In spite of the fact that Masatake TERAUCHI, an advocate of rice boiled with barley, was the Minister of Army (There was a high-ranking army surgeon who recommended rice boiled with barley); however, the rations provisioned by the Imperial headquarters through an "imperial edict" was cooked rice (Six Go of polished rice) which was the same as in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-'95).
なお開戦時、麦飯派の寺内正毅が陸軍大臣であった（麦飯を主張する軍医部長がいた）にもかかわらず、大本営が「勅令」として指示した戦時兵食は、日清戦争と同じ白米飯（精白米6合）であった。