Japanese Defense Agency
| 防衛省 Bōei-shō |
|
 Ministry of Defense Headquarters |
|
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 9, 2007 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Jurisdiction |
 Japan
|
| Headquarters | 5-1 Ichigaya-honmuracho, Ichigaya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo |
| Employees | 22,721 civilian staff (2010) |
| Annual budget | 4.7 trillion yen |
| Ministers responsible |
|
| Parent agency | Government of Japan |
| Child agency | |
| Website | http://www.mod.go.jp/e/index.html |
The Ministry of Defense (防衛省 Bōei-shō) is a cabinet-level ministry of the Government of Japan. It is headquartered in Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, and is the largest organ of the Japanese government. Headed by the Minister of Defense, the ministry is required by Article 66 of the Constitution to be completely subordinate to civilian authority. Before its transition to a cabinet-level ministry, it was named the Defense Agency (防衛庁 Bōei-chō), an agency of the Cabinet Office.
The Ministry of Defense is headquartered in Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, on a site which housed the Imperial Japanese Army Academy (陸軍士官学校), built in 1874, the GHQ of the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II, and of the Ground Self-Defense Force following the war. The Japanese Defense Agency was established on July 1, 1954. Until May 2000, it was based in Akasaka (currently occupied by Tokyo Midtown).
The Ministry of Defense is required by Article 66 of the Constitution to be completely subordinate to civilian authority. Its head has the rank of Minister of State. He is assisted by two vice ministers, one parliamentary and one administrative; the Defense Facilities Bureau; and the internal bureaus. The highest figure in the command structure is the Prime Minister, who is responsible directly to the National Diet. In a national emergency, the Prime Minister is authorized to order the various components of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) into action, subject to the consent of the Diet. In times of extreme emergency, that approval might be obtained after the fact.
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