Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1097

 DEFENCE 1045

The strength of an independent brigade of cavalry is 2 regiments, each of ■ irons and aba: ..tchine guns ; total about 1,650 men and

1,680 horses. ndependent artillery brigade of 12

batteries is about 2,600 u X)0 horses. Divisions are grouped

directly into arm Q4 forming sn army of from 80,000 to 180,000

men. The war atr-ngth of may be taken at about 600,000 com -

baun:», including Kobi troops detailed for the lines of communication.


 * • sent of 76 regiments (228 battalions) of

.a of cavalry (S9 squadrons), 150 field batteries, 9

as' of garrison artillery, 19 battalions of

engineers each o. :*, 12 railway companies, 6 telegraph companies,

1 aero battalion des of train troops.

Tin- Kobi con 9 battalions, 57 squadrons, 114 field batteriaa,

12 battalions of garrison artillery, and 19 battalions of engineers, and would on mobdis-ition form independent divisions.

The Japanese Inlands are divided into military districts, corresponding to the divisions of the army, and the district is the unit of administra- tion as well as of territorial command. Each division is supplied with recruits from its own district, except the Guards, whose infantry recruits are selected from the whole country ; the other arms of the Guard difjsJbp are recruited from the large district of the 1st division. Abroad there are the separate division of Formosa, and the small garrisons of Saghalien and Tsushima, also some 25,000 to 30,000 men in Korea and Manchuria. Between July and November, 1918, 60,000 men were dispatched to Siberia. At the end of 1919 this force had been reduced to 39,000 men, but was again increased in the spring of 1920 to about 50,000 men.

The Emperor and supreme commander of the army, and also of

the naw. He nominates the "War Minister (always a general officer of high rank\ the Chief of the General Staff, the Director of Military Schoob, and "the Members of the Military Council.

The arm of the Japanese infantry is the improved Arisaka rifle ; calibre, 6*6 mm. ( ■256"), a Mauser with an altered chamber. The cavalry are armed with a carbine of similar construction. The field gun is a q.-f. shielded Krupp of 7 '5 cm. calibre, which fires a shrapnel of 14*3 lb. The mountain artillery has a gun of the same calibre firing a lighter shell. There are a certain number of field howitzer batteries, armed with 4*6* and 5 9* howitzers, firing shells of about 44 lb. and 80 lb. respectively. A 4" gun for heavy field batteries is being introduced.

No returns of the peace strength of the Japanese army are published, but the total apparently amounts to rather over 250,000 of all ranks.

The military budget for 1921-22 amounted to 39,450,000/.,

II. Navy.

The coast of Japan is divided into five maritime districts having their headquarters at Yokosuka, Knre, Sas» ho, Maizuru, and Chinkai.

The Japanese Fleet is being expanded in pursuance of the programme of 1916-17, »>upplemeuted by a new programme which was introduced in 1920, but has not yet been put in hand. The 1916-17 plan was to provide a strength of 8 battleships and 8 battle-crui»ers, not any one of which should be of greater age than 8 years. Four battleships have been put in hand, as well as four battle-cruisers, of which the last was laid down in February, 1920. These ships are shown in the table below. The 1920 programme proposes 4 additional battleships and 4 battle-cruisers, as well as 12 light cruisers and destroyers and submarines, all to be completed by 1927-28.