| 12th Division | |
|---|---|
 Type 4 15-cm howitzer at site former IJA 12th Division HQ atKokura Castle | |
| Active | 1 October 1898 – 1945 |
| Country | Empire of Japan |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 25,000 men |
| Garrison/HQ | Kokura, Japan |
| Nickname(s) | Broadsword Division |
| Engagements | Russo-Japanese War Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ando Sadami Uchiyama Kojiro Oi Shigemoto Shiba Goro Hajime Sugiyama Otozo Yamada Masakazu Kawabe |
The12th Division (第12師団,Dai Jūni Shidan) was aninfantry division in theImperial Japanese Army. Itstsūshōgōcode name was theBroadsword Division (剣兵団,Ken-heidan), and its military symbol was 12D. The 12th Division was one of six new infantry divisions raised by the Imperial Japanese Army after theFirst Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). The division received its colors on 1 October 1898 and disbanded in September 1945. Its troops were recruited primarily from communities in the northern portion of the island ofKyūshū[1] and it was originally headquartered withinKokura Castle (now part of the city ofKitakyūshū, Fukuoka)
During theRusso-Japanese War, under the command of Lieutenant GeneralInoue Hikaru, the division deployed toManchuria as part of the1st army. It returned to Kokura after the war, and was deployed again to the continent during theJapanese intervention in Siberia from 19 August 1918.[2] The divisional arsenal inKokura Castle was used meanwhile to supply other units. The participation in theSiberian Intervention has ended 19 July 1919, but resumed again briefly in 1921.The 12th Division headquarters was relocated toKurume, another city inFukuoka prefecture in 1925. In February 1932, following theFirst Shanghai Incident, the IJA 24th Infantry Regiment of the 12th Division was reinforced with additional artillery units, becoming the24th Mixed Brigade, which was deployed toShanghai, and which was later (from April 1936) assigned toManchukuo. During that period, the12th division was an elite unit, sporting an disproportionately large amount of firepower and heavy equipment.
In 1940, the division was reorganized into atriangular division, with its IJA 14th Infantry Regiment joining theIJA 25th Division. The 12th Division, under Lieutenant GeneralMasakazu Kawabe was then permanently relocated to Manchukuo from July 1940, coming under the control of theJapanese Third Army inDongning and was used primarily for policing and anti-partisan activities. The56th division took the now vacantKurume headquarters.
However, in 1944 as thePacific War situation became increasing unfavorable for Japan, the 12th Division was transferred toHsinchu,Taiwan, where it bolstered the defenses of the10th area army (and to the40th army in time it was based onTaiwan in early 1945) against a possibleAllied invasion. However, the Allies bypassed Taiwan and landed onOkinawa instead, so the 12th Division ended World War II as a garrison force in Taiwan without having seen combat.