fld	12× 75mm 12× 150mm	23 Recon	23	(A3)	23	23
(A)	24 LTG Mitsuru KAWANAMI	07.10.39	(A1)	24	22	32	89	(A2)	24	24 Fld	12× 75mm 12× 105mm 12× 150mm	24 Recon	24	(A1)	24	24
(A)	25 LTG Yaezo AKASHI	29.07.40	(A2)	25	14	40	70	(A2)	25	15 Mtn	12× 75mm 24× 105mm 12× 150mm	25 Cav	25	(A1)	25	25
(A)	28 LTG Taizo ISHIGURO	10.07.40	(A1)	28	3	30	36	(A2)	—	28 Mtn	24× 75mm 12× 105mm	28 Cav	28	(A1)	28	28
(A)	29 LTG Toshimichi UEMURA	01.04.41	(S)	—	38	50	—	(S)	—	29 Mtn	36× 75mm	29 Cav	29	(S)	29	29
(A)	48 (partially motorized) LTG Yuitsu TSUCHIHASHI	30.11.40	(A1)	48	1 Taiwan	2 Taiwan	47	(B)	—	48 Mtn	36× 75mm 12× 105mm	48 Recon	48	(S)	48	48	[4]
(A)	Guards (motorized) LTG Takumaro NISHIMURA	03.06.40	(A1)	Gds	3 Gds	4 Gds	5 Gds	(A1)	—	Gds Fld	24× 75mm 12× 105mm	Gds Recon	Gds	(A1)	Gds	Gds	[5]
(Type)	Division Commanding General	Raised	Infantry					Artillery				Recon Rgt	Engineer Rgt	Transport		Other Units	Notes
(Type)	Division Commanding General	Raised	(Type)	Grp	Inf Rgt	Inf Rgt	Inf Rgt	(Type)	Hqs	Art Rgt	Equipment	Recon Rgt	Engineer Rgt	(Type)	Rgt	Other Units	Notes

Notes:
Type (A) are regular, peacetime (activated) units.
Type (B) are depot (activated) units.
Type (S) are wartime (activated) units.
[1] Also: Tank Unit, 1st Division.
[2] But: 18th Transport Regiment.
[3] Each infantry regiment in the 16th Division had one motorized, one bicycle, and one foot battalion. Three of the four artillery battalions were motorized.
[4] One battalion of each infantry regiment of the 48th Division was bicycle mounted. One battalion of the artillery regiment was motorized.

[5] The Guards division 'motorized' division was equipped with 660 trucks. (A non-motorized divison had approximately 200 trucks.) The scarce trucks were for moving the heavy equipment and the artillery, and soldiers not allocated places in motor vehicles were issued bicycles.