Re: Japanese marines? Who sez not?

Alas, too late to join the extended debate tonight. But might I venture a guess that one reason the Imperial Japanese Navy did not have a separate, permanent Marine Corps, as did the Royal Navy, the Netherlands Navy or the United States Navy, is because the IJN was not in existence at the beginning of the Age of Sail where Marines were needed for shipboard security and snipers from the tops....

For your consideration, a list of Special Naval Landing Forces, assembled from various sources (including Al Alsleben). Note that most were disbanded or converted to other duties as the war progressed and that the sources aren't always consistent on the fate of each unit (and the MS formatting didn't stay put):

Roster and Assignments of IJN Special Naval Landing Force 1940 - 1945
by James A. Broshot
(22 January 2003 version)(revised thanks to information from Al Alsleben)

1st Kure Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Kure and assigned to Combined Fleet 15 Nov 1940
Combined Fleet (attached)(Palau as of 7 Dec 1941 w/ 1401 men) Dec 1941 - 10 Mar 1942
deactivated at Ambon 10 Mar 1942
(converted to 4th Guard Unit 10 Mar 1942)
campaigns: Philippines - Legaspi landing 12 Dec 1941
Philippines - Davao landing 16 Dec 1941 (detachment)
Netherlands East Indies - Ambon Island landing 20 Jan 1942 (31 Jan 1942)

2nd Kure Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Kure and assigned to Combined Fleet 15 Oct 1941
Combined Fleet (attached)(Palau as of 7 Dec 1941 w/ 1401 men) Dec 1941 - 10 Mar 1942
deactivated at Balikpapan 10 Mar 1942
(converted to 2nd Guard Unit - 22nd Special Base Force 10 Mar 1942
campaigns: Philippines - Jolo Landing 24 Dec 1941
Netherlands East Indies - Tarakan landing 10 Jan 1942
Netherlands East Indies - Balikpapan landing 24 Jan 1942

3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Kure and assigned to Combined Fleet 1 Feb 1942
Combined Fleet 1 Feb 1942 - 10 Apr 1942
Fourth Fleet (attached) 10 Apr 1942 - 14 Jul 1942
Eighth Fleet (attached) 14 Jul 1942 - 1 Oct 1942
deactivated at Buin 1 Oct 1942
[absorbed by 81st Naval Guard Force Nov 1942?]
campaigns: landing on Tulagi 5 May 1942 (detachment)
Port Moresby Seizure Force as of 5 May 1942
Defense of Tulagi, Gavutu/Tanambogo 7 Aug 1942 (400 man detachment)
landing at Rabi, Milne Bay 27 Aug 1942 (detachment)

4th Kure Special Naval Landing Force
[no information, in existence as of Sep 1943 - Madej Volume II]

Kure 5th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Kure as component of 2nd CSNLF 1 May 1942
Combined Fleet - 2nd CSNLF 1 May 1942 - 1 Jul 1942
Combined Fleet (attached) 1 Jul 1942 - 1 Oct 1942
deactivated at Rabaul 1 Oct 1942
campaigns: Midway Invasion Force 5 Jun1942
landing at Rabi, Milne Bay 27 Aug 1942

Kure 6th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Kure as component of 8th CSNLF 20 Nov 1942
Combined Fleet - 8th CSNLF 20 Nov 1942 - 20 Dec 1942
Eighth Fleet - 8th CSNLF 24 Dec 1942 - 1 Dec 1943
(landed at Kolombangara - New Georgia with 2,038 men 9 Mar 1943)
(at Rice Anchorage, with a company at Vura Island (later destroyed) 30 Jun 1943)
deactivated 1 Dec 1943
[converted to 88th Naval Guard Force Dec 1943]

Kure 7th Special Naval Landing Force
Eighth Fleet (attached) 1 Apr 1943 - 20 Apr 1943
Eighth Fleet - 7th CSNLF 20 Apr 1943 - 1 Sep 1943
(occupied Santa Isabel Island 1 Jun 1943)
Eighth Fleet - 1st Base Force at Buin 1 Sep 1943 - Aug 1945

Kure 8th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Singapore 1 Sep 1943
Southwest Area Fleet (attached) 1 Sep 1943 - 15 Sep 1943
deactivated at Singapore 15 Sep 1943

Maizuru 1st Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Maizuru 15 Nov 1940
(Hainan Island with 746 men as of 7 Dec 1941)
China Area Fleet - Hainan Naval Guard District Dec 1941 - Aug 1945

Maizuru 2nd Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Maizuru 15 Oct 1941
Fourth Fleet (attached)(Truk as of 7 Dec 1941 w/ 1069 men) Dec 1941 - 1 Feb 1942
(19 Nov 1941: HQ, two rifle companies, one heavy weapons company with one regimental gun
platoon and one regimental howitzer platoon)
deactivated 1 Feb 1942
(converted to 8th Base Force at Rabaul 1 Feb 1942)
campaigns: First Wake Island Invasion 10 Dec 1941 (one company 450 men)
Second Wake Island Invasion 23 Dec 1941
R Operation - Rabaul Invasion Force 24 Jan 1942 (two companies)
(identified in SR Operation 8 Mar 1942)

