Japanese WW2


4th Class	5th Class	6th Class	7th Class
The Order of the Golden Kite (above) is a Japanese military award for bravery or leadership. 1,067,492 awards were made, most of them in the two lower classes. Only 41 of the 1st grade and 201 of the 2nd have been awarded. General Grade officers were awarded the 1st-3rd class. Field Grade officers were awarded the 2nd-4th class. Company Grade officers were awarded the 3rd-5th class. NCOs were awarded the 4th-6th class and enlisted soldiers could be awarded with the 5th - 7th class.
Order of the Rising Sun

1st Class	2nd Class	3rd Class	4th Class

5th Class	6th Class	7th Class	8th Class
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1st & 2nd) and The Order of the Rising Sun (3rd to 8th) was the first order established in Japan, and is both a military and civilian award. It is also awarded to foreign people for their services to Japan. More than four million have been awarded to date with most of them as military awards of the two lower classes. Awards of the Grand Cordon order have generally been restricted to native and foreign royalty and high nobility.

1941-45 Great East Asia War medal

This medal commemorates the intervention of Japan in Second World War.

About 10,000 were struck at the Osaka Mint before the war ended, but the Allied Occupation authorities ordered the destruction of the remaining stocks, so it is a very rare medal.

Imperial Edict No. 417 of 21 June 1944 promulgated this medal, that is of 30mm, struck in a grey tin-alloy. Obverse has a chrysanthemum crest in the center of crossed swords on a eight-point star of rays. The rim has engraved cherry blossoms.

The reverse shows the characters "Great East Asia War" in the center of a Japanese shield. The suspender is different to those of earlier medals in the fact that it has no swivel. The bar is made apart from the suspender and passes over the ribbon, with the usual four characters for "Jugunkisho" (war medal), written left to right (not in right to left, as in earlier medals).

Ribbon is 36mm watered silk, pea-green with 3mm dark blue, 3mm light blue and 3mm dark green inner edge stripes for the Navy, Air Forces and Army.

Veterans badge. 28 mm by 18 mm silvered shield bearing a naval anchor with a bronze star. Issued to any veteran of the war against China, Korea, Manchuria, or the Allies.

Medal for Personal Valour.

Shows 3 men crawling forward with a Bangalore torpedo.

Japanese Opinion Medal

Japanese General Opinion medal.

CHINA INCIDENT WAR MEDAL

An incident occurred at the Marco Polo bridge near Peiping on the 7th of July, 1937. This event triggered a series of actions that would culminate with the invasion of China by Japan.

The cost in lives was measured in the hundreds of thousands. The "incident" ended with the eventual surrender of the Japanese forces in 1945.

The war medal was awarded to soldiers departing for service in China. It was issued clear until 1945.

The medal was not to be awarded to soldiers who received the Great East Asia War Medal.


Order of the Sacred Treasures, 8th Class. The sacred treasures being the sword the jewels and the mirror. The ribbon for this order is on off white with a narrow yellow single band either side of the ribbon but not right to the edge.	Bereavement Medal. Awarded to mothers/families of men who died in the armed service of the Emperor.	Order of the Rising Sun 8th Class see above for other classes