The is one of nine active divisions of the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

. The division is subordinated to the Northern Army and is headquartered at Camp Asahikawa in

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. Its responsibility is the defense of North Western Hokkaidō. The division was raised on 18 January 1962.

Organization

* 2nd Division, at Camp Asahikawa in

** 2nd Division HQ, at Camp Asahikawa ** 3rd Infantry Regiment^{''note 1''} (Mechanized), at Camp Nayoro in Nayoro, with Type 96 Armored Personnel Carriers ** 25th Infantry Regiment, at Camp Engaru in Engaru ** 26th Infantry Regiment, at Camp Rumoi in Rumoi ** 2nd Tank Regiment, at Camp Kamifurano in Kamifurano, with four squadrons employing a mix of Type 90 and

Type 74 The is a main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). It was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a supplement to the earlier Type 61. It was based on the best features of a number of contemporary designs, placing ...

tanks and one

Type 10 The is a fourth generation main battle tank of JSDF produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, entering service in 2012. Compared with other currently-serving main battle tanks in the JGSDF, the Type ...

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...

squadron ** 2nd Artillery Regiment (Mechanized), at Camp Asahikawa *** 1st Artillery Battalion, with two batteries of Type 99 155mm

Self-propelled Howitzers Self-propelled may refer to * Human-powered transport, humans moving themselves (and their cargo) via their own muscle energy * Machines that power their own movement: ** Automobile (from ''auto-'' + ''mobile'', "self-moving") ** Locomotive (f ...

*** 2nd Artillery Battalion, with two batteries of Type 99 155mm Self-propelled Howitzers *** 3rd Artillery Battalion, with two batteries of Type 99 155mm Self-propelled Howitzers *** 4th Artillery Battalion, with two batteries of Type 99 155mm Self-propelled Howitzers *** 5th Artillery Battalion, with three batteries of Type 99 155mm Self-propelled Howitzers ** 2nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, at Camp Asahikawa, with three batteries employing a mix of Type 81 and Type 93

Surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

Systems ** 2nd Aviation Squadron, at Camp Asahikawa, flying UH-1J and OH-6D Helicopters ** 2nd Engineer Battalion (Combat), at Camp Asahikawa ** 2nd Logistic Support Regiment, at Camp Asahikawa *** 1st Maintenance Battalion *** 2nd Maintenance Battalion *** Supply Company *** Medical Company *** Transport Company ** 2nd Signal Battalion, at Camp Asahikawa ** 2nd Reconnaissance Company, at Camp Nayoro, with Type 87 Armored Reconnaissance Vehicles ** 2nd Anti-Tank Company, at Camp Kamifurano in Kamifurano ** 2nd NBC-defense Company, at Camp Asahikawa ** 2nd

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

, at Camp Asahikawa ''note 1'': Infantry Regiments are roughly battalion strength, derived from the

Pentomic Pentomic (cf. ''Greek pent(e)-'' +''-tome'' "of five parts") was a structure for infantry and airborne divisions adopted by the US Army between 1957 and 1963, in response to the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, on future battlefields. ...

structure that reorganized regiments from consisting of battalions to consisting of companies. Battalions in Japanese practice generally refer to smaller units composed of fewer companies or batteries, such as a 2-company divisional tank battalion as opposed to a 5-company tank regiment.

References

External links

Homepage 2nd Division
''(Japanese)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:2nd Division (Japan) Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Division Military units and formations established in 1962