Private, Army 2nd Class. The ranks of the Imperial Japanese Army were reflected in the rank insignia of the Army. They were used from its creation in 1868 until its dissolution in 1945 following the Surrender of Japan in World War II.
Shown is a 2WW Japan Army 2nd Class Private Rank Insignia Collar Patch.
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor of Japan as supreme commander of the army and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The pentagramic (five-pointed) stars on some insignia represent cherry blossoms. Because Japanese soldiers took an oath to die to protect the lives and wealth of Japanese citizens, they have been compared to delicate cherry blossoms that break easily.
Pills, Mepacrine
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. It is preventable and curable.
Mepacrine (a.k.a quinacrine) was predominantly used throughout the Second World War as a prophylactic, sold under the trade name Atabrine. This compound is a derivative of methylene blue, another anti-malarial that was discovered in 1891 and found to be an effective treatment for malaria.