Imperial Japanese Army Intelligence in North and Central China During the Second Sino-Japanese War

Authors

  • Simon Hall University of Adelaide

Keywords:

Japanese intelligence, Second World War, China, puppet armies

Abstract

The Japanese today seek to improve their national intelligence apparatus, particularly in relation to human intelligence assets and higher echelon coordination. To be successful, Japan must examine its wartime past in the intelligence field. The Imperial Japanese Army maintained a prolific intelligence presence in North and Central China during the Second World War. Its intelligence apparatus encompassed all aspects of information collection, with considerable overlap between intelligence organisations in an effort to avoid gaps in intelligence coverage. Japan’s intelligence system in North and Central China was nevertheless inefficient, exacerbated by inherent weaknesses and reactive rather than proactive alterations throughout the course of the conflict. This paper examines this lack of efficacy within Japan’s intelligence system during the Second Sino-Japanese conflict, and the efforts made to overcome difficulties faced by Japanese intelligence in North and Central China throughout this period.

Author Biography

  • Simon Hall, University of Adelaide

    Simon Hall is a PhD student at the University of Adelaide, Australia. He holds the degrees of Bachelor of International Studies and Master of Arts (International Studies). His doctoral research centers on Japanese intelligence from the First Sino-Japanese War to the end of Second World War. His broader research interests lay in the subject areas of intelligence studies, international relations, and strategic studies as they pertain to North and East Asia.

References

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Published

2014-03-01

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2014)

Section

Research Articles

License

Authors retain copyright in their articles and grant SALUS the right of first publication. The work is simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as appropriate credit is given to the author(s) and the journal, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.

How to Cite

Imperial Japanese Army Intelligence in North and Central China During the Second Sino-Japanese War. (2014). Salus Journal, 2(2), 16-30. https://journals.csu.domains/index.php/salusjournal/article/view/issue-02-number-02-hall