WThe Chief of Staff, Joint Staff 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.
WThe Japan Self-Defense Forces, also known as the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) or Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established by the Self-Defense Forces Law in 1954, and are controlled by the Ministry of Defense. The JSDF has the world's fifth-largest military budget. In recent years, it has engaged in international peacekeeping operations with the United Nations. The JSDF is ranked as the 5th most powerful military force on the planet as of 2020.
WThese are overseas dispatches of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). Japan sought active international cooperation beyond the framework of previous activities due to the alleviation of tensions after the end of the Cold War in 1989 and the Gulf War that broke out at the beginning of 1991. This began the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces in the Persian Gulf.
WBo-taoshi , is a capture-the-flag-like game, played on sports days at schools in Japan. The game, traditionally played by cadets at the National Defense Academy (NDA) of Japan on its anniversary, is famous for its size, wherein two teams totalling 150 individuals each vie for control of a single large pole. Each team is split into two groups of 75 attackers and 75 defenders. The defenders begin in a defensive orientation respective to their pole, while the attackers assume position some measure away from the other team's pole. A team concedes if its pole is brought lower than 30° to the horizontal. Until a rule change in 1973, the pole had only to be brought lower than 45° to the horizontal.
WThe Ministry of Defense is a cabinet-level ministry of the Government of Japan charged with preserving the peace and independence of Japan and maintaining national security with the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
WFukuoka Airport , formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located 1.6 NM east of Hakata Station in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
WThe Howa Type 96 automatic grenade launcher (AGL) , is a Japanese automatic grenade launcher made by Howa since 1996.
WIshigaki Island , also known as Ishigakijima, is a Japanese island south-west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. It is located approximately 411 km (255 mi) south-west of Okinawa Hontō. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago. The island is served by New Ishigaki Airport, the largest airport in the Yaeyamas.
WIshigaki Airport , was a third-class airport located 1 NM from Ishigaki city centre in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The airport provided flights to major cities on the Japanese mainland as well as destinations throughout Okinawa Prefecture and the Yaeyama Islands. Commercial operations at Ishigaki Airport ceased at midnight on March 6, 2013, and New Ishigaki Airport opened on March 7, 2013. As of mid-2013, the possibility exists that the airport may be turned over fully to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. As a Type-3 airport, the JSDF was already in theory able to carry out operations from Ishigaki.
WKirishima is a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
WThis is a list of airports in Japan, grouped by classification and sorted by location. As of February 2012, the country has a total of 98 airports, of which 28 are operated by the central government and 67 by local governments.
WMageshima (馬毛島), is one of the Satsunan Islands, usually classed with the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is administered by the city of Nishinoomote on Tanegashima.
WJASDF Matsushima Air Base is a military aerodrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force located in Higashimatsushima, 6.6 NM west of Ishinomaki in the Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Headquarters for the 4th Air Wing (JASDF), the base is primarily used for training, and is the home of the JASDF 21st Fighter Training Squadron, currently equipped with Mitsubishi F-2B fighters. It is also the home base for the "Blue Impulse" JASDF acrobatic display team.
WThe Minebea PM-9 Submachine Gun, known officially in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) as the 9mm Machine Pistol or as the M9, is a Japanese-made machine pistol. Analogous to the Israeli IMI Mini-Uzi, the PM-9 has the same telescoping bolt as the Mini-Uzi, but differs in its appearance, operational use and handling.
WThe Mitsubishi Type 73 Light Truck is a series of military light trucks that are used as mini SUVs in the JSDF. They have been under production by Mitsubishi Motors since 1973. In JSDF service, it is officially known as the 1/2 Ton Truck. They are powered by Mitsubishi-made 4-cylinder diesel engines with a total of 123 horsepower.
WMiyako Airport is an airport on Miyako-jima in Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan.
WKijirō Nambu was an Japanese firearms designer and career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army. He founded the Nambu Arms Manufacturing Company, a major manufacturer of Japanese military firearms during the period. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1914.
WNational Defense Academy of Japan , abbreviated NDA is the national, four-year university-level service academy aimed to educate and train students who will be serving as officers in the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It is located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa.
WThe National Defense Medical College is Japan's six-year university-level military academy under control of the Ministry of Defense whose objectives are to train future military officers who are also medical doctors and current military doctors. Students graduate with an advanced level of theory and application of medical sciences required to conduct the missions of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and acquisition of research capability of the related fields as well as to offer training of clinical medicine.
WOkidaitōjima (沖大東島), also spelled as Oki Daitō Island or Oki-Daitō or Oki-no-Daitō, previously known as Rasa Island , is an abandoned island in the Daitō Islands group southeast of Okinawa, Japan. It is administered as part of the village of Kitadaitō, Shimajiri District, Okinawa.
WŌshima Airport is an airport located on the island of Izu Ōshima, Tokyo, Japan.
WSaga Airport is an airport in the Kawasoe area of Saga, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It also uses the unofficial name Kyushu Saga International Airport .
WShimojishima Airport is located on the island of Shimojishima in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It has the longest runway of any island in Japan south of the main island of Okinawa. Mitsubishi has built a low cost carrier terminal which began operating passenger flights in March 2019.
WThe Sumitomo NTK-62 is the standard issue General-purpose machine gun of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, known as the Type 62 GPMG. When first issued it fulfilled both light and medium machine gun support throughout the JGSDF. Though the Sumitomo Heavy Industries' M249 firing the smaller 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge has largely replaced it in the light machine gun role at the squad level in the JGSDF, the Type 62 still plays the support role at platoon and company level for the infantry as a Medium machine gun firing the more powerful 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. It also continues to be used as a co-axial weapon in various armored vehicles, including tanks and APCs.
WOperation Tomodachi was a United States Armed Forces assistance operation to support Japan in disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The operation took place from 12 March to 4 May 2011; involved 24,000 U.S. servicemembers, 189 aircraft, 24 naval ships; and cost $90 million.
WThe Type 73 Medium Truck is an all-terrain four-wheel drive (4x4) truck of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force known as the 1 1/2 Ton Truck.