The Imperial General Headquarters ( 大本営 , Daihon'ei ) was part of the Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equivalent to the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and the British Chiefs of Staff Committee .
33-745: The Ministry of Defense ( 防衛省 , Bōei-shō ) is an executive department of the Government of Japan responsible for preserving the peace and independence of Japan , and maintaining the country's national security and the Japan Self-Defense Forces . The ministry is headed by the Minister of Defense , and is the largest ministry in the Japanese government. The ministry is headquartered in Ichigaya , Shinjuku , Tokyo , and
66-757: A bill elevating the Defense Agency ( 防衛庁 , Bōei-chō ) under the Cabinet Office to full-fledged cabinet-level Ministry of Defense ( 防衛省 , Bōei-shō ) . On 9 June 2006, the "Bill for Partial Revision of the Defense Agency Establishment Law" was submitted in the Diet. On 30 November 2006, the "Bill for Partial Revision of the Defense Agency Establishment Law" was passed by the House of Representatives. A bill that relates to
99-692: A body known as the Imperial General Headquarters-Government Liaison Conference within Imperial General Headquarters. The Liaison Conferences were intended to assist in integrating the decisions and needs of the two military sections of Imperial General Headquarters with the resources and policies of the rest of the government. Reaching agreement between the Army and Navy on strategic planning was often difficult. When agreement
132-598: 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. Their activities are regulated under the Ministry of Defense Establishment Law ( 防衛省設置法 , Bōeishōsetchihō ) . On 8 June 2006, the Cabinet of Japan endorsed
165-713: A number of organizations as of 2022: 35°41′35″N 139°43′41″E / 35.693°N 139.728°E / 35.693; 139.728 Ministry of Japan Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The Ministries of Japan ( 中央省庁 , Chūō shōchō , Central ministries and agencies) or Government Agencies of Japan ( 行政機関 , Gyōsei kikan , Public administration organizations) are
198-480: Is an annual white paper released by Japan's Ministry of Defense. It serves as a comprehensive report on Japan's defense policy, national security, and related matters. The paper is translated from Japanese into both English and Chinese, and released on the Ministry of Defense's website for anyone from the public to read. Digital archives are also provided on their website, going back as far as 2014. The Ministers in
231-772: Is recommended to the Diet by the Defense Agency, it has to be reviewed by each of these bureaus. Below these civilian groups are the uniformed JSDF personals. Its senior officer is the chairman of the Joint Staff Council, a body that included the chiefs of staff of the ground, maritime, and air arms of the Self-Defense Forces. Its principal functions are to advise the director general and to plan and execute joint exercises. The three branches maintain staff offices to manage operations in their branches. Although rank establishes echelons of command within
264-659: 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; and the internal bureaus. The highest figure in the command structure is the Prime Minister , who is responsible directly to the National Diet . The MOD, alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, work on crafting Japanese security policy. In
297-513: Is responsible for drafting defense policy and programs, for determining day-to-day operational activities, and for information gathering and analysis in the JSDF. The Bureau of Finance is instrumental in developing the Defense Agency budget and in establishing spending priorities for the Defense Agency and the JSDF. The Bureau of Equipment, organized into subunits for each of the military services, focuses on equipment procurement. Before any major purchase
330-998: The Army Minister . The Navy Section comprised Chief of Navy General Staff, his chief of Navy Operations, and the Navy Minister . In addition, the Inspector-General of Military Training , whose rank was almost on-par with that of the Chiefs of the General Staff, and the Aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Japan were also members. Middle-ranking officers of Army and Navy General Staff, and Army and Navy Ministry, met from time to time at middle-level liaison or study conferences to discuss Japan's strategic war plans, and especially, plans requiring cooperation between
363-756: The Generalissimo of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces according to the Meiji Constitution of 1889 to 1945, was the head of the Imperial General Headquarters, and was assisted by staff appointed from the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy. The Imperial General Staff Headquarters was completely independent of the civilian government of the Empire of Japan , including the Cabinet and even
