The 8th Division consisted of troops from the Tōhoku region of Japan, primarily Aomori, Akita and Yamagata Prefectures.

It was initially earmarked for a projected Japanese invasion of Primorskaya Oblast on the Siberian mainland, but was sent as a reserve force for the Siege of Port Arthur instead after that plan was shelved.

The 8th Division (initially only the 4th Brigade participated in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in the aftermath of the Mukden Incident in September 1931 and was assigned to Jiandao.

These were combined into 11th Independent Mixed Regiment, and sent to Poluwat in June 1944, as the war situation in the Pacific grew increasingly difficult for Japan.

Because of the lack of food and large number of wounded due American air raids, two of the three battalions were relocated to Truk in September 1944.

In July 1944, the 8th Division was reassigned from Mudanjiang to the Philippines under the command of General Yamashita Tomoyuki's 14th Area Army.