Minifigure – Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) Second Lieutenant from the 1940 ground forces WWII (LEGO Compatible)

This custom building block minifigure specifically represents a WWII Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) Second Lieutenant from the 1940 ground forces.

Visually, the character is dressed in the classic khaki-colored Type 98 field uniform, which was the standard issue for Japanese ground troops during that era. On his head, he wears the iconic Type 90 steel helmet, which prominently features the printed five-pointed star emblem of the Imperial Japanese Army on the front. If you look closely at his collar, you can see the red and gold collar tabs; specifically, the single star and stripe pattern identifies his rank as a Second Lieutenant (Shoi). Above his right chest pocket, there is a red zig-zag branch insignia, historically used to denote infantry units. As a commissioned officer, his uniform features a printed cross-body brown leather strap (Sam Browne belt) integrated with a waist belt, which holds various field equipment on his back, including what appears to be a leather map case or an ammunition pouch. His lower legs are detailed with printed cloth puttees (leg wraps) wrapped tightly above his brown leather boots, which was standard practice for field mobility.

Historically, the year 1940 places this officer right in the middle of the Second Sino-Japanese War and just prior to the broader outbreak of the Pacific War. The Type 98 uniform was introduced in 1938 to modernize the army’s appearance, replacing the older high-collared uniforms with this more practical fold-down collar design. A Second Lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army was a highly active junior combat officer, typically serving as a platoon leader directly commanding roughly 40 to 50 infantrymen on the front lines. This specific minifigure perfectly captures the standard combat-ready appearance of a junior Japanese officer fighting in the rugged terrain of the Asian mainland during the early stages of the global conflict.