Ground Self-Defense Force
| Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | July 1, 1954 – present |
| Country |
 Japan
|
| Type | Army |
| Size | 150,000 active personnel |
| Part of |
 Japan SDF
|
| Garrison/HQ | Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Nickname(s) | GSDF |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | PM Shinzō Abe |
| Minister of Defense | Tomomi Inada |
| Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano |
| Chief of the Ground Staff | General Toshiya Okabe |
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (陸上自衛隊 Rikujō Jieitai?), or JGSDF (sometimes referred to as simply the GSDF), is the main branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for land-based military operations, and is the de facto army of Japan. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct the Self-Defense Forces away from their Cold War focus on the Soviet Union to a new focus on China, especially in respect of the dispute over the Senkaku Islands. The JGSDF is chiefly tasked with maintaining internal security in Japan.
The Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The present chief of staff is General Kiyofumi Iwata (Japanese: 岩田 清文). The JGSDF numbered around 150,000 soldiers in 2008. As of 2010, the number remained the same at approximately 150,000 personnel.
Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration in 1945, and, in compliance with Article 9, the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy were dismantled. Both were replaced by the United States Armed Forces occupation force, which assumed responsibility for the external defense of Japan.
On the outbreak of the Korean War, many U.S. units were transferred to Korea, and Japan was perceived as lacking defenses. Encouraged by the American occupation authorities, the Japanese government in July 1950 authorized the establishment of a National Police Reserve, consisting of 75,000 men equipped with light infantry weapons.
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Wikipedia