Imperial Japanese Army Air Service - History

History

The Imperial Japanese Army made use of hot air balloons for observation purposes in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and purchased its first aircraft, a Farman biplane, in 1910. However, serious interest in military aviation did not develop until after World War I. Japanese military observers in Europe were quick to spot the advantages of the new technology, and after the end of the war, Japan purchased large numbers of surplus military aircraft, including Sopwith 1½ Strutters, Nieuport Bebes, and Spads.

Japanese army aviation was organized into a separate chain of command within the Ministry of War of Japan in 1919, and aircraft were being used in combat roles during the 1920 Siberian Intervention against the Bolshevik Red Army near Vladivostok.

The first aircraft factory in Japan, Nakajima Aircraft Company, was founded in 1916 and later obtained a license to produce the Nieuport 24 and Nieuport 29C1 as well as the Hispano-Suiza engine. Nakajima later license-produced the Gloster Gannet and Bristol Jupiter. Similarly, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries started producing aircraft under license from Sopwith in 1921, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries started producing the Salmson bomber from France, and hired German engineers such as Dr. Richard Vogt to produce original designs such as the Type 88 bomber. Kawasaki also produced aircraft engines under license from BMW. By the end of the 1920s, Japan was producing its own designs to meet the needs of the Army, and by 1935 it had a large inventory that was technically sophisticated.

By 1941, the Japanese Army Air Force had about 1,500 combat capable aircraft. During the first years of the war, Japan continued technical development and deployment of increasingly advanced aircraft and enjoyed air superiority over most battlefields due to the combat experience of its crews, plus the low numbers and lack of preparation of the allied forces.

However, as the war continued, the industrial limitation of the country in comparison with the Allies, while still in combat in different locations, as well as bombing of the Japanese home islands made Japan unable to maintain a competitive volume of aircraft. Experienced crews were lost to attrition in combat, new ones could not be trained due to the lack of fuel and time, and towards the end of its existence the JAAF resorted to kamikaze attacks against overwhelmingly superior Allied forces.