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#1732765076877396-528: The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone ) with a microwave network incorporating a three-dimensional transmission system using a communications satellite. Despite efforts to increase stocks, however, supplies of ammunition and maintenance and repair parts in 1990 remained at less than satisfactory levels. In 2004, the Defense Agency building was attacked by a Kakurōkyō cell through improvised mortar barrages. Defense of Japan ( 防衛白書 , Bōei hakusho )
429-606: The Prime Minister of Japan . Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi was allowed to attend meetings by the express order of Emperor Meiji during the First Sino-Japanese War . However, Prime Minister Katsura Taro , despite his military background, was denied entry to meetings during the subsequent Russo-Japanese War . After the Lugouqiao Incident in July 1937, Imperial Decree 658 of 18 November 1937 abolished
462-630: The firebombing of Tokyo , the Imperial General Headquarters relocated to an underground facility in the mountains outside Nagano . With the surrender of Japan , the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers ordered the Imperial General Headquarters abolished on 13 September 1945. Imperial General Headquarters comprised Army and Navy Sections. The Army Section comprised the Chief of Army General Staff and his chief of Army Operations, and
495-686: The Defense Agency and with one another. In the 1980s, efforts were also underway to facilitate a clear and efficient command policy in the event of a crisis. The government stood by the principle that military action was permitted only under civilian control, but in recognition that delay for consultation might prove dangerous, ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) began to be armed with live torpedoes, and fighter-interceptors were allowed to carry missiles at all times. Although aircraft had long been allowed to force down intruders without waiting for permission from
528-537: The JSDF transportation capabilities are generally judged inadequate. In 1990 legislation was being studied to provide the JSDF with the ability to respond in emergency situations not specifically covered by Article 76 of the Self-Defense Forces Law [ ja ] . Modern equipment is gradually replacing obsolescent materiel in the JSDF. In 1987, the Defense Agency replaced its communications system (which formerly had relied on telephone lines of
561-641: The JSDF, all three branches are immediately responsible to the director general and are coequal bodies with the Joint Staff Council and the three staff offices. This structure precludes the concentration of power of the pre-1945 Imperial General Staff (and the Supreme War Council ) general staffs, but it impedes interservice coordination, and there are few formal exchanges among commanders from various branches. Moreover, some dissatisfaction has been reported by high-ranking officers who feel they have little power compared with younger civilian officials in
594-481: The Ministry of Defense are as follows: The Senior Advisers to the Minister of Defense are senior policy advisers to the Minister of Defense. The Special Advisers to the Minister of Defense are special policy advisers to the Minister of Defense. The Administrative Vice-Minister of Defense, the senior civil-servant at the Ministry of Defense, has the role of coordinating the affairs of the Ministry and of supervising
627-460: The Ministry of Defense. In July 2007, the Ministry of Defense Building was attacked by a 21-year-old right-wing activist , who threw a Molotov cocktail in the direction of the building, after forcing his way through the main gate. The Japanese Defense Agency was established on 1 July 1954. Until May 2000, it was based in Akasaka (currently occupied by Tokyo Midtown ). The JDA was placed under
660-530: The Ministry's bureaus and organs. The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff is the highest-ranking military officer of the Japan Self-Defense Forces , and the senior military adviser to the Minister of Defense and the Japanese Government . He is supported by the Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff. He is appointed by the Minister of Defense , approved by the Cabinet . The Ministry of Defense includes
693-830: The Pacific Ocean and saw the United States as the greatest threat, and for the most part supported the Nanshin-ron (Strike South concept) that Japan's strategic interests were in Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. Hirohito , the Emperor of Japan, was defined as the Head of State and the Generalissimo of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces according to the constitution of 1889. During World War II,
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#1732765076877726-559: The authority of the Prime Minister's Office under Article 2 of the Defense Agency Establishment Law before it was placed under the Cabinet Office in 2001. The internal bureaus, especially the Bureau of Defense Policy, Bureau of Finance, and the Bureau of Equipment, are often headed by officials from other ministries and are the main centers of power and instruments of civilian control in the Defense Agency. The Bureau of Defense Policy
