The was an
army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
of the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, noted for its role in the
Malayan Campaign, the
Battle of Singapore, and the
Occupation of Sumatra.
History
The Japanese 25th Army was formed on 5 July 1941 under the
Imperial General Headquarters. It was transferred to the control of the
Japanese Seventh Area Army under the
Southern Expeditionary Army Group
The was a general army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was responsible for all military operations in South East Asian and South West Pacific campaigns of World War II. Its military symbol was NA.
The Southern Expediti ...
on 6 November 1941.
Battle of Malaya
The
Battle of Malaya began when the 25th Army launched an
amphibious assault on the northern coast of British Malaya on 8 December 1941. Japanese troops landed at
Kota Bharu and advanced down the eastern coastline of the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
. This was made in conjunction with
landings at
Pattani and
Songkhla in
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, where units then proceeded south overland across the
Thailand-Malayan border to attack the western portion of Malaya.
The Japanese were initially resisted by
III Corps of the
British Indian Army and several
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
battalions. The Japanese quickly isolated individual Indian units defending the coastline, before concentrating their forces to surround the defenders and force their surrender.
The Japanese forces held a slight advantage in numbers on the ground in northern Malaya, and were significantly superior in
close air support,
armour
Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...
, co-ordination,
tactics
Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to:
* Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks
** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield
** Chess tactics
In chess, a tac ...
and experience, with the Japanese units having fought in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. The Japanese also used
bicycle infantry
Bicycle infantry are infantry soldiers who maneuver on (or, more often, between) battlefields using military bicycles. The term dates from the late 19th century, when the "safety bicycle" became popular in Europe, the United States, and Austra ...
and
light tanks, which allowed swift movement of their forces overland through the terrain that was covered with thick
tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...
.
After
defeating British and Indian troops at Jitra Japanese forces supported by tanks moved south from Thailand on 11 December, overwhelming British defenses.
Penang was bombed daily by the Japanese from 8 December, and abandoned on 17 December. Arms, boats, supplies and a working radio station were left in haste to the Japanese. The evacuation of Europeans from Penang, with local inhabitants being left to the mercy of the Japanese, caused much embarrassment for the British and alienated them from the local population.
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
fell unopposed on 11 January 1942. The
11th Indian Division managed to delay the Japanese advance at the
Battle of Kampar for a few days, which was followed by the
disastrous Slim River battle, in which two Indian brigades were practically annihilated.

By mid-January the Japanese had reached
Johore where, on 14 January, they encountered troops from the
Australian 8th Division, commanded by
Major-General Gordon Bennett, for the first time in the campaign. During engagements with the Australians, the Japanese experienced their first major tactical setback, due to the stubborn resistance put up by the Australians at
Gemas. The battle, centered on the
Gemensah Bridge, proved costly for the Japanese, who suffered up to 600 casualties but the bridge itself, which had been demolished during the fighting, was repaired within six hours.
As the Japanese attempted to outflank the Australians to the west of Gemas, one of the bloodiest battles of the campaign began on January 15 on the peninsula's West coast near the
Muar River. Bennett allocated the weak 45th Indian Brigade (a new and half trained formation) to defend the river's South bank but the unit was outflanked by Japanese units landing from the sea and the Brigade was effectively destroyed with its commander,
Brigadier
Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
H. C. Duncan, and all three of his battalion commanders killed.
On 20 January, further Japanese landings took place at
Endau, in spite of an air attack by
Vildebeest bombers. The final Commonwealth defensive line in Johore of
Batu Pahat–
Kluang–
Mersing was now being attacked along its full length.
On 27 January 1942 Percival received permission from the commander of the
American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, General
Archibald Wavell, to order a retreat across the
Johore Strait to the island of
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
.
Relocation to Sumatra

Following the successful capture of Malaya and Singapore, the IJA 25th Army served primarily as a
garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters.
A garrison is usually in a city ...
force for the occupied territories. As the situation grew increasingly desperate of Japanese forces towards the middle of 1945, the IJA 25th Army came under the operational control of the
Japanese Seventh Area Army, and its headquarters was transferred to
Bukittinggi in the highlands of central
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, which it held until the
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
in August 1945.
List of Commanders
Commanding Officers
Chief of staff
References
*
*
External links
*{{cite web
, last = Wendel
, first = Marcus
, url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=7310
, title = Axis History Factbook
, work = Japanese Twenty-Fifth Army
25
Japanese occupation of Singapore
Military units and formations established in 1941
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
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