Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff (Japanese: 統合幕僚長, Hepburn: Tōgō Bakuryō-chō) is the highest-ranking military officer and head of the Operational Authority (command) over the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). He or she assists the Minister of Defense on all matters of the JSDF, and executes orders of the Minister of Defense with directions from the Prime Minister.[1][2]
Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
統合幕僚長 | |
---|---|
Standard of the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | |
Japan Self-Defense Forces | |
Member of | Joint Staff |
Reports to | Minister of Defense |
Appointer | Minister of Defense |
Term length | No fixed term |
Formation | 1 July 1954 |
First holder | Keizō Hayashi |
Deputy | Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Administrative Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff |
Website | www.mod.go.jp |
The current Chief of Staff, Joint Staff is General Kōji Yamazaki.[3]
Structure
The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff is the head of the Joint Staff (統合幕僚監部, Tōgō Bakuryō Kanbu), which consists of a Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, the Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, an Administrative Vice Chief of Staff, as well as numerous departments and special staffs.
The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff supervises the service branches operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and would assume command in the event of a war, but his or her powers are limited to policy formation and defense coordination during peacetime.[4][5] The chain of operational authority runs from the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff to the commanders of the several Operational Commands.
Each service branch is headed by its respective Chief of Staff, who has administrative control over its own services.
List of officeholders
Chairman of the Joint Staff Council
No. | Portrait | Chairman of the Joint Staff Council | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Keizō Hayashi 林 敬三 (1907–1991) | General1 July 1954 | 13 August 1964 | 10 years, 43 days | ||
2 | Sugie Ichizo 杉江一三 (1908–1999) | Admiral14 August 1964 | 29 April 1966 | 1 year, 258 days | ||
3 | Amano Yoshihide 天野良英 (1910–2001) | General30 April 1966 | 14 November 1967 | 1 year, 198 days | ||
4 | Hirokuni Muta 牟田弘國 (1910–1987) | General15 November 1967 | 30 June 1969 | 1 year, 227 days | ||
5 | Ryuichi Itaya 板谷隆一 (1911–1991) | Admiral1 June 1969 | 31 May 1971 | 1 year, 364 days | ||
6 | Fumio Kinugasa 衣笠駿雄 (1915–2007) | Admiral1 June 1971 | 31 January 1973 | 1 year, 214 days | ||
7 | Ryuhei Nakamura 中村龍平 (1916–2008) | General1 February 1973 | 30 June 1974 | 1 year, 149 days | ||
8 | Motoharu Shirakawa 白川元春 (1918–2008) | General1 July 1974 | 15 March 1976 | 1 year, 258 days | ||
9 | Hirokazu Samejima 鮫島博一 (1918–2000) | Admiral16 March 1976 | 19 October 1977 | 1 year, 217 days | ||
10 | Hiroomi Kurisu 栗栖弘臣 (1920–2004) | General20 October 1977 | 27 July 1978 | 280 days | ||
11 | Takehiko Takae 高品武彦 (1922–2014) | General27 July 1978 | 31 July 1979 | 1 year, 4 days | ||
12 | Goro Takeda 竹田五郎 (born 1921) | General1 August 1979 | 15 February 1981 | 1 year, 198 days | ||
13 | Kunio Yada 矢田次夫 (1923–2012) | Admiral16 February 1981 | 15 March 1983 | 2 years, 27 days | ||
14 | Sumio Murai 村井澄夫 (born 1925) | General16 March 1983 | 30 June 1984 | 1 year, 106 days | ||
15 | Keitaro Watanabe 村井澄夫 (1927–1997) | General1 July 1984 | 5 February 1986 | 1 year, 219 days | ||
16 | Hiroshi Mori (general) 森繁弘 (born 1928) | General6 February 1986 | 10 December 1987 | 1 year, 307 days | ||
17 | Ishii Masao 石井政雄 (1931–2007) | General11 December 1987 | 15 March 1990 | 2 years, 94 days | ||
18 | Yasuzo Terashima 寺島泰三 (born 1933) | General16 March 1990 | 30 June 1991 | 1 year, 106 days | ||
19 | Hajime Sakuma 佐久間一 (1935–2014) | Admiral1 July 1991 | 30 June 1993 | 1 year, 364 days | ||
20 | Tetsuya Nishimoto 西元徹也 (born 1936) | General1 July 1993 | 24 March 1996 | 2 years, 267 days | ||
21 | Sugiyama Ban 杉山蕃 (born 1938) | General25 March 1996 | 12 October 1997 | 1 year, 201 days | ||
22 | Kazuya Natsukawa 夏川和也 (born 1940) | Admiral13 October 1997 | 30 March 1999 | 1 year, 168 days | ||
23 | Yuji Fujinawa (born 1941) | General31 March 1999 | 26 March 2001 | 1 year, 360 days | ||
24 | Shoji Takegochi 竹河内捷次 (born 1943) | General27 March 2001 | 27 January 2003 | 1 year, 306 days | ||
25 | Toru Ishikawa 石川亨 (born 1944) | Admiral28 January 2003 | 29 August 2004 | 1 year, 214 days | ||
26 | Hajime Massaki 先崎一 (born 1944) | General30 August 2004 | 26 March 2006 | 1 year, 208 days |
Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | Hajime Massaki 先崎一 (born 1944) | General27 March 2006 | 3 August 2006 | 129 days | ||
27 | Takashi Saito (admiral) 齋藤隆 (born 1948) | Admiral4 August 2006 | 23 March 2009 | 2 years, 231 days | ||
28 | Ryoichi Oriki 折木良一 (born 1950) | General24 March 2009 | 30 January 2012 | 2 years, 312 days | ||
29 | Shigeru Iwasaki 岩崎茂 (born 1953) | General31 January 2012 | 13 October 2014 | 2 years, 255 days | ||
30 | Katsutoshi Kawano 河野克俊 (born 1954) | Admiral14 October 2014 | 31 March 2019 | 4 years, 168 days | ||
31 | Kōji Yamazaki 山崎幸二 (born 1961) | General1 April 2019 | Incumbent | 1 year, 137 days |
See also
References
- "自衛隊: 組織" [JSDF: Organization]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- "Responsibility of COS,JS | Japan JSO Oficial Webdite". www.mod.go.jp. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- Japan Self-Defense Forces. "Chief of Staff". Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- "Self Defense Forces". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- The Ministry of Defense Reorganized: For the Support of Peace and Security (PDF). Tokyo: Japan Ministry of Defense. 2007. pp. 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2018-03-28.