Australia–Japan Research Project at the Australian War Memorial
The human face of war
South Seas Force officers

55th Infantry Group Headquarters
Maj Gen HORII Tomitarô, Commander
(Maj Gen ODA Kensaku, Commander)
Lt Col TANAKA Toyonari, Chief of Staff
Lt Col TOMITA Yoshinobu, Staff Officer
(Maj TAJIMA Yoshikuni, Chief of Staff)
Lt Col SASAKI Toshio, Adjutant
Maj TOYOFUKU Tetsuo, Intelligence Officer
Lt SOGAWA Masayoshi, Intelligence Officer
Lt IKEDA Shigeyoshi, Signals Officer
Lt SHIRAISHI Kiyoichi, Code Officer
Lt INOUE Hatsukichi, Guards Officer
Lt TSURUMI Seitarô, Ordnance Officer
Lt KINOSHITA Masatake, Ordnance Officer
Capt TAKASE Yoshio, Intendence Officer
Lt INUI Shikaji, Intendence Officer
Lt NIO Takeshige, Intendence Officer
Capt ISHIYAMA Yasuaki, Medical Officer
Lt ABE Yutaka, Veterinary Medical Officer

144th Infantry Regiment
Col KUSUNOSE Masao, Commander
(Col YAMAMOTO Shigemi, Commander)
(Col YOSHIDA Akio, Commander)
Capt HIROTA Heishirô, Adjutant
Capt HORIUCHI Taizô, Assistant Adjutant
Lt KOMATSU Shigeru, Standard Bearer
Lt MORIMOTO Yoshiyuki, Assistant Standard Bearer
Lt FUJITA Motoshige, Assistant Standard Bearer
Capt NAKAZAWA Yoshinari, Medical Officer
2nd Lt UEDA Eikichi, Medical Officer
Lt WATANABE Yukio, Intendence Officer
2nd Lt MURASE Takeshi, Veterinary Medical Officer
1st Battalion
Lt Col TSUKAMOTO Hatsuo, Commander
Lt ÔNISHI Wataru, Adjutant
Lt INOUE Keiichi, Assistant Adjutant
Lt KITAGAWA Ichirô, Intendence Officer
Lt UGA Isao, Medical Officer
2nd Lt MIYAZAKI Kiyotaka, Medical Officer
Probationary Officer OZAKI Masahiro, Veterinary Medical Officer
Lt HAMADA Sadao, 1st Company Commander
Lt TAKIISHI Taneshige, 2nd Company Commander
Lt NOSE Munekichi, 3rd Company Commander
Capt ITOSAKI Naotake, 1st Machine Gun Company Commander
2nd Lt SAKAMOTO Atsushi, 1st Battalion Artillery Platoon Commander
2nd Battalion
Maj HORIE Tadashi, Commander
(Maj KATÔ Kôkichi, Commander)
Lt YAMAUCHI Daisaku, Adjutant
Lt HORIBE Tomogorô, Assistant Adjutant
Lt IKE Katsuichi, Intendence Officer
2nd Lt NISHIUCHI Genkichi, Medical Officer
Probationary Officer TAKAHASHI Sôten, Medical Officer
Probationary Officer YANO, Veterinary Medical Officer
Lt OKAZAKI Masao, 4th Company Commander
Lt KIHARA Tokushige, 5th Company Commander
Lt UEMURA Ugashige, 6th Company Commander
Capt INO, 2nd Machine Gun Company Commander
2nd lt KAWAMURA Suekichi, 2nd Battalion Artillery Platoon Commander
3rd Battalion
Lt Col KUWATA Gen’ichirô, Commander
Lt KANEKO Seiichi, Adjutant
Lt OKABAYASHI Masanao, Assistant Adjutant
2nd Lt NISHIMURA Hidehiro, Assistant Adjutant
Lt TOKUHIRA Hiroba, Intendence Officer
2nd Lt KOJIMA Kin’ichi, Medical Officer
Probationary Officer CHIKAMI Hideo, Medical Officer
Probationary Officer EBUCHI Ranka, Veterinary Medical Officer
Capt KAMIYA Sumiyoshi, 7th Company Commander
Lt YANAGISE Yoshie, 8th Company Commander
Lt HAMAGUCHI Masahide, 9th Company Commander
Capt KITAMURA Kioshi, 3rd Machine Gun Company Commander
Lt OKAMOTO Yoshihiko, 3rd Battalion Artillery Platoon Commander
Regimental Artillery Company
Lt KAWAMOTO Kan’ichi, Commander
Regimental Signals Company
Lt IRIMAJIRI Ei, Commander

41st Infantry Regiment
Col YAZAWA Kiyoshi, Commander
Capt HACHISUKA Tadashi, Adjutant
2nd Lt ARITA, Standard Bearer
2nd Lt FUKUMOTO Tsukasa, Medical Officer
ÔGA Shinta, Intendence Officer
Lt AKIYAMA Masaaki
2nd Lt KAWANO Yô
2nd Lt TOKORO Kô
2nd Lt ÔNUMA Sekio
Lt NAGAO Takashi
Lt MURAKAMI Michitaka
Lt MORI Yoshitaka
Lt ASAI Yoshio
Lt MURATA Mamoru
Lt MINAMI Samon
Lt TAMANO Mitsuo
Lt KATÔ Etsuyoshi

