Supply of Personnel — In the early stage of the army, as organized after the Restoration of the Imperial Regime, military officers were appointed from among the officers in the military forces of different clans and from among the people in general. The method of obtaining military officers underwent many changes before the present system was organ ized. At present officers of infantry, cavalry, artillery, sappers and commissariat troops are selected from among the following classes after the necessary education with the colors and at the Military College: (1) Graduates from the Central Military Preparatory School.
(2) Graduates from a Middle School or from a school of an equal or higher grade, who have passed an examination for the service.
(3) One-year volunteers bearing testimonial of the commander of their corps and who have passed an examination for the service. (4) Non commissioned officers of all arms in active serv ice, who are of good behavior and recommend able character, who bear testimonials of the commander of their corps, and who have passed an examination for the service. (Graduates from the Central Military Preparatory School are those who have received three years' edu cation at a local military preparatory school and one year and nine months' education at the Central Military Preparatory School. Students of the local military preparatory schools are selected from among boys of 13 to 15 years of age who aspire to be military officers).
Gendarme (officer) are filled up from among offices of other branches of service.
Officers of the Military Comptrollers' De partment are obtained from the following classes, after the necessary education with an infantry corps and at the Military Comptrollers' School: (1) Graduates from a middle school, or from a school of an equal or higher grade, who havepassed an examination for the serv ice. (2) One-year volunteers who bear testi monials of the commander of their corps and who have passed an examination for the serv ice. (3) Non-commissioned officers in the comptrollers' department in active service, who are of good behavior and recommendable char acter, who bear testimonials of the commander of their corps and who have passed an exami nation for the service.
Officers in the hygienic department are ob tained from the following classes, after the necessary training with an infantry corps and at a military hospital: (1) Graduates from the Medical College of the Imperial universi ties, from the special medical schools or from the prefectural medical schools with the recog nition of the Minister of Education as of an equal or higher grade than middle school, who have applied for the military service and who have been educated at those schools at the re quest of the army. (2) Graduates from the
above schools, or those who have acquired equal qualifications at foreign schools, who ap ply for service. (3) Those one-year volun teers who bear a license as medical practitioners or pharmaceutists and who apply for service.
Officers of the veterinary department are ob tained from among the following classes, after the necessary education with a mounted corps: (1) Graduates from the veterinary departments of the College of Agriculture of the Imperial University or of the Government Special In dustrial School (Jitsugyo Semmon Gaklco), who have applied for service and were educated at those schools at the request of the army.
(2) Graduates from the above schools, or those who have obtained equal qualifications at a foreign school, who apply for service. (3) One-year volunteers who possess the license of veterinary surgeon, and who apply for service.
Officers of military bands are promoted from among those who have served in the military bands for three years or more and whose merits are recognized.
Non-commissioned Officers.— In the early stage of the modern Japanese army, non-com missioned officers were recruited in the same manner as officers. Under the present system non-commissioned officers of gendarmerie are recruited as follows: (1) First-class privates of gendarmerie in active service who have been in the gendarmerie service for more than two years and whose behavior is good and character recommendable. (2) Non-commissioned officers of infantry, cavalry, artillery, sappers and com missariat troops (excepting various artisan corps), who have been in active service for more than six years after joining the colors, who are of good behavior and of recommend able character; who have applied for admission into the gendarmerie department, and have passed the necessary examination and who still have a margin of age for active service to the extent of more than one year. (3) Gendarm erie corporals or sergeants in reserve, who are of good behavior and recommendable character and who apply for active service within one year after the expiration of their term for active service. (4) Reserve corporal or sergeant of infantry, cavalry, artillery, sappers or com missariat troops who have been to active serv ice for more than six years, who are of good behavior and recommendable character, and who, applying for the position of non-commis sioned officer of gendarmerie, have passed an examination for the service.