Maizuru 3rd Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Maizuru and assigned to Combined Fleet 1 May 1942
Combined Fleet (attached) 1 May 1942 - 1 Jul 1942
deactivated 1 Jul 1942
(converted to 5th Guard Unit on Kiska 1 Jul 1942)
campaigns: Kiska Island Invasion Force 6 Jun 1942

Maizuru 4th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Maizuru and assigned to Combined Fleet 5 Sep 1942
Combined Fleet (attached) 5 Sep 1942 - 20 Nov 1942
Combined Fleet - 8th CSNLF 20 Nov 1942 - 20 Dec 1942
Eighth Fleet - 8th CSNLF 24 Dec 1942 - 1 Mar 1943
to Yokosuka Naval District
campaigns: Guadalcanal (Oct 1942 - Jan 1943)(landed 6 Oct 1942)

Sasebo 1st Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Sasebo as component of Sasebo CSNLF 15 Nov 1940
Combined Fleet - Sasebo CSNLF (Palau as of 7 Dec 1941 w/1622 men)
7 Dec 1941 - 10 Mar 1942
deactivated at Makassar 10 Mar 1942
(converted to 3rd Guard Unit, 23 rd Special Base Force 10 Mar 1942)
campaigns: Philippines: Camiguin Island landing 10 Dec 1941 (detachment)
Philippines: Vigan landing 10 Dec 1941
Philippines: Lamon Bay landing 24 Dec 1941
Netherlands East Indies - Menado (Celebes) landing 10 Jan 1942
Netherlands East Indies - Kendari (Celebes) landing 24 Jan 1942
Netherlands East Indies - Makassar (Celebes) 8 Feb 1942

Sasebo 2nd Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Sasebo as component of Sasebo CSNLF 15 Oct 1941
Combined Fleet - Sasebo CSNLF (Palau as of 7 Dec 1941 w/1437 men)
Dec 1941 - 10 Mar 1942
deactivated at Makassar 10 Mar 1942
(became unit of 32nd Special Base Force at Makassar)
campaigns: Philippines: Camiguin Island landing 10 Dec 1941 (detachment)
Philippines: Vigan landing 10 Dec 1941
Philippines: Lamon Bay landing 24 Dec 1941
Netherlands East Indies - Menado (Celebes) landing 10 Jan 1942
Netherlands East Indies - Kendari (Celebes) landing 24 Jan 1942
Netherlands East Indies - Makassar (Celebes) 8 Feb 1942

Sasebo 3rd Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Sasebo and assigned to Combined Fleet 1 Feb 1942
Combined Fleet (attached) 1 Feb 1942 - 15 Feb 1942
deactivated 15 Feb 1942

Sasebo 5th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Sasebo and assigned to Combined Fleet 15 May 1942
Combined Fleet (attached) 15 May 1942 - 14 Jul 1942
Eighth Fleet (attached) 14 Jul 1942 - 15 Nov 1943
(at Rabaul as of 17 Jul 1942)
(with South Seas Detachment at Buna as of 21 Jul 1942)
Ninth Fleet (attached) 15 Nov 1943 - 1 Jan 1944
deactivated at Sio, New Guinea 1 Jan 1944
[absorbed by 86th Naval Guard Force at Rabaul Jan 1944]
campaigns: Goodenough Islands (Taupota Island), Milne Bay landing 25 Aug 1942
Rabi, Milne Bay landing 26 Aug 1942 (detachment)

Sasebo 6th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Sasebo 15 Aug 1942
Eighth Fleet (attached) 15 Aug 1942 - 30 Oct 1942
(arrived New Georgia 13 Nov 1942)
(returned to Buin, detachment at Keita - Bougainville 15 Dec 1942)
Eighth Fleet - 1st Base Force at Bougainville (Buin Area) 31 Oct 1942 - Aug 1945

Sasebo 7th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Tateyama with 1,559 men 1 Feb 1943
(for reinforcement landing on Santa Isabel Island)
Southeast Area Fleet (attached) 15 Feb 1943 - 1 Apr 1943
(arrived Tarawa 17 Mar 1943
HQ, three rifle companies, heavy weapons company, mobile antiaircraft battery,
special duty unit with tanks and flamethrowers; 27 Officers, 38 WO, 1,542 EM
4x Type 41 75mm mountain howitzers, 2x Type 92 70mm howitzers,
4x Type 88 75mm DP guns, 2x Type 94 37mm AT guns, 8x Type 93 13mm mgs,
12x HMG, 27x LMG, 36x grenade launchers, 8x flamethrowers, 4x Type 95 light tanks)
Fourth Fleet (attached) 1 Apr 1943 - 4 Mar 1944
deactivated 4 Mar 1944
campaigns: Tarawa Nov 1943 (destroyed)

Sasebo 8th Special Naval Landing Force
(Formed before the opening of hostilities)
(Sana - Hainan as of 7 Dec 1941)(746 men)
China Area Fleet - Hainan Naval Guard District Dec 1941 - Aug 1945

