*
The Meiji conscription system would prove adequate For World War I (1914-18), but began to crack after Japan's militarist dominated goverment became increasingly aggresive. Chaing's Nationalist Governent decided not to resist when Japan seized Manchuriua (1931). Chaing understood that it would have been a military disaster. Japan's intrusion into northern China and gradual move south turned into a full scale war (1937). Unexpectedly the Chinese continued to resist despite major defeats. And this created the need for an Japanese expanded army. The Japanese did not expect such significant Chinese resistance. And China is a large country. Thus the Japanese had to expand conscription. The first changes were to allow Koreans and Formosans to volunteer. Previously a relatively small share of the available young men were drafted. With the war in China, conscription began to increase and deferments reduced. Japan thus fielded the largest army in its history. The Chinese continued to resist. Prime-miminister Tojo and his cabinent decided that the only way to win the War in China was go attack Britaib and the United States. That may soiund insane today, but this is what the Jaoabese Governenent decided after considerable study. Japan launched the Pacific War by attacking Pearl Harbor (December 1941). The great majority of the Japanese Army was in China. The early Japanese victories were achieved with a small portion of the Army against poorly trained and armed Western forces, mostly colonial policing forces. The American units in the Philippines retreated to Bataan and were basically starved out. The easy naval victories ceased with Midway (June 1942) and then the Japanaese Armny encountered real resistance by trained and well-armed combat troops, first on Gudalcanal from the Americans (August 1942) and New Guinea by the Australians (September 1942). This is when losses increased and more men were needed. The Pacific War thus forced wholesale changes in the Meiji Concription System. The Japanese militarists were forced to attempt to match the greater size and resources of the United States with a greater effort by the Japanese people. The Goverment began to expand the age ranges for military service (1943). Eventually all healthy males aged 15-60 years as well as females aged 17-45 years were drafted. And we have noted younger uniformed school girls in factories. As the military situation in World War II became more desperate. University syudents who at first received deferments began to be drafted. This was at first done by shortening the final year, but gradually other changes were made in the academic program. Then as a result of increasing lossess, the Army began drafting all males over 20 years, including college students (September 1943). [Shillony, p. 778.] This occurred at about the same time that Japan began to experimenbt with the first Kamnakaze suicide attacks. This is part of the reason that such a high percentage of college level enlistees were assigned to the 'Special Attack' Kamikaze squadrons. Next youths under 20, some as young as 15 years old, were made eligible for military service (1944) The National Resistance Program was adopoyed (February 26, 1945). This made men 15 to 60 and women 17 to 40 subject to training for a projected final defense of the homeland asinvasion was looking increasingly likely.
Shillony, Ben-Ami. "Universities and Students in Wartime Japan," The Journal of Asian Studies Vol. 45, No. 4, (1986), pp. 769-87.
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