were general applicants between ages 16 to 18 who passed an examination. The training curriculum included college-level general education courses, traditional martial arts and horsemanship. After completing the two year junior portion of training at Asaka in Saitama, cadets were assigned for eight months to infantry regiments to become familiar with Army weaponry and platoon leadership skills before resuming studies in the 1-year, 8-month senior program at Sagamihara in Kanagawa. Upon graduation, cadets became apprentice officers with the grade of sergeant-major (but who were treated as officers), and after the successful completion of four months probation in their assigned regiments, were formally commissioned as second lieutenants. See also Numazu Military Academy Army War College (Japan) Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Academy Imperial Japanese Naval Academy List of Graduates in Japanese Imperial Military Academies (1891-1934) Tokyo Boys National Defense Academy of Japan References External links recruitment & Training of the IJA Handbook on Japanese Military Forces, TM-E 30-480 (1945) Military history of Japan Imperial Japanese Army Defunct Japanese military academies