Sasebo 101st Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Sasebo 10 Jan 1944
Southeast Area Fleet (attached) 10 Jan 1944 - 20 Apr 1944
Combined Fleet (attached) 20 Apr 1944 - 5 Mar 1945
(Truk as of May 1944)
deactivated at Sasebo 5 Mar 1945

Sasebo 102nd Special Naval Landing Force
(no information in existence at Tateyama, Japan as of Mar 1944 - Madej Vol II)

Yokosuka 1st Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Yokosuka as parachute unit (520 men) 20 Nov 1941 (20 Sep 1941?)
Combined Fleet (attached) (849 men as of 7 Dec 1941) Dec 1941 - 20 May 1942
(returned to Surabaya 16 May 1942)
Southwest Area Fleet - 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet 20 May 1942 - 10 Oct 1942
to Yokosuka Naval District
Combined Fleet (attached) 5 Sep 1943 - 1 Dec 1944
(to Saipan with 1,500 men Sep 1943; Jan 1944 detachments sent to Rabaul)
(as of Jun 1944: headquarters, three rifle companies, machine gun platoon, gun section, 800 men)
deactivated 1 Dec 1944
campaigns: Netherlands East Indies - Menado airdrop 10 Jan 1942
Netherlands East Indies - Occupation of the Lesser Sundas 8 May 1942
Saipan June - July 1944 (destroyed)

Yokosuka 2nd Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Yokosuka as parachute unit (746 men) 5 Oct 1941
Combined Fleet (attached) Dec 1941 - 10 Mar 1942
deactivated 10 Mar 1942
(converted to 1st Guard Unit, 10th Special Base Force)
re-organized at Truk 10 Jun 1943
Fourth Fleet (attached) 10 Jun 1943 - Aug 1945
(Nauru Island as of Dec 1943)(as 67th Guard Unit?)
campaigns: Miri (Brunei) landing 15 Dec 1941
Kuching (Sawarak) landing 24 Dec 1941

Yokosuka 3rd Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Yokosuka as parachute unit (849 men) 20 Nov 1941
Combined Fleet (attached) Dec 1941 - 20 May 1942
Southwest Area Fleet - 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet 20 May 1942 - 3 Aug 1942
to Yokosuka Naval District
(absorbed by Yokosuka 1st Special Naval Landing Force Dec 1942)
campaigns: Philippines: Aparri landing 10 Dec 1941
Philippines: Calayan Island landing10 Dec 1941 (detachment)
Netherlands East Indies, invasion of Dutch West Timor (airdrop) 20 Feb 1942

Yokosuka 4th Special Naval Landing Force
(Formed before the opening of hostilities)
(Hainan Island as of 7 Dec 1941 with 746 men)
China Area Fleet - Hainan Naval Guard District Dec 1941 - Aug 1945
(one company [250 men] attached to 6th Base Force - Kwajalein Oct 1942 Feb 1944)

Yokosuka 5th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Yokosuka as component of 2nd CSNLF 1 May 1942
Combined Fleet - 2nd CSNLF 1 May 1942 - 1 Jul 1942
Combined Fleet (attached) 1 Jul 1942 - 24 Dec 1942
(at Buna 1 Nov 1942)
Eighth Fleet (attached) 24 Dec 1942 - 15 Feb 1943
deactivated at Lae 15 Feb 1943
(absorbed by 82nd Naval Guard Force, 7th Base Force 15 Feb 1943)
campaigns: Midway Invasion Force 5 Jun1942
Guadalcanal from 16Aug 1942 (500 man detachment)
(remainder decimated (1,000 men) when Kinryu Maru sank on 25 Aug 1942)

Yokosuka 6th Special Naval Landing Force
organized at Yokosuka 15 Aug 1942
Eighth Fleet (attached) 15 Aug 1942 - 25 Sep 1942
(sent from Japan to Gilbert Islands, Tarawa and Makin 15 Sep 1942
Fourth Fleet (attached) 25 Sep 1942 - 15 Feb 1943
deactivated 15 Feb 1943
(converted to 3rd Special Base Force (guard unit) at Tarawa 15 Feb1943)

Yokosuka 7th Special Naval Landing Force
Combined Fleet - 8th CSNLF 20 Nov 1942 - 20 Dec 1942
Eighth Fleet - 8th CSNLF 24 Dec 1942 - 1 Dec 1943
(landed at Kolombangara - New Georgia with 1,807 men 23 Feb 1943)
(on Kolombangara as of 30 Jun 1943)
Eighth Fleet - 14th Base Force 1 Dec 1943 - 5 Dec 1943
deactivated at Kavieng, New Britain 5 Dec 1943
(converted to 89th Naval Guard Force 5 Dec 1943)
campaigns: defense of New Georgia Jun - Oct 1943

Yokosuka 8th Special Naval Landing Force
Southeast Area Fleet (attached) 20 Jan 1945 - Aug 1945

Shanghai Special Naval Landing Force
China Area Fleet (attached)(746 men as of 7 Dec 1941) Dec 1941 - 20 Aug 1943
China Area Fleet - Shanghai Area Special Base Force 20 Sep 1943 - 10 Aug 1944