The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 established during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

History

The commander in chief of the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet based in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 was named commander in chief of the newly created Tenth Area Fleet on 1 February 1944. As the Southwest Area Fleet

Southwest Area Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II.-History:The Southwest Area Fleet was an operational command of the Imperial Japanese Navy established on April 10, 1942 to coordinate naval, air, and ground forces for the invasion, occupation and defense of the...

 command staff was isolated in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, a new command structure was necessary to direct the 1st and 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleets and surviving elements of the IJN 5th Fleet

IJN 5th Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, active during the early portions of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and again in World War II, primarily in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands.-China Expeditionary Fleet:...

. It was supported by the IJN 13th Air Fleet. The 10th Area Fleet had responsibility for the defenses of Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 and Indochina

Indochina

The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...

. It lost most of its combat capability at the Battle of the Malacca Strait and when Ashigara was sunk by HMS 'Trenchant

Action of 8 June 1945

The Action of 8 June 1945, sometimes called the Sinking of the Ashigara was a naval action that resulted in the sinking of the heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy by the British Royal Navy submarine...

 and was disbanded at the end of the Pacific War

Pacific War

The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...

.

The Tenth Area Fleet was a theatre command; however, its name was taken sequentially from the numbered fleets rather than from the area in which it was located.

Structure of the IJN 10th Area Fleet

{| class="wikitable"
! Date !! Higher unit !! Lower units
|-
| 5 February 1945 (original) || rowspan="2"| Combined Fleet

Combined Fleet

The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....

 || 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet, 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet, 13th Air Fleet,
5th Cruiser Division, Auxiliary survey ship Hakusa, Auxiliary gunboat Nankai
|-
| 1 June 1945 || 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet, 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet, 13th Air Fleet,
5th Cruiser Division, Auxiliary gunboat Nankai, No.27 Special Base Force, No.25 Base Force, No.28 Base Force
|-
| 12 September 1945 || colspan="2"| Surrendered to United Kingdom in Singapore.

Commanders of the IJN 10th Area Fleet

Commander in chief
{| class=wikitable
! || Rank|| Name || Date || Additional post
|-
|1|| Vice-Admiral|| Shigeru Fukudome

Shigeru Fukudome

- Notes :...

|| 5 Feb 1945 - Sep 1945 || Commander of the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet and the 13th Air Fleet
|-
|}

Chief of staff
{| class=wikitable
! || Rank|| Name || Date || Additional post
|-
|1|| Rear-Admiral|| Bunji Asakura|| 5 Feb 1945 - Sep 1945 || Chief of staff of the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet and the 13th Air Fleet
|-
|}