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28-587: The site takes up 78,000 square meters (19.4 acres) previously occupied by the Japan Defense Agency in Akasaka area of Minato , along Gaien Higashi and close to Roppongi Station , and less than a kilometer (half a mile) from the similarly scaled Roppongi Hills complex. The primary developer was Mitsui Fudosan , working in concert with several partners. The project was designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill ; Nikken Sekkei

56-736: A hand-sanded steel roof (whose design was inspired by Issey Miyake's A-POC ("A Piece of Cloth") concept) and 14-meter (46 ft) long glass panels. The site of Tokyo Midtown was the home of the Mōri clan during the Edo period . In 1873 the Imperial Japanese Army established a camp on the site, which became home to units of the 1st Division following the Russo-Japanese War . In 1946, the United States Army took over

84-529: A large-scale relocation of various government agencies in order to re-develop prime government land for commercial purposes. As part of this plan, it was decided in the 1990s to move the JDA headquarters and re-develop the site. The base was formally closed in May 2000 and its functions were relocated to Ichigaya . A consortium of developers including Mitsui Fudosan , Sekisui House , and several life insurance companies won

112-518: A medical clinic affiliated with the U.S. -based Johns Hopkins Hospital . The luxury 250-room Ritz-Carlton Hotel occupies the 47th through 53rd floors of Midtown Tower, their first hotel in Tokyo, under a long-term lease arrangement. Other tenants include the international law firms Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy and Herbert Smith LLP . The 5-floor retail Galleria, with 73,000 square meters (786,000 sq ft) of stores, restaurants and shops includes

140-529: A place for researching the potentiality of design as an element that enriches our daily life, a place that fosters the public's interest in design by arousing in them different sights and perspectives on how we can view the world and the objects surrounding us." The building, designed by Ando, is on the edge of the park area, and features 1,700 square meters (18,300 sq ft) of floor space, including two galleries and an attached cafe run by chef and restaurateur Takamasa Uetake . The split-level concrete structure includes

168-498: A public tender to purchase the site, paving the way for its development as Tokyo Midtown. Construction began in 2004 and was completed in 2007. 35°39′57″N 139°43′52″E  /  35.66583°N 139.73111°E  / 35.66583; 139.73111 Ministry of Defense (Japan) The Ministry of Defense ( 防衛省 , Bōei-shō ) is an executive department of the Government of Japan responsible for preserving

196-481: 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

224-641: 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 a bill elevating

252-773: 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

280-513: 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

308-594: Is the local architect of record. Landscape architecture of the surrounding new 40,000 m (10 acre) public park was designed by EDAW , the Suntory Museum of Art by Kengo Kuma , and the design of the retail Galleria handled by the Colorado -based CommArts . The 330,000 square meters (3.5 million square feet) of office space includes as its main tenants Fujifilm , Fuji Xerox , Yahoo! Japan , Cisco Japan , Uniqlo , Nikko Asset Management and Konami , as well as

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336-691: 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

364-529: 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 )

392-687: 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

420-537: 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

448-642: 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

476-482: 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

504-408: 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

532-585: 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

560-626: 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

588-491: 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

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616-469: 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

644-490: The first Terence Conran restaurants in Japan, a wine bar (Coppola's Vinoteca) showcasing the wines of Francis Ford Coppola , and an outlet of high-end American food retailer Dean & DeLuca . Tokyo Midtown is also the home of 21 21 Design Sight , a design gallery/workshop created by fashion designer Issey Miyake and architect Tadao Ando . "The idea was to create not only a museum that shows exhibits," says Ando, "but also

672-593: 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 is required by Article 66 of the Constitution to be completely subordinate to civilian authority . Its head has

700-454: 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

728-526: 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 a national emergency, the Prime Minister

756-402: The site and it was re-purposed as officer housing. The site was returned to Japan in 1960 and became known as Camp Hinokicho ( JGSDF parlance) and Hinokicho Air Base ( JASDF parlance), housing the headquarters of the Japan Defense Agency and various other command and control functions for the Japan Self-Defense Forces for the next forty years. In 1988, the Japanese government authorized

784-669: 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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