The IJA 56th Division was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army that was active from 1940 to 1945 during World War II. Raised in Fukuoka Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, and Nagasaki Prefecture, the division served in the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, and the Burma campaign, shattering Merrill's Marauders at the Siege of Myitkyina in May-August 1944 and inflicting heavy Chinese casualties at the Battle of Mount Song. The division itself suffered heavy losses at Myitkyina, and its remnants were removed from the front line in October 1944 and surrendered along the Thai border in August 1945. At least 70% of the division was wiped out in Burma.