China Expeditionary Army

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China Expeditionary Army
Japanese: 支那派遣軍, Shina hakengun
Japanese Occupation - Map
Active	12 September 1939 – 15 August 1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Allegiance	Emperor of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Army Group
Size	1,050,000 personnel
Garrison/HQ	Nanjing
Nickname(s)	Eishudan (栄集団, Prosperous)
Engagements	Second Sino-Japanese War

The China Expeditionary Army (Shina hakengun) was a general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1939 to 1945.

The China Expeditionary Army was established in September 1939 from the merger of the Central China Expeditionary Army and Japanese Northern China Area Army, and was headquartered in the pro-Japanese Reorganized National Government's capital city of Nanjing. The China Expeditionary Army was responsible for all Japanese military operations in China and was the main fighting force during the Second Sino-Japanese War, with over 1 million soldiers under its command at its peak. The China Expeditionary Army was dissolved upon the Surrender of Japan in August 1945.

In military literature, the China Expeditionary Army is often referred to by the initials "CEA".^[1]