| Ministry of Defense Japan |
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|---|---|
| Ministry of Defense Headquarters | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | January 9, 2007 |
| Preceding agency | Japanese Defense Agency |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Japan |
| Headquarters | 5-1 Ichigaya honmura-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo |
| Employees | 22,721 civilian staff (2010) |
| Annual budget | 4.7 trillion yen |
| Ministers responsible | Yasuo Ichikawa, Minister of Defense Shu Watanabe, Senior Vice Minister Mitsu Shimojo, Parliamentary Secretary Hideo Jinpu, Parliamentary Secretary |
| Agency executives | Kimito Nakae, Vice Minister of Defense GEN Ryoichi Oriki, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff |
| Child agency | Japan Self Defense Forces |
| 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 Shinjuku, Tokyo, and is the largest organ of the Japanese government: in 2009, fixed personnel numbered 271,094, including 248,303 military perssonel. The Ministry of Defense, as cabinet-level ministry, is required by Article 66 of the constitution to be completely subordinate to civilian authority. Its head, the Minister of Defense.
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The Ministry of Defense is headquartered in Ichigaya, Tokyo, on a site which housed the Ichigaya Military Academy (市ヶ谷陸軍士官校), 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. Until May 2000, the JDA was based in Akasaka: this land is now occupied by the Tokyo Midtown.
The Japan Defense Agency was established on July 1, 1954. It took its present name and status as a ministry on January 9, 2007.
In the 1980s, efforts were also under way 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 Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) 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 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 SDF combat units could take in emergencies.
Cooperation between the SDF 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 the SDF transportation capabilities are generally judged inadequate. In 1990 legislation was being studied to provide the SDF with the ability to respond in emergency situations not specifically covered by Article 76 of the Self-Defense Forces Law.
SDF training includes instilling a sense of mission. Personnel are provided with the scientific and technical education to operate and maintain modern equipment and with the physical training necessary to accomplish their missions.
Modern equipment is gradually replacing obsolescent matériel in the SDF. In 1987 the Defense Agency replaced its communications system (which formerly had relied on telephone lines of the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation) 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.
The Diet had passed into law the change of status of the Defense Agency to a Cabinet-level Defense Ministry.[1] The Diet's upper house had voted by a majority, including the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, to amend the change.[2] Bills on transition to the Ministry of Defense became laws on December 15, 2006. Only the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party opposed the change, claiming that it can lead Japan into a future war.[2] The MOD was formally established on January 9, 2007.[3] Subsequently, its Defense Facilities Administrative Agency was integrated into the MOD.[4]
In July 2007, the MOD 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.[5]
The Ministers in the Ministry of Defense are as follows:
The Special Advisor to the Minister of Defense is the senior policy advisor to the Minister of Defense.
The Vice Minister of Defense is the senior civil servant at the Ministry of Defense. Vice Minister role is to coordinate the affairs of the ministry, and supervise the affairs of the bureaus and organs of the Ministry.
The Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff is hightest ranking military officer of the Japan Self Defense Forces , and the senior military advisor to the Minister of Defense and the Government. He is supported by the Vice Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff and by the chiefs of staff of the three services of Self Defense Forces. He is appointed by the Minister of Defense, approval by the Cabinet of Japan.
The Ministry of Defense includes a number of organizations:
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