1st Battalion
Major MIYAMOTO Kikumatsu, Commander (in Rabaul)
Lt HOSODA Gôzô, Adjutant
Lt MORIMOTO Haruyo, Intendence Officer
Lt MAKITSUBO Tokiyoshi, Medical Officer
Capt SHIMIZU Ryôhei, Medical Officer
Lt KATAYAMA Shin'ichi, Medical Officer
2nd Lt OGAWA Naoto, Assistant Medical Officer
WO KONDÔ Kunri, Provisional Medical Officer
Lt ANEZAKI Toshiichi, 1st Company Commander
Capt SENOO Tatsuo, 2nd Company Commander
Lt TAKENAKA Hideta, 3rd Company Commander
Capt YAMAKAMI Fumijirô, Battalion Artillery Unit Commander

2nd Battalion
Maj KOIWAI Mitsuo, Commander
Lt NODA Junkichi, Adjutant
MORITA Eiichi
MORIMOTO Haruyo
2nd Lt ÔWA Chikayoshi, Intendence Officer
Lt SHIBATA Masataka, Medical Officer
2nd Lt HAMAZAKI Mitsuyoshi, Medical Officer
Lt ARAMOTO Masaho, 5th Company Commander
Lt AKIYAMA Shizuto, 6th Company Commander
Lt ÔNO Tôru, 7th Company Commander
Capt YASHIMA Sanji, 8th Company Commander
Lt OKA Kesazô, 2nd Machine Gun Company Commander
2nd Lt MORITA, Battalion Artillery Unit Commander

3rd Battalion
Maj KOBAYASHI Asao, Commander
(Maj MURASE Gohei, Commander)
Lt OGAWA Yoshinao, Adjutant
Lt UCHIDA Toshimitsu, Medical Officer
Lt NAKAJIMA Torao, Medical Officer
Capt HAYASHI Norio, 9th Company Commander
Capt KARASAWA Iwao, 10th Company Commander
Lt SÔDA Jirô, 11th Company Commander
Lt OKAMOTO Kuniichi, 12th Company Commander
Lt MASAOKA Takashi, 3rd Machine Gun Company Commander
Lt NOTE Tamotsu, Battalion Artillery Unit Commander

Anti-Artillery Gun Company
Capt SHIGEMASA Keisuke, Commander

Regimental Artillery Company

Regimental Signals Company
KONDÔ Yasuhiko, Commander

55th Cavalry Regiment 3rd Company (less one platoon) plus 55th Cavalry Regiment Pom-pom Gun Squad
Lt KAWASHIMA Seiki, Commander
2nd Lt TAGUCHI Sao, Assistant Commander

55th Engineer Regiment 1st Company plus Materials Platoon (part strength)
Capt TAKAMORI Hachirô, Commander
Lt KÔNO Kazuo, Assistant Commander

55th Supply Regiment 2nd Company
Lt SAKIGAWA Toshiharu, Commander
Lt KANEMOTO Rinzô, Assistant Commander

55th Division Disease Prevention and Water Supply Unit (part strength)
Medical Capt YAMAMOTO Susumu, Commander
Lt NAO Minoru, Assistant Commander

55th Mountain Artillery Regiment 1st Battalion
Lt Col HOZUMI Shizuo, Commander
Lt YOSHIMOTO Haruchiyo, Adjutant
Lt WATANABE Tetsuo, Assistant Adjutant
Lt TAKEICHI Sadao, Assistant Adjutant
Lt KOMODA Takeo, Intendence Officer
2nd Lt DOI Yonekichi, Medical Officer
2nd Lt YONEDA Tanetsugu, Veterinary Medical Officer
Lt HAMADA Sadahiko, 1st Company Commander
Lt TAKIISHI Taneshige, 2nd Company Commander
Lt TAKAGI Yoshifumi, 3rd Company Commander

55th Division Medical Unit (one third strength)
Capt AKAO Hamakichi, Commander
Capt TANAKA Hitoshi, Adjutant
Lt EZAKI Yukiaki, Medical Officer
2nd Lt TERAMURA Mitsuru, Pharmacist
Probationary Officer FUJIMOTO Akihiko, Sanitation Officer

55th Division 1st Field Hospital
Capt BANDÔ Jôbu, Medical Commander
Lt NAGAI Tokutarô, Medical Officer
Lt INOGUCHI Sadaharu, Medical Officer
Lt KAWANISHI Genkichi, Medical Officer
Lt NARITA Chikao, Duty Officer
Lt YANO Yoshikazu, Medical Officer
Lt ONO Hideo, Medical Officer
Lt KUWABARA Masanori, Pharmacist
Lt NAKAYAMA Eizaburô, Duty Officer
Lt ABE Shigenobu, Medical Officer
Lt NISHIKAWA Yoshitaka, Medical Officer
Lt KAWAKAMI Motohiko, Pharmacist
Lt YOKOZEKI Eitarô, Medical Officer
Lt HARADA Tameo, Medical Officer
Lt SADO Yoshitaka, Medical Officer
Lt MAKINO Yukio, Medical Officer
Lt SHIRAI Minoru, Medical Officer
Lt MAEDA Nobufumi, Medical Officer
Lt FUJITA Tamotsu, Medical Officer
Lt YASUKAWA Tadashi, Intendence Officer

15th Independent Engineer Regiment
Col YOKOYAMA Yosuke, Commander
Lt Col KADOTANI Osamu, Adjutant
Lt Col MORI Toshio, Assistant Adjutant
Maj TERADA Tokushige, Assistant Adjutant
Maj HAGINO Michio, Assistant Adjutant
Maj MIYAZAKI Shôichi, Assistant Adjutant
Maj MAENO Zen’ei, Intendence Officer
Lt Col KAGEYAMA Michio, Medical Officer
Lt Col YANAGISAWA Hiroshi, Medical Officer
Lt Col TADA Kyôshi, 1st Company Commander
Lt Col SAIDA Minoru, 2nd Company Commander
Lt Col TAKADA Kazuo, 3rd Company Commander

(Note: names in brackets indicate replacements)