Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office also called the Army General Staff, was one of the four principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army. The Army Ministry was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Affairs of the early Meiji government.Initially, the Army Ministry was in charge of both administration and operational command of the Imperial Japanese Army; however, from December 1878, the Imperial Army General Staff Office took over all operational control of the Army, leaving the Army Ministry only with administrative functions.