The military forces of Japan are the Permanent Army, with reserves and recruiting reserves, the Territorial Army, the National Militia and the militia of certain of the islands. The Permanent Army is available for foreign service, the Territorial Army for home defense, and the militia for auxiliary operations in more distant parts of the country.

Service is personal and obligatory from the age of 17 to 40. The total actual period is 12 years and 4 months, of which 3 years are in the Regular Army, 4 years and 4 months in the Reserve, and 5 years in the Territorial Army. The recruiting reserve is drawn from the excess of the contingent, and the men, after passing their 7 years and 4 months in the Reserves, pass to the Militia.

The Emperor is supreme head of the army, and military affairs are directed through the War Minister and the Chief of the General Staff by the Superior War Council. In order to insure unity of action between the various branches of the navy, there is a council consisting of the War Minister, the Naval Minister, the chiefs of the General Staff and the Naval Staff and the Director-General of Military Training.

The following are details of the effective strength of the army on a war footing, not comprising the troops in the island of Formosa: Administrations and establishments, 1,000 officers, 2,900 men; Permanent Army, infantry, 156 battalions; cavalry, 55 squadrons with 9,000 horses; field artillery, 19 regiments of 6 batteries with 684 guns; fortress artillery, 20 battalions; engineers, 13 sapper battalions and 1 railway battalion; transport, 13 battalions: total, 203 battalions, 55 squadrons, 684 guns; or 7,500 officers, 193,790 men, 61,390 horses. Depot troops: 52 battalions, 17 squadrons, 26 companies, 19 batteries; or 1,000 officers, 34,600 men, 9,000 horses, 114 guns. Territorial Army: 130 battalions, 26 squadrons, 312 guns, 3,200 officers, 118,530 men, 11,860 horses. Militia: 35 officers, 1,180 men, 210 horses. Grand total, 386 battalions, 26 companies, 99 squadrons, 1,116 guns, 11,735 officers, 348,100 men and 84,460 horses. The total fully trained force, according to the St. Petersburg Gazette, is 509,960. The Military College and Academy train accomplished officers of great intelligence. They were pronounced by General Grant to be among the foremost of the kind in the world. The barracks and gymnasia are of the best type, and every care is paid to the physical development of the men.