The Japanese 29th Army (第29軍) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army occupying Malaya during the final days of World War II.

History

The Japanese 29th Army was initially raised on January 6, 1944, at Taiping, Perak in Japanese-occupied Malaya as a garrison force, and in anticipation of any Allied attempt to invade and retake the Malay Peninsula. The army's headquarters was at what is now the Peking Hotel, 2 Jalan Idris, also the site of the Kempeitai Headquarters. Initially under command of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group, the IJA 29th Army was transferred to the Japanese Seventh Area Army on March 27, 1944. The Commanding Officer was Lieutenant General Teizo Ishiguro. His Chief of Staff was Major General Masukura Fujimura. When Fujimura was transferred to the 13th Area Army on its formation on 1 February 1945, Major General Naokazu Kawahara became Chief of Staff. Kawahara had been Commander of the 26th Mixed Brigade in Java. As the war situation on the Pacific front grew increasingly desperate for Japan, the Imperial Japanese Army was unable to provide reinforcements and resupply to units south of the Philippines. After the surrender of Japan the 29th Army formally surrendered to Lieutenant-General Ouvry Roberts of the 34th Indian Corps at the Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur on 13 September 1945. Neither the 29th Army nor the 34th Indian Corps had seen combat. The 29th Army was then demobilized.

List of Commanders

Final headquarters configuration at the end of the war

Commander: Ishiguro Teizo lieutenant general

Final units

94th Infantry Division raised in 1944 and under Lieutenant General Tsunamasa Shidei Logistics troops South eighth Army Hospital (Kuala Lumpur): Imamura SakuTakeshi surgeon Colonel 29th Army Depot 29th Army Field arsenal 29th Army Field automobile Factory 29th Army Field cargo Factory

Lieutenant General Teizo Ishiguro

Ishiguro (石黒貞蔵) was the former Commander of the 6th Army which had been based in Manchuria. In May 1944 the Army participated in Operation Ichi-Go On 1 July 1944 Ishiguro was appointed Commander of the newly formed 29th Army and based in Malaya in anticipation of an Allied attack.