Japanese Army losses in China 1937-41

[Carl Schwamberger]

Recommendations on sources are sought, since there is a degree of urgency on this reliable online sources are acceptable. A thumbnail sketch would earn my gratitude.

I'm hoping for numbers on non combat as well as battle losses.

Thanks & Domo Arigato

[Akira Takizawa]

191,074 fallen soldiers (According to Yasukuni Shrine)

Taki

[BobTheBarbarian]

If I understand this pamphlet from Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery correctly, it states in the upper left hand corner than 188,000 people died in China prior to the general war in the Pacific.

Taki, is this correct?

[Carl Schwamberger]

So, in 4.5 years: 188,000 = 41,778 per year

....................191,074 = 42,461

My main question at this point is if this is only battle deaths, or includes accidents & disease. A far as combat losses these number do not quite add up to a "meatgrinder". They are not trivial, & even less so if a 2-1 ratio of maimed to dead is used. = 564,000 dead and maimed or a little over 125,000 per year. The US which had a relatively light loss in 3.5 years had a much higher annual loss rate & the Japanese numbers are in no way adding up German or Red Army losses. ie: German dead of the eastern front 1941-45 add up to over 300,000 per year.

[BobTheBarbarian]

So, in 4.5 years: 188,000 = 41,778 per year

....................191,074 = 42,461

My main question at this point is if this is only battle deaths, or includes accidents & disease. A far as combat losses these number do not quite add up to a "meatgrinder". They are not trivial, & even less so if a 2-1 ratio of maimed to dead is used. = 564,000 dead and maimed or a little over 125,000 per year. The US which had a relatively light loss in 3.5 years had a much higher annual loss rate & the Japanese numbers are in no way adding up German or Red Army losses. ie: German dead of the eastern front 1941-45 add up to over 300,000 per year.

Those are overall deaths, from all causes. Cumulative Japanese fatalities in China numbered 455,700 (435,600 Army and 20,100 Navy) as per their Ministry of Health and Welfare's 1964 tabulation of Pacific War losses (seen here in English via the government-funded Australia-Japan Research Project: http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/AJRP2.nsf/5 ... enDocument).

Overall, because of Japan's position as an island nation the crippling US submarine blockade meant that 2/3 of all their deaths throughout the war in the Pacific came from starvation and disease, including 80 percent of deaths in the Philippines and 50 percent of deaths in China (Fujiwara 2001, see note 1 at the bottom of the following link: https://www.historians.org/publications ... m-iwo-jima) The figure for China is particularly surprising as one would think the IJA there would have at least been able to live off the land; my own opinion of this is that starvation related deaths probably only began to pile up in the post- Ichi-Go period when the submarine campaign really began to bite and the Japanese armies were forced to withdraw toward the coasts for want of supplies.

[Akira Takizawa]

If I understand this pamphlet from Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery correctly, it states in the upper left hand corner than 188,000 people died in China prior to the general war in the Pacific.

Taki, is this correct?

Yes, it is correct. There are some different numbers according to sources.

Taki

[Carl Schwamberger]

Domo. This has saved me time I could not afford. I owe you all a research credit.

[hselassi]

While Carl Schwamberger's comment makes sense, it should be noted that the 2nd Sino-Japanese War was pretty quiet from 1939-1943, so most of those 190K would have died in '37-8, with a death rate probably around 70K p.a. But, that is just an assumption, which brings me to my question, is there a detailed list of Japanese dead in China (such as are available from the European countries (by month, by area, etc.))? If such a list exists, it would answer the questions posed by Carl and others.

[Carl Schwamberger]

I am thinking there is, in the Japanese history of the war. But, that data has probablly not been translated for non Japanese language historians.