{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 A Fortified District refers to the

Japanese Army 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 ...

and in certain cases the

Japanese Navy , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

defensive fortified organization in World War II. A district was created in order to prevent invasion and provide a base for offensive operation. These ''fortified districts'' were built in the area of

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...

; Chosen in Korea; Karafuto; Southern Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands - a front of over 6,000 kilometers.

Examples

The Japanese forces had built 17 "fortified districts" and over 4,500 permanent emplacements along the USSR border. Other similar structures were constructed inland in these provinces. In similar form it organized other fortified districts inside mainland Japan (coastal and inner mountainous areas) and overseas provinces ( Taiwan, Ryukyu,

South Seas Mandate The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the "South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following Wo ...

, etc.) Such installations that were constructed for defensive/offensive purposes were used by both sides. They were designed by the Japanese and used by the Russians during 'August Storm' operations in August 1945, when fire from heavy guns on land and coastal Tochkas was used against Japanese forces. Examples of heavy Japanese fortified artillery: *Type 94 37mm anti-tank (AT) Gun *Type 1 37mm AT Gun *Type 1 47mm AT Gun *Type 92 70mm Infantry Gun *Type 98 20mm AA Cannon *Type 2 20mm AA Cannon *Type 4 20mm AA Twin Cannon *Type 11 75mm AA Gun *Type 88 75mm AA Gun *Type 4 75mm AA Gun *Type 99 88mm AA Gun *Type 14 10 cm AA Gun *Type 3 12 cm AA Gun *Type 5 15 cm AA Gun (Kugayama Cannon) *28 cm Heavy Howitzer *Type 38 15 cm Howitzer *Type 45 24 cm Howitzer *Type 45 15 cm Gun *Type 7 30 cm Howitzer *Type 7 10 cm Gun *Type 7 15 cm Gun *Type 11 75mm Gun *Type 89 15 cm Gun *Type 96 24 cm Howitzer *Type 96 15 cm Gun *Experimental 41 cm Howitzer *Type 90 24 cm Railway Gun (Futtsu Cannon) *and other types of special heavy artillery Examples remain in: * Chosen Fortifications: ** Seishin (now Chongjin) with 4,000 officers and men, protected by heavy coastal artillery, an armored train, a regular train carrying combat equipment, and eight concrete fortifications and emplacements. ** Etetin (now Odetsin) ** Genzan (now Wonsan) with 6,238 Japanese officers and soldiers **

Rashin Rason (formerly Rajin-Sŏnbong; ) is a North Korean special city and ice-free port in the Sea of Japan in the North Pacific Ocean on the northeast tip of North Korea. It is in the Kwanbuk region and location of the Rason Special Economic Zone. ...

(now

Najin Rajin-guyŏk () is a North Korean district on Rason in the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) in the North Pacific Ocean on the northeast tip of North Korea. It is in the Kwanbuk region and location in the south of Rason. North of it lies the North ...

) ** Yuki (called Unggi in Korean, now called

Sonbong Sonbong County, formerly called Unggi (Chosŏn'gŭl: 웅기, Hancha: 雄基), is a subdivision of the North Korean city of Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering Russia and China. It lies on Unggi Bay, an extensi ...

, or "Vanguard" in North Korea.) * Manchoukouan Fortifications: ** Manzhouli ** Kotou **Fuyuan ** Sungari and the Japanese Army Sungari Flotilla **

Xinjing Xinjing may refer to: *'' Heart Sutra'' or ''Xinjing'' (心經), a Chinese-language sutra in Mahāyāna Buddhism Places in China * Changchun, the capital city of Jilin, known as Xinjing (新京) during the Manchukuo era (1932–1945) * Xinjing Tow ...

(Changchun) fortified district/defense center ** Tuntsiang defense center ** Fuqing fortified district with five permanent emplacements, a munitions depot and six mortar batteries. ** Sun’u with 20,000 Japanese officers and soldiers ** Sanjiang * Kwantung Fortifications: ** Ryojun (now Lüshunkou) **

Dalian Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the ...

Examples

See also