Chief of Staff, Joint Staff

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Chief of Staff, Joint Staff 統合幕僚長
Standard of the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
Incumbent General Kōji Yamazaki since 1 April 2019
Japan Self-Defense Forces
Member of	Joint Staff Defense Council
Reports to	Minister of Defense
Appointer	Minister of Defense Subject to formal approval by the Cabinet
Term length	No fixed term
Precursor	Chairman of the Joint Staff Council
Formation	1 July 1954
First holder	Keizō Hayashi
Deputy	Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Administrative Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
Website	[1]

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]

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		Hayashi, KeizōGeneral Keizō Hayashi 林 敬三 (1907–1991)	1 July 1954	13 August 1964	10 years, 43 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
2		Ichizo, SugieAdmiral  [ja] 杉江一三 (1908–1999)	14 August 1964	29 April 1966	1 year, 258 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
3		Yoshihide, AmanoGeneral  [ja] 天野良英 (1910–2001)	30 April 1966	14 November 1967	1 year, 198 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
4		Muta, HirokuniGeneral  [ja] 牟田弘國 (1910–1987)	15 November 1967	30 June 1969	1 year, 227 days	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
5		Itaya, RyuichiAdmiral  [ja] 板谷隆一 (1911–1991)	1 June 1969	31 May 1971	1 year, 364 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
6		Kinugasa, FumioAdmiral  [ja] 衣笠駿雄 (1915–2007)	1 June 1971	31 January 1973	1 year, 214 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
7		Nakamura, RyuheiGeneral  [ja] 中村龍平 (1916–2008)	1 February 1973	30 June 1974	1 year, 149 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
8		Shirakawa, MotoharuGeneral  [ja] 白川元春 (1918–2008)	1 July 1974	15 March 1976	1 year, 258 days	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
9		Samejima, HirokazuAdmiral  [ja] 鮫島博一 (1918–2000)	16 March 1976	19 October 1977	1 year, 217 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
10		Kurisu, HiroomiGeneral  [ja] 栗栖弘臣 (1920–2004)	20 October 1977	27 July 1978	280 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
11		Takae, TakehikoGeneral  [ja] 高品武彦 (1922–2014)	27 July 1978	31 July 1979	1 year, 4 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
12		Takeda, GoroGeneral  [ja] 竹田五郎 (1921–2020)	1 August 1979	15 February 1981	1 year, 198 days	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
13		Yada, KunioAdmiral  [ja] 矢田次夫 (1923–2012)	16 February 1981	15 March 1983	2 years, 27 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
14		Murai, SumioGeneral  [ja] 村井澄夫 (born 1925)	16 March 1983	30 June 1984	1 year, 106 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
15		Watanabe, KeitaroGeneral  [ja] 村井澄夫 (1927–1997)	1 July 1984	5 February 1986	1 year, 219 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
16		Mori, HiroshiGeneral  [ja] 森繁弘 (born 1928)	6 February 1986	10 December 1987	1 year, 307 days	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
17		Masao, IshiiGeneral  [ja] 石井政雄 (1931–2007)	11 December 1987	15 March 1990	2 years, 94 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
18		Terashima, YasuzoGeneral  [ja] 寺島泰三 (born 1933)	16 March 1990	30 June 1991	1 year, 106 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
19		Sakuma, HajimeAdmiral  [ja] 佐久間一 (1935–2014)	1 July 1991	30 June 1993	1 year, 364 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
20		Nishimoto, TetsuyaGeneral  [ja] 西元徹也 (born 1936)	1 July 1993	24 March 1996	2 years, 267 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
21		Ban, SugiyamaGeneral  [ja] 杉山蕃 (born 1938)	25 March 1996	12 October 1997	1 year, 201 days	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
22		Natsukawa, KazuyaAdmiral  [ja] 夏川和也 (born 1940)	13 October 1997	30 March 1999	1 year, 168 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
23		Fujinawa, YujiGeneral Yuji Fujinawa (born 1941)	31 March 1999	26 March 2001	1 year, 360 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
24		Takegochi, ShojiGeneral  [ja] 竹河内捷次 (born 1943)	27 March 2001	27 January 2003	1 year, 306 days	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
25		Ishikawa, ToruAdmiral  [ja] 石川亨 (born 1944)	28 January 2003	29 August 2004	1 year, 214 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
26		Massaki, HajimeGeneral  [ja] 先崎一 (born 1944)	30 August 2004	26 March 2006	1 year, 208 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force

Chief of Staff, Joint Staff[]

No.	Portrait	Chief of Staff, Joint Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
26		Massaki, HajimeGeneral  [ja] 先崎一 (born 1944)	27 March 2006	3 August 2006	129 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
27		Saito, TakashiAdmiral  [ja] 齋藤隆 (born 1948)	4 August 2006	23 March 2009	2 years, 231 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
28		Oriki, RyoichiGeneral  [ja] 折木良一 (born 1950)	24 March 2009	30 January 2012	2 years, 312 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
29		Iwasaki, ShigeruGeneral Shigeru Iwasaki 岩崎茂 (born 1953)	31 January 2012	13 October 2014	2 years, 255 days	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
30		Kawano, KatsutoshiAdmiral Katsutoshi Kawano 河野克俊 (born 1954)	14 October 2014	31 March 2019	4 years, 168 days	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
31		Yamazaki, KōjiGeneral Kōji Yamazaki 山崎幸二 (born 1961)	1 April 2019	Incumbent	2 years, 173 days	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force

See also[]

• Minister of Defense (Japan)

References[]