759-491: The bureaus, who most often have no military experience. To rectify this situation and to increase input by the JSDF in policy matters, in the early 1980s the Joint Staff Council was enlarged to establish better lines of communication between the internal bureaus and the three staff offices. A computerized central command and communications system and various tactical command and communications systems were established, linking service and field headquarters with general headquarters at
792-465: The change, claiming that it can lead Japan into a future war. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific nations raised concerns due to memories of World War II when they were under Japanese imperial rule. The Ministry of Defense was formally established on 9 January 2007, taking its present name and status as a ministry. Subsequently, its Defense Facilities Administrative Agency was dissolved and integrated into
825-608: The larger central government reforms were implemented in 2001. Imperial General Headquarters The Imperial General Headquarters was established by Imperial Decree 52 on 22 May 1893 under the auspices of creating a central command for both the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff . The Emperor of Japan who was defined as both Head of State and
858-659: The leadership of the Imperial General Headquarters consisting of the following: The majority of these troops were stationed in China, Indochina , Japan, Taiwan , and Korea . This includes some 61 divisions , 59 brigades , and 51 air squadrons . Only a fraction of Japan's military, 11 to 14 divisions and the South Seas Detachment , were available for the December 1941 operations in South-East Asia and
891-474: The most influential part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan . Each ministry is headed by a Minister of State appointed by the Prime Minister . In postwar politics, the posts of ministers have been given to senior legislators, mostly of the LDP . However, few ministers serve for more than one or two years to develop the necessary grasp of the organisation to become really influential. Thus, most of
924-399: The original Imperial General Headquarters, which was then immediately re-constituted under Military Decree 1, which gave the new Imperial General Headquarters command authority over all military operations during peacetime situations as well as wartime situations. In November 1937, to bring the chiefs of Army and Navy into closer consultation with his government, Emperor Hirohito established
957-560: The power lies within the ministries, with the senior bureaucrats . The current 15 Cabinet-level ministries of the Government of Japan include: The Board of Audit of Japan is responsible for ensuring the adequacy of the Government's financial management by continuously auditing and supervising government activities, and verifying expenditures and revenues of the state. As a result of the reforms in 2001, many ministries were reformed. Several other smaller reforms were also made after
990-454: The prime minister, ships were still required to receive specific orders before interdicting invading vessels. The Defense Agency had recommended drawing up more complete guidelines to clarify what action JSDF combat units could take in emergencies. Cooperation between the JSDF and other civilian agencies in contingency planning is limited. No plans exist to ensure the support of civilian aircraft and merchant fleets in times of crisis, even though
1023-714: The transition of the JDA from agency to a ministry under the Defense Agency Establishment Law on 15 December 2006 with approval from the House of Councillors. This had support from the LDP, Democratic Party of Japan, Komeito and the People's New Party representatives. in the House of Representatives and in the House of Councillors. Only the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party opposed
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1056-641: The two armed services, outside of the formal meeting in the presence of the Emperor. Relations between the Japanese Army and Navy were never cordial, and often marked by deep hostility. The Army saw the Soviet Union as Japan's greatest threat and for the most part supported the Hokushin-ron (Strike North concept) that Japan's strategic interests were on the Asian continent. The Navy looked across
1089-545: Was finally reached on an important strategic issue, the agreement was reduced to writing in a document called a Central Agreement and signed by both Chiefs of Army and Navy General Staffs. The final decisions of Liaison Conferences were formally disclosed and approved at Imperial Conferences over which Emperor Hirohito presided in person at the Tokyo Imperial Palace . During the Pacific War , and after
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