What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN: We're reading from "How the Japanese Army Fights," a 162-page wartime intelligence study published in 1942. This document, written by Lt. Cols. P.W. Thompson, H. Doud, and J. Scofield, was originally published in the Infantry Journal. It provides a detailed knowledge of the Japanese Army as it existed in 1942. The study is notable for its candid assessment of the Japanese military's strengths and weaknesses. Source: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/various-wwii-reports-and-documents/ https://www.theblackvault.com/documents/wwii/marine1/1222.pdf PROVENANCE: This document was released through The Black Vault, a website that provides access to declassified government records. The document is a reprint of a historical work, not available elsewhere, and is part of the U.S. Marine Corps' Fleet Marine Force Reference Publication (FMFRP) series. No FOIA case number is available for this release. THE DOCUMENT: FMFRP 12-22 How the Japanese Army Fights U.S. Marine Corps PCN 14012220000 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY Headquarters United States Marine Corps Washington, DC 20380-0001 FOREWORD 27 April 1989 1. PURPOSE Fleet Marine Force Reference Publication (FMFRP) 12-22, How the Japanese Army Fights, is published to ensure the retention and dissemination of useful information which is not intended to become doctrine or to be published in Fleet Marine Force manuals. 2. SCOPE This reference publication was written by Lt. Cols. P.W. Thompson, H. Doud, and J. Scofield, and published originally in the Infantry Journal. It provides the reader with a detailed knowledge of the Japanese Army as it existed in 1942. From its organization and history, from arms and equipment, to analysis of the Japanese Army in campaign and in battle, the book is an excellent study of the Japanese soldier as an individual and his army as a whole. 3. CERTIFICATION Reviewed and approved this date. BY DIRECTION OF THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS Major General, U.S. Marine Corps Deputy Commander for Warfighting Marine Corps Combat Development Command Quantico, Virginia INTRODUCTION We Americans have learned much about the Jap since December 7, 1941—much that we should have known earlier had we not been blind to the dire necessity of knowing. And now that the necessity and the desire are in our minds and hearts, no book on the Army of the Jap needs an introduction. We must know our foes and know them well. CHAPTER 1 BEHIND THE FOG OF WAR A Glance at the History and Organization of the Jap Army [Lieutenant Colonel Paul W. Thompson, Corps of Engineers; who has written this brief estimate of the history, organization, and men of the Jap Army, is also the author of Chapters 4 and 5, in which he describes the methods used by the Japanese forces in specific campaigns in China and Malaya.] THE BUILDINGS in Tokyo from which the Japanese Imperial General Staff does a fair job of directing far-flung military activities are old and have a down-at-the-heels appearance. In a sense…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

Case · DAILY-043

How the Japanese Army Fights (WWII intelligence study)

JUL 6 · 2026Narrated by daily-declassified-how-the-japanese-army-fights-wwii-intelligence-study6 minLast updated July 6, 2026

The short version

COLD OPEN: We're reading from "How the Japanese Army Fights," a 162-page wartime intelligence study published in 1942. This document, written by Lt. Cols. W. Thompson, H. Doud, and J. Scofield, was originally published in the Infantry Journal. It provides a detailed knowledge of the Japanese Army as it existed in 1942.

Date: JUL 6 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

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COLD OPEN: We're reading from "How the Japanese Army Fights," a 162-page wartime intelligence study published in 1942. This document, written by Lt. Cols. P.W. Thompson, H. Doud, and J. Scofield, was originally published in the Infantry Journal. It provides a detailed knowledge of the Japanese Army…

Questions about this case

What was How the Japanese Army Fights (WWII intelligence study) about?: COLD OPEN: We're reading from "How the Japanese Army Fights," a 162-page wartime intelligence study published in 1942. This document, written by Lt. Cols. W. Thompson, H. Doud, and J. Scofield, was originally published in the Infantry Journal. It provides a detailed knowledge of the Japanese Army as it existed in 1942.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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